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

Home to Perryton

Ochiltree County is where a large share of Texas's next power plants are planned. Construction employs 182, down 45.0% since 2019. Ochiltree County is home to Perryton. 316 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Palo Duro Energy Center, LLC (battery storage). Employers here counted 4,086 jobs in 2025, down 8.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019.

316 MW
of new generation planned here, battery storage leading

-8.1%
total jobs since 2019, now 4,086

282 MW
of operating power plants, mostly wind

## Cities and towns in Ochiltree County

Ochiltree County is home to Perryton.

Perryton7,850 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Farnsworth, Waka.

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 Ochiltree County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,954 | 9,284 | ▼ 6.7% | 171st of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,446 | 4,086 | ▼ 8.1% | 217th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,729 | $57,124 | ▲ 14.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 331 | 182 | ▼ 45.0% | 154th of 155 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 3.5% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 316 MW | 112% of today's fleet | 81st of 149 by size |

Its power plants have 282 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Ochiltree County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.35¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.81¢ median for Texas utilities. 9,284 people live here, down 6.7% since 2020.

## Who powers Ochiltree County

### Utilities with service territory in Ochiltree 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% |
| North Plains Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,081 | 10.15¢ | 26% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 282 MW | 100% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Duro Wind | Palo Duro Wind | Wind | 282 MW | 2014 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Duro Energy Storage II | Batteries | 166 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2029 | Palo Duro Energy Center, LLC |
| Palo Duro Energy Storage | Batteries | 150 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Palo Duro Energy Storage, LLC |

## The Ochiltree County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,086 | $57,124 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 182 | $60,154 | 0.84 |

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 Ochiltree County

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

## Ochiltree County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Ochiltree County, Roberts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochiltree County | 9,284 | ▼ 8.1% | 282 MW | 316 MW | — | — |
| Beaver County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/beaver-county) OK | 4,882 | ▼ 20.6% | 798 MW | — | — | — |
| Hansford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/hansford-county) | 4,944 | ▼ 2.6% | 1,221 MW | — | — | — |
| Lipscomb County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/lipscomb-county) | 2,955 | ▼ 12.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Roberts County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/roberts-county) | 867 | ▼ 33.6% | 289 MW | 500 MW | — | — |
| Texas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/texas-county) OK | 20,322 | ▲ 2.8% | 201 MW | 102 MW | — | — |

## More of Texas

[All Texas countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas)[Hansford County4,944 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/hansford-county)[Lipscomb County2,955 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/lipscomb-county)[Roberts County867 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/roberts-county)

## Ochiltree County, answered from the record

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

2 utilities have service territory in Ochiltree County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, North Plains Electric Coop Inc. The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 13.35¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Ochiltree County?

1 operating plant with 282 MW of capacity. The largest is Palo Duro Wind (282 MW, wind).

### How much new power is planned in Ochiltree County?

316 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Palo Duro Energy Center, LLC.

### Are there data centers in Ochiltree County?

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

### Is Ochiltree County adding jobs?

Employers counted 4,086 jobs in 2025 against 4,446 in 2019 (-8.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 331 to 182.

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

No county-level measure is on record for Ochiltree 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/ochiltree-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/).