Dade County, Georgia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Trenton
Dade 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. Dade County is home to Trenton. Employers here counted 4,576 jobs in 2025, up 18.5% from 2019. Next door, Jackson County, Alabama, has 2 data centers and 200 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Georgia Power Co is the largest utility serving Dade 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.
Cities and towns in Dade County
Dade County is home to Trenton.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): New England, West Brow, Wildwood.
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 Dade County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 16,233 | 16,154 | ▼ 0.5% | 106th of 159 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,862 | 4,576 | ▲ 18.5% | 24th of 159 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,626 | $47,244 | ▲ 32.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
16,154 people live here, down 0.5% since 2020.
Who powers Dade County
Utilities with service territory in Dade 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% |
| City of Chattanooga - (TN) | Municipal | Bundled | 10,366 | 12.29¢ | 20% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Dade County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Dade County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,576 | $47,244 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 141 | $45,975 | 0.58 |
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 Dade County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Dade County. Georgia has 60 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Hamilton County, Walker County.
Dade County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Dade County, Hamilton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dade County | 16,154 | ▲ 18.5% | — | — | — | — |
| DeKalb County AL | 74,085 | ▲ 6.6% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Hamilton County TN | 390,833 | ▲ 5.5% | 4,324 MW | — | 5 | 1 |
| Jackson County AL | 54,281 | ▼ 3.1% | 14 MW | 200 MW | 2 | — |
| Marion County TN | 29,804 | ▲ 11.1% | 104 MW | — | — | — |
| Walker County | 70,250 | ▲ 12.2% | — | — | — | 1 |
More of Georgia
Dade County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Dade County, Georgia?
2 utilities have service territory in Dade County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Georgia Power Co, City of Chattanooga - (TN). The largest, Georgia Power Co, charged residential customers 15.49¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Dade County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Dade County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jackson County.
Is Dade County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,576 jobs in 2025 against 3,862 in 2019 (+18.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Dade County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Dade County. Georgia has 60 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.