Young County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Graham and Olney
Young County hosts some of the generating capacity Texas runs on. Construction employs 330, up 90.8% since 2019. Young County is home to Graham, Olney and Newcastle. Next door, Archer County has 600 MW of planned generation. 520 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 1,352 MW of capacity, 52% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Young County
Young County is home to Graham, Olney and Newcastle.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Loving.
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 Young County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 17,847 | 18,154 | ▲ 1.7% | 132nd of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,688 | 6,974 | ▲ 4.3% | 128th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,489 | $61,861 | ▲ 42.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 173 | 330 | ▲ 90.8% | 12th of 155 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 79 | 93 | ▲ 17.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 3.6% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 520 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 6,974 jobs in 2025, up 4.3% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Young County, one of 4 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers. 18,154 people live here, up 1.7% since 2020.
Who powers Young County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +520 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Young 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 | — | — |
| Texas-New Mexico Power Co | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 233,056 | — | — |
| United Electric Coop Service Inc - (TX) | Cooperative | Bundled | 88,324 | 13.00¢ | 20% |
| Fort Belknap Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 698 MW | 52% |
| Natural gas | 635 MW | 47% |
| Battery storage | 10 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 10 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham | Luminant Generation Company LLC | Natural gas | 635 MW | 1960 |
| Young Wind | Young Wind, LLC | Wind | 500 MW | 2022 |
| Trinity Hills | Trinity Hills Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 198 MW | 2011 |
| Olney | HEN Infrastructure, L.L.C. | Battery storage | 20 MW | 2023 |
The Young County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,974 | $61,861 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 330 | $110,242 | 0.89 |
| Electric utilities | 93 | $135,161 | 4.93 |
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 Young County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Young County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Young County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Young County, Archer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young County | 18,154 | ▲ 4.3% | 1,352 MW | — | — | — |
| Archer County | 9,129 | ▲ 8.5% | 229 MW | 600 MW | — | — |
| Baylor County | 3,472 | ▲ 12.4% | 381 MW | — | — | — |
| Jack County | 9,563 | ▼ 15.8% | 1,030 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Palo Pinto County | 30,791 | ▼ 2.4% | 614 MW | — | — | — |
| Stephens County | 9,380 | ▼ 0.4% | 150 MW | — | — | — |
| Throckmorton County | 1,554 | ▲ 3.4% | 679 MW | 288 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
Young County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Young County, Texas?
4 utilities have service territory in Young County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Texas-New Mexico Power Co, United Electric Coop Service Inc - (TX), Fort Belknap Electric Coop Inc.
What power plants are in Young County?
4 operating plants with 1,352 MW of capacity. The largest is Graham (635 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Young County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Young County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Archer County.
Is Young County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,974 jobs in 2025 against 6,688 in 2019 (+4.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 173 to 330.
Does Young County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Young County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.