Lavaca County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Yoakum, Hallettsville and Shiner
Lavaca County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Construction employs 346, up 50.4% since 2019. Lavaca County is home to most of Yoakum (3,852 of its 5,900 residents), Hallettsville, Shiner and Moulton. Electrical contractors employ 28, up 64.7% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $53,859 a year. Next door, Jackson County has 508 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 5,987 jobs in 2025, up 7.5% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Lavaca County
Lavaca County is home to most of Yoakum (3,852 of its 5,900 residents), Hallettsville, Shiner and Moulton.
- Yoakum also extends into DeWitt County.
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 Lavaca County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 20,355 | 20,651 | ▲ 1.5% | 119th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,569 | 5,987 | ▲ 7.5% | 103rd of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,403 | $51,121 | ▲ 20.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 230 | 346 | ▲ 50.4% | 33rd of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17 | 28 | ▲ 64.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 3.7% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Guadalupe Valley Elec Coop Inc is the largest utility serving Lavaca County, one of 9 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.49¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.81¢ median for Texas utilities. 20,651 people live here, up 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Lavaca County
Utilities with service territory in Lavaca County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe Valley Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 92,189 | 12.49¢ | 13% |
| San Bernard Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 31,774 | 14.16¢ | 14% |
| Jackson Electric Coop, Inc - (TX) | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,620 | 13.42¢ | 5% |
| Fayette Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,150 | 12.54¢ | 18% |
| City of Hallettsville - (TX) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Moulton - (TX) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Schulenburg - (TX) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Shiner - (TX) | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Lavaca County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Lavaca County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,987 | $51,121 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 346 | $74,381 | 1.09 |
| Electrical contractors | 28 | $53,859 | 0.65 |
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 Lavaca County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lavaca County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Lavaca County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Lavaca County, Fayette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavaca County | 20,651 | ▲ 7.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Colorado County | 21,439 | ▲ 7.1% | 51 MW | 142 MW | — | — |
| DeWitt County | 20,309 | ▼ 11.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Fayette County | 25,459 | ▲ 1.0% | 2,172 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Gonzales County | 20,159 | ▼ 0.4% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 15,393 | ▼ 11.5% | 221 MW | 508 MW | — | — |
| Victoria County | 92,656 | ▼ 5.2% | 1,168 MW | 232 MW | 1 | — |
More of Texas
Lavaca County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lavaca County, Texas?
9 utilities have service territory in Lavaca County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Guadalupe Valley Elec Coop Inc, San Bernard Electric Coop, Inc, Jackson Electric Coop, Inc - (TX), Fayette Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Guadalupe Valley Elec Coop Inc, charged residential customers 12.49¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Lavaca County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lavaca County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jackson County.
Is Lavaca County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,987 jobs in 2025 against 5,569 in 2019 (+7.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 230 to 346.
Does Lavaca County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lavaca County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.