# Columbia County, Georgia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Grovetown and Harlem, and the communities of Evans

Columbia County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Columbia County. Columbia County is home to Grovetown and Harlem, plus the unincorporated community of Evans. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Proposed local moratorium on data centers”. Electrical contractors employ 620, up 57.0% since 2019 against up 21.5% statewide, at an average $57,662 a year. Construction employs 3,061, up 21.6% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy.

5
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

+57.0%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 620

+17.5%
total jobs since 2019, now 42,806

## Cities and towns in Columbia County

Columbia County is home to Grovetown and Harlem, plus the unincorporated community of Evans.

Grovetown17,939 residents
Harlem4,239 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Evans, Appling, Martinez.

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 Columbia County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 156,860 | 169,189 | ▲ 7.9% | 15th of 159 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 36,432 | 42,806 | ▲ 17.5% | 27th of 159 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,677 | $50,778 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,517 | 3,061 | ▲ 21.6% | 63rd of 97 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 395 | 620 | ▲ 57.0% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24 | 32 | ▲ 33.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.3% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Employers here counted 42,806 jobs in 2025, up 17.5% from 2019. 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 21 MW of capacity, 84% of it hydro. Georgia Power Co is the largest utility serving Columbia County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.49¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.61¢ median for Georgia utilities. 169,189 people live here, up 7.9% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019.

## Who powers Columbia County

### Utilities with service territory in Columbia 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% |
| Jefferson Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 34,490 | 13.27¢ | 12% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 18 MW | 84% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 16% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens Creek | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | Hydro | 18 MW | 1914 |
| Columbia Substation | Westbound Solar LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2020 |
| Columbia Bryson | Westbound Solar LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2018 |

## The Columbia County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 42,806 | $50,778 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,061 | $66,462 | 1.35 |
| Electrical contractors | 620 | $57,662 | 2.01 |
| Data processing and hosting | 32 | $97,209 | 0.24 |

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 Columbia County

5 data centers in Columbia County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed local moratorium on data centers | Proposed | 2026-08 |

## Columbia County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Columbia County, McDuffie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County | 169,189 | ▲ 17.5% | 21 MW | — | 5 | 1 |
| Edgefield County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-carolina/edgefield-county) SC | 29,808 | ▲ 10.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/lincoln-county) | 8,112 | ▲ 15.9% | — | — | — | 1 |
| McCormick County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-carolina/mccormick-county) SC | 10,215 | ▲ 18.2% | 362 MW | — | — | 1 |
| McDuffie County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/mcduffie-county) | 21,640 | ▲ 3.7% | — | 250 MW | 1 | — |
| Richmond County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/richmond-county) | 206,559 | ▼ 0.5% | 128 MW | — | 4 | 1 |

## More of Georgia

[All Georgia countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia)[Richmond County206,559 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/richmond-county)[McDuffie County21,640 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/mcduffie-county)[Lincoln County8,112 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/lincoln-county)

## Columbia County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Columbia County, Georgia?

2 utilities have service territory in Columbia County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Georgia Power Co, Jefferson Electric Member Corp. The largest, Georgia Power Co, charged residential customers 15.49¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Grovetown, GA in?

Grovetown is in Columbia County, Georgia. About 17,939 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Columbia County?

3 operating plants with 21 MW of capacity. The largest is Stevens Creek (18 MW, hydro).

### Are there data centers in Columbia County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Columbia County.

### Is Columbia County adding jobs?

Employers counted 42,806 jobs in 2025 against 36,432 in 2019 (+17.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,517 to 3,061.

### Does Columbia County have a data center moratorium?

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Columbia County, 0 in force.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/columbia-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).