Henderson County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Athens, Gun Barrel City and Chandler
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Henderson County. Construction employs 1,482, up 42.2% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Henderson County is home to Athens, Gun Barrel City, Chandler and Tool. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Diode Ventures Cedar Creek Lake Data Center. Electrical contractors employ 102, up 45.7% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $53,151 a year. 100 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Solex Ridge, LLC (solar).
Cities and towns in Henderson County
Henderson County is home to Athens, Gun Barrel City, Chandler and Tool.
- Mabank also extends into Kaufman County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Sunrise Shores.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Henderson County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 82,400 | 88,595 | ▲ 7.5% | 46th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,533 | 20,065 | ▲ 14.4% | 54th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,325 | $52,257 | ▲ 36.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,042 | 1,482 | ▲ 42.2% | 43rd of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 70 | 102 | ▲ 45.7% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 94 | 108 | ▲ 14.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 4.9% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 303 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 100 MW | 18% of today's fleet | 138th of 149 by size |
Employers here counted 20,065 jobs in 2025, up 14.4% from 2019. 303 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. Its power plants have 546 MW of capacity, 54% of it battery storage. Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Henderson County, one of 2 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers. 88,595 people live here, up 7.5% since 2020.
Who powers Henderson County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +303 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Henderson County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 3,477,215 | — | — |
| Trinity Valley Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 79,954 | 11.26¢ | 14% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Battery storage | 293 MW | 54% |
| Natural gas | 239 MW | 44% |
| Solar | 10 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzanite Storage | Tanzanite Energy Storage LLC | Battery storage | 283 MW | 2025 |
| Trinidad (TX) | Luminant Generation Company LLC | Petroleum | 243 MW | 1965 |
| Malakoff Solar Project | Ellomay USA Inc | Solar | 10 MW | 2025 |
| Pauline BESS | HEN Infrastructure, L.L.C. | Battery storage | 10 MW | 2024 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solex Ridge Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Solex Ridge, LLC |
The Henderson County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 20,065 | $52,257 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,482 | $61,566 | 1.39 |
| Electrical contractors | 102 | $53,151 | 0.70 |
| Electric utilities | 108 | $135,440 | 1.99 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Henderson County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diode Ventures Cedar Creek Lake Data Center | withdrawn | — |
Henderson County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Henderson County, Navarro County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County | 88,595 | ▲ 14.4% | 546 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Anderson County | 59,805 | ▲ 0.6% | — | 176 MW | — | — |
| Cherokee County | 53,337 | ▲ 1.0% | 713 MW | — | — | — |
| Ellis County | 240,867 | ▲ 22.8% | 2,517 MW | 574 MW | 16 | — |
| Freestone County | 20,811 | ▲ 10.4% | 1,490 MW | 959 MW | 1 | — |
| Kaufman County | 209,235 | ▲ 41.3% | 2,196 MW | 851 MW | 2 | — |
| Navarro County | 57,181 | ▼ 3.3% | 1,215 MW | 2,231 MW | 1 | — |
| Smith County | 252,549 | ▲ 10.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Van Zandt County | 66,130 | ▲ 13.7% | 59 MW | 220 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
Henderson County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Henderson County, Texas?
2 utilities have service territory in Henderson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Trinity Valley Elec Coop Inc.
What county is Athens, TX in?
Athens is in Henderson County, Texas. About 13,870 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Henderson County?
4 operating plants with 546 MW of capacity. The largest is Tanzanite Storage (283 MW, battery storage).
How much new power is planned in Henderson County?
100 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Solex Ridge, LLC.
Are there data centers in Henderson County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Henderson County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Navarro County.
Is Henderson County adding jobs?
Employers counted 20,065 jobs in 2025 against 17,533 in 2019 (+14.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,042 to 1,482.
Does Henderson County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Henderson County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.