Lubbock County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lubbock, Wolfforth and Slaton
The data center boom is not abstract in Lubbock County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Lubbock County. Lubbock County is home to Lubbock, Wolfforth, Slaton and Shallowater. Owners plan to retire 495 MW more by 2035, led by Jones in 2031. 261 MW has retired here since 2019, including Ty Cooke (natural gas, 138 MW, 2023). Employers here counted 153,482 jobs in 2025, up 8.2% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Lubbock County
Lubbock County is home to Lubbock, Wolfforth, Slaton and Shallowater.
- Abernathy also extends into Hale 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 Lubbock County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 311,589 | 328,906 | ▲ 5.6% | 18th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 141,847 | 153,482 | ▲ 8.2% | 99th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,118 | $56,583 | ▲ 25.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,691 | 7,944 | ▲ 3.3% | 111th of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 977 | 1,002 | ▲ 2.6% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 70 | 234 | ▲ 234.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 3.9% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 8 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 261 MW | — |
Construction employs 7,944, up 3.3% since 2019. Its power plants have 874 MW of capacity, 99% of it natural gas. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 8 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Electrical contractors employ 1,002, up 2.6% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $64,369 a year. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Lubbock 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. 328,906 people live here, up 5.6% since 2020.
Who powers Lubbock County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −253 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lubbock 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% |
| Lyntegar Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,021 | 8.99¢ | 42% |
| City of Lubbock - (TX) | Municipal | Bundled | 4,825 | 13.69¢ | 54% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 860 MW | 99% |
| Wind | 9 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 4 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones | Southwestern Public Service Co | Natural gas | 860 MW | 1971 |
| GE-Lubbock | GE Wind Energy LLC | Wind | 9 MW | 2014 |
| BESSP1, LLC. | BESSP1, LLC. | Solar | 4 MW | 2023 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Cooke | Natural gas | 138 MW | 2023 |
| J Robert Massengale | Natural gas | 84 MW | 2023 |
| Brandon Station | Natural gas | 21 MW | 2023 |
| PYCO Industries, Inc. Wind Farm | Wind | 10 MW | 2023 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones | Natural gas | 248 MW | 2031 |
| Jones | Natural gas | 248 MW | 2034 |
The Lubbock County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 153,482 | $56,583 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 7,944 | $71,591 | 0.98 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,002 | $64,369 | 0.91 |
| Power and communication line construction | 234 | $89,894 | 0.94 |
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 Lubbock County
3 data centers in Lubbock County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Lubbock County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Lubbock 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lubbock County | 328,906 | ▲ 8.2% | 874 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Crosby County | 4,852 | ▼ 18.3% | 367 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Floyd County | 4,881 | ▼ 2.4% | 761 MW | — | — | — |
| Garza County | 4,510 | ▼ 27.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Hale County | 31,819 | ▼ 7.6% | 1,445 MW | 200 MW | 1 | — |
| Hockley County | 21,600 | ▼ 9.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Lamb County | 12,579 | ▼ 0.1% | 1,476 MW | — | — | — |
| Lynn County | 6,017 | ▼ 2.3% | 700 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Terry County | 11,720 | ▼ 15.0% | — | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Lubbock County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lubbock County, Texas?
4 utilities have service territory in Lubbock County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, South Plains Electric Coop Inc, Lyntegar Electric Coop, Inc, City of Lubbock - (TX). The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 13.35¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lubbock, TX in?
Lubbock is in Lubbock County, Texas. About 273,071 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lubbock County?
3 operating plants with 874 MW of capacity. The largest is Jones (860 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Lubbock County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Lubbock County.
Is Lubbock County adding jobs?
Employers counted 153,482 jobs in 2025 against 141,847 in 2019 (+8.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 7,691 to 7,944.
Does Lubbock County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lubbock County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.