Potter County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Amarillo
The data center boom is not abstract in Potter County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Potter County. Potter County is home to part of Amarillo (98,509 of its 205,130 residents). Electrical contractors employ 549, up 59.6% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $71,381 a year. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Project Matador (Amarillo) (11,000 MW). 168 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Carol Wind, LLC (wind).
Cities and towns in Potter County
Potter County is home to part of Amarillo (98,509 of its 205,130 residents).
- Amarillo also extends into Randall County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bushland.
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 Potter County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 118,353 | 114,453 | ▼ 3.3% | 43rd of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 77,158 | 78,735 | ▲ 2.0% | 143rd of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,140 | $61,490 | ▲ 30.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,637 | 4,083 | ▲ 12.3% | 91st of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 344 | 549 | ▲ 59.6% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 96 | 117 | ▲ 21.9% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 410 | 766 | ▲ 86.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 4.4% | ▲ 1.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 168 MW | 11% of today's fleet | 126th of 149 by size |
Owners plan to retire 475 MW more by 2035, led by Nichols in 2030. Construction employs 4,083, up 12.3% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,555 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 78,735 jobs in 2025, up 2.0% from 2019. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Potter 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. 114,453 people live here, down 3.3% since 2020.
Who powers Potter County
Utilities with service territory in Potter 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% |
| Rita Blanca Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 1,255 | 8.28¢ | 96% |
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 | 1,555 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrington | Southwestern Public Service Co | Natural gas | 1,080 MW | 1976 |
| Nichols | Southwestern Public Service Co | Natural gas | 475 MW | 1960 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Wind, LLC | Onshore Wind Turbine | 168 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | Carol Wind, LLC |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nichols | Natural gas | 248 MW | 2030 |
| Nichols | Natural gas | 114 MW | 2027 |
| Nichols | Natural gas | 114 MW | 2028 |
The Potter County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 78,735 | $61,490 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,083 | $67,759 | 0.98 |
| Electrical contractors | 549 | $71,381 | 0.97 |
| Power and communication line construction | 117 | $81,061 | 0.92 |
| Electric utilities | 766 | $119,648 | 3.59 |
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 Potter County
4 data centers in Potter County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Matador (Amarillo) | delayed | 11,000 MW |
Potter County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Potter County, Carson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potter County | 114,453 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,555 MW | 168 MW | 4 | — |
| Armstrong County | 1,843 | ▲ 85.1% | 266 MW | 266 MW | 1 | — |
| Carson County | 5,805 | ▲ 40.5% | 1,212 MW | 16,147 MW | — | — |
| Deaf Smith County | 18,626 | ▲ 6.4% | 710 MW | 1,686 MW | — | — |
| Hutchinson County | 19,633 | ▼ 3.8% | 294 MW | — | — | — |
| Moore County | 21,891 | ▲ 15.2% | 98 MW | — | — | — |
| Oldham County | 1,783 | ▼ 11.0% | 755 MW | — | — | — |
| Randall County | 152,351 | ▲ 13.9% | 166 MW | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Potter County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Potter County, Texas?
2 utilities have service territory in Potter County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, Rita Blanca Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 13.35¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Is Amarillo in Potter County?
Partly. 98,509 of Amarillo's 205,130 residents (48%) live in Potter County; most of the city is in Randall County.
What power plants are in Potter County?
2 operating plants with 1,555 MW of capacity. The largest is Harrington (1,080 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Potter County?
168 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Carol Wind, LLC.
Are there data centers in Potter County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Potter County.
Is Potter County adding jobs?
Employers counted 78,735 jobs in 2025 against 77,158 in 2019 (+2.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,637 to 4,083.
Does Potter County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Potter County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.