Wakulla County, Florida: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Crawfordville and Panacea
Wakulla County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Wakulla County is home to Sopchoppy and St. Marks. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers with no end date”. Employers here counted 6,714 jobs in 2025, up 13.5% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Wakulla County
Wakulla County is home to Sopchoppy and St. Marks.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Crawfordville, Panacea.
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 Wakulla County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Florida |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 33,917 | 38,089 | ▲ 12.3% | 48th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,918 | 6,714 | ▲ 13.5% | 18th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,752 | $50,445 | ▲ 33.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 4.1% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
38,089 people live here, up 12.3% since 2020. Its power plants have 272 MW of capacity, 99% of it natural gas. Duke Energy Florida, LLC is the largest utility serving Wakulla County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.63¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.54¢ median for Florida utilities.
Who powers Wakulla County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Wakulla County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Florida, LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,793,067 | 16.63¢ | 38% |
| Talquin Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 53,881 | 14.85¢ | 16% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 270 MW | 99% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S O Purdom | City of Tallahassee - (FL) | Natural gas | 270 MW | 2000 |
| FL Solar D2, LLC | Altus Power America Management, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2023 |
The Wakulla County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,714 | $50,445 | 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 Wakulla County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers with no end date | In force | 2026-09 |
Wakulla County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Wakulla County, Leon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakulla County | 38,089 | ▲ 13.5% | 272 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Franklin County | 13,029 | ▲ 5.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Jefferson County | 16,007 | ▲ 19.3% | — | 75 MW | — | — |
| Leon County | 299,048 | ▲ 8.0% | 754 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Liberty County | 8,035 | ▲ 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
More of Florida
Wakulla County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wakulla County, Florida?
2 utilities have service territory in Wakulla County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Florida, LLC, Talquin Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Duke Energy Florida, LLC, charged residential customers 16.63¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Wakulla County?
2 operating plants with 272 MW of capacity. The largest is S O Purdom (270 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Wakulla County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wakulla County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Leon County.
Is Wakulla County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,714 jobs in 2025 against 5,918 in 2019 (+13.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wakulla County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Wakulla County, 1 in force.