Jefferson County, Alabama: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Birmingham, Hoover and Vestavia Hills
Jefferson County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 8 data centers in Jefferson County, 25% of Alabama's total. Jefferson County is home to Birmingham, most of Hoover (65,746 of its 93,550 residents), Vestavia Hills and Homewood. 2 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including Nebius Data Center (Oxmoor Valley, Birmingham). Its power plants have 2,826 MW of capacity, 100% of it coal, the 4th largest fleet in Alabama. Construction employs 19,777, up 13.1% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Jefferson County
Jefferson County is home to Birmingham, most of Hoover (65,746 of its 93,550 residents), Vestavia Hills and Homewood.
And 15 smaller places.
- Hoover also extends into Shelby County.
- Trussville also extends into St. Clair County.
- Leeds also extends into St. Clair County.
- Helena also extends into Shelby County.
- Lake View also extends into Tuscaloosa County.
- County Line also extends into Blount County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Concord, Edgewater, Forestdale, Grayson Valley, McCalla, McDonald Chapel, Minor, Mount Olive, Rock Creek.
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 Jefferson County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alabama |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 674,720 | 665,742 | ▼ 1.3% | 1st of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 354,285 | 368,875 | ▲ 4.1% | 28th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $57,422 | $75,008 | ▲ 30.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,493 | 19,777 | ▲ 13.1% | 29th of 41 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,854 | 3,054 | ▲ 7.0% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 358 | 333 | ▼ 7.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.1% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 25 MW | — |
25 MW has retired here since 2019, including Sloss Industries Corp (natural gas, 25 MW, 2021). Electrical contractors employ 3,054, up 7.0% since 2019 against up 28.7% statewide, at an average $77,176 a year. Employers here counted 368,875 jobs in 2025, up 4.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.1% in 2019. Alabama Power Co is the largest utility serving Jefferson County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.24¢ median for Alabama utilities. 665,742 people live here, down 1.3% since 2020, 1st of 67 Alabama counties by population.
Who powers Jefferson County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −25 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Jefferson 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% |
| City of Bessemer Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 9,378 | 12.26¢ | 55% |
| City of Tarrant | Municipal | Bundled | 2,069 | 13.45¢ | 45% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 2,822 MW | 100% |
| Natural gas | 4 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James H Miller Jr | Alabama Power Co | Coal | 2,822 MW | 1978 |
| ABC Coke | ABC Coke - Drummond Co, Inc | Natural gas | 4 MW | 1997 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sloss Industries Corp | Natural gas | 25 MW | 2021 |
The Jefferson County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 368,875 | $75,008 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 19,777 | $90,861 | 1.01 |
| Electrical contractors | 3,054 | $77,176 | 1.15 |
| Electric utilities | 4,533 | $155,030 | 4.54 |
| Data processing and hosting | 333 | $137,589 | 0.29 |
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 Jefferson County
8 data centers in Jefferson County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 2
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebius Data Center (Oxmoor Valley, Birmingham) | active litigation | — | ||
| Bessemer Proposed Data Center (Little Blue Creek) | zoning request paused active litigation | — |
Jefferson County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Jefferson County, Shelby 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 665,742 | ▲ 4.1% | 2,826 MW | — | 8 | — |
| Bibb County | 22,262 | ▲ 6.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Blount County | 60,156 | ▲ 5.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Shelby County | 238,552 | ▼ 0.1% | 2,034 MW | — | — | — |
| St. Clair County | 98,206 | ▲ 11.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Tuscaloosa County | 241,368 | ▲ 1.4% | 101 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Walker County | 65,140 | ▲ 2.4% | 181 MW | — | — | — |
More of Alabama
Jefferson County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Jefferson County, Alabama?
3 utilities have service territory in Jefferson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Alabama Power Co, City of Bessemer Utilities, City of Tarrant. The largest, Alabama Power Co, charged residential customers 16.77¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Birmingham, AL in?
Birmingham is in Jefferson County, Alabama. About 193,944 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Hoover, AL in?
Most of Hoover is in Jefferson County: 65,746 of its 93,550 residents, or 70%. The rest of the city lies in Shelby County.
What county is Vestavia Hills, AL in?
Vestavia Hills is in Jefferson County, Alabama. About 38,269 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Jefferson County?
2 operating plants with 2,826 MW of capacity. The largest is James H Miller Jr (2,822 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Jefferson County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 8 data centers in Jefferson County.
Is Jefferson County adding jobs?
Employers counted 368,875 jobs in 2025 against 354,285 in 2019 (+4.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 17,493 to 19,777.
Does Jefferson County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Jefferson County. Alabama has 18 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.