Lamb County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Littlefield and Olton
Lamb County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Lamb County is home to Littlefield, Olton, Sudan and Earth. Owners plan to retire 1,326 MW more by 2035, led by Tolk in 2028. Next door, Castro County has 440 MW of planned generation. 244 MW has retired here since 2019, including Plant X (natural gas, 244 MW, 2023). Its power plants have 1,476 MW of capacity, 77% of it coal.
Cities and towns in Lamb County
Lamb County is home to Littlefield, Olton, Sudan and Earth.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Spade.
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 Lamb County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,005 | 12,579 | ▼ 3.3% | 150th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,084 | 4,078 | ▼ 0.1% | 162nd of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,457 | $53,806 | ▲ 23.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.7% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 150 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 244 MW | — |
150 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Lamb County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.35¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.81¢ median for Texas utilities. Employers here counted 4,078 jobs in 2025, down 0.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. 12,579 people live here, down 3.3% since 2020.
Who powers Lamb County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −94 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lamb County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Public Service Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 222,146 | 13.35¢ | 25% |
| South Plains Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 56,173 | 10.35¢ | 23% |
| Bailey County Elec Coop Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,348 | 8.77¢ | 20% |
| Lamb County Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 2,810 | 9.52¢ | 17% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,136 MW | 77% |
| Natural gas | 190 MW | 13% |
| Solar | 150 MW | 10% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolk | Southwestern Public Service Co | Coal | 1,136 MW | 1982 |
| Plant X | Southwestern Public Service Co | Natural gas | 190 MW | 1964 |
| Plant X Solar | Southwestern Public Service Co | Solar | 150 MW | 2026 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant X | Natural gas | 244 MW | 2023 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tolk | Coal | 1,136 MW | 2028 |
| Plant X | Natural gas | 190 MW | 2027 |
The Lamb County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,078 | $53,806 | 1.00 |
| Electric utilities | 87 | $110,575 | 7.88 |
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 Lamb County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lamb County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Lamb County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Lamb County, Hale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamb County | 12,579 | ▼ 0.1% | 1,476 MW | — | — | — |
| Bailey County | 6,963 | ▼ 5.2% | 148 MW | — | — | — |
| Castro County | 7,295 | ▲ 14.2% | 442 MW | 440 MW | — | — |
| Cochran County | 2,546 | ▼ 0.3% | 150 MW | 120 MW | — | — |
| Hale County | 31,819 | ▼ 7.6% | 1,445 MW | 200 MW | 1 | — |
| Hockley County | 21,600 | ▼ 9.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Lubbock County | 328,906 | ▲ 8.2% | 874 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Parmer County | 9,678 | ▲ 11.1% | 495 MW | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Lamb County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lamb County, Texas?
4 utilities have service territory in Lamb County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, South Plains Electric Coop Inc, Bailey County Elec Coop Assn, Lamb County Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 13.35¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Lamb County?
3 operating plants with 1,476 MW of capacity. The largest is Tolk (1,136 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Lamb County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lamb County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Castro County.
Is Lamb County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,078 jobs in 2025 against 4,084 in 2019 (-0.1%, BLS QCEW).
Does Lamb County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lamb County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.