Brooks County, Georgia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Quitman
Brooks 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. Brooks County is home to Quitman. Next door, Lowndes County has 1 data center. 300 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 300 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Georgia Power Co is the largest utility serving Brooks County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.49¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.61¢ median for Georgia utilities.
Cities and towns in Brooks County
Brooks County is home to Quitman.
- Pavo also extends into Thomas County.
- Barwick also extends into Thomas County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Dixie.
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 Brooks County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 16,271 | 16,101 | ▼ 1.0% | 107th of 159 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,362 | 3,363 | ● 0.0% | 109th of 159 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,177 | $48,395 | ▲ 30.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 300 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 3,363 jobs in 2025, unchanged from 2019. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 16,101 people live here, down 1.0% since 2020.
Who powers Brooks County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +300 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Brooks County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 2,452,488 | 15.49¢ | 39% |
| Colquitt Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 65,743 | 13.20¢ | 6% |
| Grady Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,283 | 14.84¢ | 16% |
| City of Quitman | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 300 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quitman II Solar | Quitman II Solar, LLC | Solar | 150 MW | 2021 |
| Quitman Solar | Quitman Solar, LLC | Solar | 150 MW | 2019 |
The Brooks County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,363 | $48,395 | 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 Brooks County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Brooks County. Georgia has 60 local measures on record statewide, and 4 neighboring counties have one: Colquitt County, Lowndes County, Madison County, Thomas County.
Brooks County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Brooks 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks County | 16,101 | ● 0.0% | 300 MW | — | — | — |
| Colquitt County | 47,438 | ▲ 6.2% | 21 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Cook County | 18,232 | ▲ 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Jefferson County FL | 16,007 | ▲ 19.3% | — | 75 MW | — | — |
| Lowndes County | 122,867 | ▼ 0.5% | 193 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Madison County FL | 18,759 | ▲ 10.1% | 224 MW | 74 MW | — | 1 |
| Thomas County | 46,368 | ▲ 5.1% | 1 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Georgia
Brooks County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Brooks County, Georgia?
4 utilities have service territory in Brooks County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Georgia Power Co, Colquitt Electric Membership Corp, Grady Electric Membership Corp, City of Quitman. The largest, Georgia Power Co, charged residential customers 15.49¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Brooks County?
2 operating plants with 300 MW of capacity. The largest is Quitman II Solar (150 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Brooks County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Brooks County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lowndes County.
Is Brooks County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,363 jobs in 2025 against 3,362 in 2019 (+0.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Brooks County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Brooks County. Georgia has 60 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.