Llano County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Horseshoe Bay and Llano
Llano 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. Llano County is home to most of Horseshoe Bay (4,295 of its 5,339 residents), Llano and Sunrise Beach Village. Employers here counted 5,721 jobs in 2025, up 19.4% from 2019. Construction employs 475, up 17.6% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Burnet County has 289 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 630 MW of capacity, 91% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Llano County
Llano County is home to most of Horseshoe Bay (4,295 of its 5,339 residents), Llano and Sunrise Beach Village.
- Horseshoe Bay also extends into Burnet County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Buchanan Dam, Buchanan Lake Village, Kingsland, Tow.
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 Llano County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 21,331 | 23,353 | ▲ 9.5% | 107th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,793 | 5,721 | ▲ 19.4% | 37th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,913 | $55,185 | ▲ 41.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 404 | 475 | ▲ 17.6% | 80th of 155 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.4% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 23,353 people live here, up 9.5% since 2020. Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Llano County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.22¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.81¢ median for Texas utilities.
Who powers Llano County
Utilities with service territory in Llano County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 405,587 | 12.22¢ | 22% |
| Central Texas Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 39,569 | 11.03¢ | 9% |
| Hamilton County Elec Coop Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,594 | 13.69¢ | 12% |
| City of Llano - (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.
Operating power plants 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 575 MW | 91% |
| Hydro | 55 MW | 9% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas C Ferguson | Lower Colorado River Authority | Natural gas | 575 MW | 2014 |
| Buchanan Dam (TX) | Lower Colorado River Authority | Hydro | 55 MW | 1938 |
The Llano County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,721 | $55,185 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 475 | $63,255 | 1.57 |
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 Llano County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Llano County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Llano County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Llano County, Burnet 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llano County | 23,353 | ▲ 19.4% | 630 MW | — | — | — |
| Blanco County | 13,581 | ▲ 20.3% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Burnet County | 57,015 | ▲ 14.9% | 109 MW | 289 MW | — | — |
| Gillespie County | 28,527 | ▲ 14.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Mason County | 3,990 | ▲ 4.0% | 110 MW | — | — | — |
| San Saba County | 5,787 | ▼ 16.0% | — | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Llano County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Llano County, Texas?
4 utilities have service territory in Llano County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc, Central Texas Elec Coop, Inc, Hamilton County Elec Coop Assn, City of Llano - (TX). The largest, Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 12.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Llano County?
2 operating plants with 630 MW of capacity. The largest is Thomas C Ferguson (575 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Llano County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Llano County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Burnet County.
Is Llano County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,721 jobs in 2025 against 4,793 in 2019 (+19.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 404 to 475.
Does Llano County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Llano County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.