Marshall County, Alabama: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Albertville, Boaz and Guntersville
Marshall County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Marshall County is home to Albertville, most of Boaz (9,502 of its 10,619 residents), Guntersville and Arab. Next door, Madison County has 10 data centers. Employers here counted 41,043 jobs in 2025, up 7.9% from 2019. Its power plants have 119 MW of capacity, 97% of it hydro. Alabama Power Co is the largest utility serving Marshall County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.24¢ median for Alabama utilities.
Cities and towns in Marshall County
Marshall County is home to Albertville, most of Boaz (9,502 of its 10,619 residents), Guntersville and Arab.
- Boaz also extends into Etowah County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Joppa.
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 Marshall County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alabama |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 97,696 | 103,537 | ▲ 6.0% | 14th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 38,054 | 41,043 | ▲ 7.9% | 17th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,621 | $50,246 | ▲ 33.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 2.9% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
103,537 people live here, up 6.0% since 2020. Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019.
Who powers Marshall County
Utilities with service territory in Marshall 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% |
| Sand Mountain Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 27,298 | 12.55¢ | 28% |
| Cherokee Electric Coop - (AL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,830 | 15.06¢ | 30% |
| Marshall-De Kalb Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,318 | 12.49¢ | 38% |
| Arab Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,062 | 11.96¢ | 32% |
| North Alabama Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,099 | 12.83¢ | 25% |
| Albertville Municipal Utilities Board | Municipal | Bundled | 8,318 | 10.67¢ | 30% |
| Guntersville Electric Board | Municipal | Bundled | 4,875 | 12.80¢ | 37% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 115 MW | 97% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guntersville | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 115 MW | 1939 |
| Albertville | Albertville Municipal Utilities Board (AL) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2000 |
The Marshall County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 41,043 | $50,246 | 1.00 |
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 Marshall County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Marshall County. Alabama has 18 local measures on record statewide.
Marshall County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Marshall County, Madison 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County | 103,537 | ▲ 7.9% | 119 MW | — | — | — |
| Blount County | 60,156 | ▲ 5.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Cullman County | 94,009 | ▲ 7.1% | — | — | — | — |
| DeKalb County | 74,085 | ▲ 6.6% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Etowah County | 103,886 | ▼ 7.1% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Jackson County | 54,281 | ▼ 3.1% | 14 MW | 200 MW | 2 | — |
| Madison County | 433,516 | ▲ 14.1% | 43 MW | — | 10 | — |
| Morgan County | 126,483 | ▲ 9.3% | 1,804 MW | — | — | — |
More of Alabama
Marshall County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Marshall County, Alabama?
8 utilities have service territory in Marshall County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Alabama Power Co, Sand Mountain Electric Coop, Cherokee Electric Coop - (AL), Marshall-De Kalb Electric Coop. The largest, Alabama Power Co, charged residential customers 16.77¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Albertville, AL in?
Albertville is in Marshall County, Alabama. About 23,710 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Marshall County?
2 operating plants with 119 MW of capacity. The largest is Guntersville (115 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Marshall County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Marshall County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Madison County.
Is Marshall County adding jobs?
Employers counted 41,043 jobs in 2025 against 38,054 in 2019 (+7.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Marshall County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Marshall County. Alabama has 18 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.