Photo: Steven Clevenger | SIPAUSA via The Associated Press
A wind power boom in the US’ central corridor has been a financial windfall for some struggling rural areas. Coke County, Texas, which has a population of about 3,300, had the biggest increase in economic output of any county in the country between 2019 and 2021. The county’s gross domestic product, or GDO, increased from $128 million to $235 million, or 83%. Including Coke County, 7 of the top 10 counties with the largest GDP increases had significant wind farm construction. In rural areas such as Coke County, where ranchers’ herds are suffering from drought and oil production is dwindling, wind farms are generating cash to fix roads, recreation centers, senior centers, swimming pools and other aging infrastructure.
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