Calhoun County, Alabama: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Anniston, Oxford and Jacksonville
Calhoun County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Calhoun County, 3% of Alabama's total. Calhoun County is home to Anniston, most of Oxford (17,706 of its 22,199 residents), Jacksonville and Piedmont. Its power plants have 828 MW of capacity, 90% of it natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 203, up 5.2% since 2019 against up 28.7% statewide, at an average $63,794 a year. Employers here counted 43,473 jobs in 2025, down 2.4% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Calhoun County
Calhoun County is home to Anniston, most of Oxford (17,706 of its 22,199 residents), Jacksonville and Piedmont.
- Oxford also extends into Talladega County.
- Southside also extends into Etowah County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Alexandria, Choccolocco, Nances Creek, Saks, West End-Cobb Town, White Plains.
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 Calhoun County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alabama |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 116,238 | 115,834 | ▼ 0.3% | 11th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 44,563 | 43,473 | ▼ 2.4% | 54th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,371 | $52,428 | ▲ 26.7% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 193 | 203 | ▲ 5.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 4.0% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. Alabama Power Co is the largest utility serving Calhoun County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.24¢ median for Alabama utilities. 115,834 people live here, down 0.3% since 2020.
Who powers Calhoun County
Utilities with service territory in Calhoun County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,332,911 | 16.77¢ | 26% |
| Cherokee Electric Coop - (AL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,830 | 15.06¢ | 30% |
| Coosa Valley Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,612 | 15.71¢ | 10% |
| City of Piedmont - (AL) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 748 MW | 90% |
| Hydro | 73 MW | 9% |
| Solar | 7 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun Energy Center | Alabama Power Co | Natural gas | 748 MW | 2003 |
| H Neely Henry Dam | Alabama Power Co | Hydro | 73 MW | 1966 |
| ANAD Solar Array | Alabama Power Co | Solar | 7 MW | 2017 |
The Calhoun County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 43,473 | $52,428 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 203 | $63,794 | 0.65 |
| Data processing and hosting | 22 | $70,141 | 0.16 |
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 Calhoun County
1 data center in Calhoun County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Calhoun County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Calhoun County, Talladega 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County | 115,834 | ▼ 2.4% | 828 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Cherokee County | 26,413 | ▲ 4.4% | 88 MW | — | — | — |
| Cleburne County | 15,970 | ▲ 38.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Etowah County | 103,886 | ▼ 7.1% | — | — | 1 | — |
| St. Clair County | 98,206 | ▲ 11.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Talladega County | 81,603 | ▲ 5.1% | 253 MW | 400 MW | — | — |
More of Alabama
Calhoun County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Calhoun County, Alabama?
4 utilities have service territory in Calhoun County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Alabama Power Co, Cherokee Electric Coop - (AL), Coosa Valley Electric Coop Inc, City of Piedmont - (AL). The largest, Alabama Power Co, charged residential customers 16.77¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Anniston, AL in?
Anniston is in Calhoun County, Alabama. About 20,930 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Oxford, AL in?
Most of Oxford is in Calhoun County: 17,706 of its 22,199 residents, or 80%. The rest of the city lies in Talladega County.
What county is Jacksonville, AL in?
Jacksonville is in Calhoun County, Alabama. About 14,400 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Calhoun County?
3 operating plants with 828 MW of capacity. The largest is Calhoun Energy Center (748 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Calhoun County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Calhoun County.
Is Calhoun County adding jobs?
Employers counted 43,473 jobs in 2025 against 44,563 in 2019 (-2.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Calhoun County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Calhoun County. Alabama has 18 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.