# Loving County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Mentone

No data center or power plant project is on record in Loving County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Employers here counted 953 jobs in 2025, up 302.1% from 2019 (the fastest growth of 254 Texas counties). Unemployment was 0.7% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Loving County has no incorporated cities or towns. Its communities, including Mentone, are unincorporated and governed by the county. Next door, Ward County has 3 data centers and 2,335 MW of planned generation. 52 people live here, down 17.5% since 2020.

## Cities and towns in Loving County

Loving County has no incorporated cities or towns. Its communities, including Mentone, are unincorporated and governed by the county.

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Mentone.

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 Loving County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 63 | 52 | ▼ 17.5% | 254th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 237 | 953 | ▲ 302.1% | 1st of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $78,135 | $105,434 | ▲ 34.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 0.7% | ▼ 3.1pts | — |

Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Loving County. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers.

## Who powers Loving County

### Utilities with service territory in Loving 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 | — | — |

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 Loving County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.

## The Loving County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 953 | $105,434 | 1.00 |

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 Loving County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Loving County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.

## Loving County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Loving County, Ward 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loving County | 52 | ▲ 302.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Eddy County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-mexico/eddy-county) NM | 62,509 | ▲ 2.8% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Lea County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-mexico/lea-county) NM | 74,749 | ▲ 3.1% | 1,844 MW | 721 MW | — | — |
| Reeves County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/reeves-county) | 12,138 | ▼ 13.0% | 621 MW | 320 MW | 5 | — |
| Ward County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/ward-county) | 11,125 | ▲ 2.1% | 598 MW | 2,335 MW | 3 | — |
| Winkler County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/winkler-county) | 7,540 | ▲ 18.2% | 250 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Texas

[All Texas countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas)[Reeves County12,138 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/reeves-county)[Ward County11,125 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/ward-county)[Winkler County7,540 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/winkler-county)

## Loving County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Loving County, Texas?

1 utility has service territory in Loving County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC.

### Are there data centers in Loving County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Loving County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Ward County.

### Is Loving County adding jobs?

Employers counted 953 jobs in 2025 against 237 in 2019 (+302.1%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Loving County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Loving County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/loving-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).