Rusk County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Henderson, Kilgore and Overton
Rusk County hosts some of the generating capacity Texas runs on. Rusk County is home to Henderson, part of Kilgore (3,376 of its 13,531 residents), most of Overton (2,149 of its 2,315 residents) and most of Tatum (1,216 of its 1,403 residents). Its power plants have 3,519 MW of capacity, 68% of it coal, the 7th largest fleet in Texas. Next door, Nacogdoches County has 674 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 1,092, down 4.5% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 200 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Rusk County
Rusk County is home to Henderson, part of Kilgore (3,376 of its 13,531 residents), most of Overton (2,149 of its 2,315 residents) and most of Tatum (1,216 of its 1,403 residents).
- Kilgore also extends into Gregg County.
- Overton also extends into Smith County.
- Tatum also extends into Panola County.
- Reklaw also extends into Cherokee County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lake Cherokee.
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 Rusk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 52,255 | 54,854 | ▲ 5.0% | 68th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,608 | 13,308 | ▼ 2.2% | 181st of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,895 | $55,852 | ▲ 24.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,144 | 1,092 | ▼ 4.5% | 130th of 155 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 281 | 352 | ▲ 25.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.8% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 200 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 4.8% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 13,308 jobs in 2025, down 2.2% from 2019. Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Rusk County, one of 6 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers. 54,854 people live here, up 5.0% since 2020.
Who powers Rusk County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +200 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Rusk 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 | — | — |
| Southwestern Electric Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 156,271 | 12.03¢ | 30% |
| Upshur Rural Elec Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 44,415 | 12.40¢ | 18% |
| Deep East Texas Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 40,404 | 13.10¢ | 25% |
| Cherokee County Elec Coop Assn - (TX) | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,026 | 14.92¢ | 12% |
| Rusk County Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,152 | 12.90¢ | 20% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 2,380 MW | 68% |
| Natural gas | 940 MW | 27% |
| Solar | 200 MW | 6% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Lake | Luminant Generation Company LLC | Coal | 2,380 MW | 1977 |
| Tenaska Gateway Generating Station | Tenaska Gateway Partners Ltd | Natural gas | 940 MW | 2001 |
| Oak Hill - Dry Creek | Vistra Zero LLC | Solar | 200 MW | 2026 |
The Rusk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,308 | $55,852 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,092 | $51,134 | 1.55 |
| Electric utilities | 352 | $148,060 | 9.77 |
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 Rusk County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rusk County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Rusk County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Rusk County, Nacogdoches 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk County | 54,854 | ▼ 2.2% | 3,519 MW | — | — | — |
| Cherokee County | 53,337 | ▲ 1.0% | 713 MW | — | — | — |
| Gregg County | 126,095 | ▼ 0.9% | 351 MW | — | — | — |
| Harrison County | 71,956 | ▼ 8.3% | 1,043 MW | 450 MW | — | — |
| Nacogdoches County | 66,035 | ▲ 0.8% | 114 MW | 674 MW | — | — |
| Panola County | 23,018 | ▼ 7.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Shelby County | 24,286 | ▲ 3.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Smith County | 252,549 | ▲ 10.0% | — | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Rusk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rusk County, Texas?
6 utilities have service territory in Rusk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Southwestern Electric Power Co, Upshur Rural Elec Coop Corp, Deep East Texas Elec Coop Inc.
What county is Henderson, TX in?
Henderson is in Rusk County, Texas. About 13,496 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Rusk County?
3 operating plants with 3,519 MW of capacity. The largest is Martin Lake (2,380 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Rusk County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rusk County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Nacogdoches County.
Is Rusk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,308 jobs in 2025 against 13,608 in 2019 (-2.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,144 to 1,092.
Does Rusk County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rusk County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.