Fulton County, Georgia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Atlanta, South Fulton and Sandy Springs
Fulton County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 106 data centers in Fulton County, 40% of Georgia's total. Fulton County is home to most of Atlanta (485,770 of its 529,110 residents), South Fulton, Sandy Springs and Roswell. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including QTS Atlanta Data Center Expansion (Howell Station, tax break withdrawn). Electrical contractors employ 4,190, up 37.2% since 2019 against up 21.5% statewide, at an average $96,480 a year. Construction employs 24,308, up 18.5% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Fulton County
Fulton County is home to most of Atlanta (485,770 of its 529,110 residents), South Fulton, Sandy Springs and Roswell.
- Atlanta also extends into DeKalb County.
- College Park also extends into Clayton County.
- Palmetto also extends into Coweta County.
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 Fulton County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,069,457 | 1,098,791 | ▲ 2.7% | 1st of 159 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 903,005 | 948,768 | ▲ 5.1% | 83rd of 159 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $78,686 | $103,950 | ▲ 32.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 20,516 | 24,308 | ▲ 18.5% | 65th of 97 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,053 | 4,190 | ▲ 37.2% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,089 | 557 | ▼ 48.9% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,041 | 12,128 | ▲ 72.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 3.5% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 16 MW | — |
16 MW has retired here since 2019, including CNN Center (petroleum, 13 MW, 2024). 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Employers here counted 948,768 jobs in 2025, up 5.1% from 2019. Its power plants have 59 MW of capacity, 58% of it petroleum. Georgia Power Co is the largest utility serving Fulton County, one of 9 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.49¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.61¢ median for Georgia utilities. 1,098,791 people live here, up 2.7% since 2020, 1st of 159 Georgia counties by population. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019.
Who powers Fulton County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −10 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Fulton 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% |
| Cobb Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 200,601 | 11.41¢ | 30% |
| Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation | Cooperative | Bundled | 181,600 | 11.54¢ | 26% |
| GreyStone Power Corporation | Cooperative | Bundled | 139,028 | 12.22¢ | 21% |
| Coweta-Fayette El Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 83,001 | 12.80¢ | 18% |
| City of East Point - (GA) | Municipal | Bundled | 16,365 | 11.97¢ | 63% |
| City of College Park - (GA) | Municipal | Bundled | 7,924 | 12.84¢ | 86% |
| City of Fairburn - (GA) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 13
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 34 MW | 58% |
| Hydro | 17 MW | 28% |
| Natural gas | 7 MW | 12% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 2% |
| Battery storage | 0 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Falls | Georgia Power Co | Hydro | 17 MW | 1903 |
| State Farm Support Center East | State Farm Mutual Auto Ins Co | Petroleum | 11 MW | 1998 |
| MAS ASB Cogen Plant | Cube District Energy, LLC | Natural gas | 7 MW | 2012 |
| Shepherd Center | Shepherd Center | Petroleum | 6 MW | 1981 |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | SWVP Alpharetta Owners, LLC | Petroleum | 5 MW | 1989 |
| Bank of America Plaza | 600 Peachtree PropCo, LLC | Petroleum | 3 MW | 1991 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNN Center | Petroleum | 13 MW | 2024 |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2025 |
The Fulton County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 948,768 | $103,950 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 24,308 | $110,721 | 0.48 |
| Electrical contractors | 4,190 | $96,480 | 0.61 |
| Power and communication line construction | 557 | $120,225 | 0.36 |
| Electric utilities | 1,912 | $182,570 | 0.74 |
| Data processing and hosting | 12,128 | $208,200 | 4.11 |
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 Fulton County
106 data centers in Fulton County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QTS Atlanta Data Center Expansion (Howell Station, tax break withdrawn) | tax incentive withdrawn | — |
Fulton County and its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Fulton County, Coweta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County | 1,098,791 | ▲ 5.1% | 59 MW | — | 106 | — |
| Carroll County | 131,036 | ▲ 10.2% | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| Cherokee County | 299,273 | ▲ 13.5% | 530 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Clayton County | 297,471 | ▲ 5.0% | — | — | 4 | 1 |
| Cobb County | 793,345 | ▲ 2.1% | 2,863 MW | 6 MW | 15 | 1 |
| Coweta County | 160,240 | ▲ 21.8% | 807 MW | 1,448 MW | 6 | 1 |
| DeKalb County | 774,394 | ▲ 3.0% | 7 MW | — | 5 | 1 |
| Douglas County | 154,293 | ▲ 9.1% | 3 MW | — | 23 | 1 |
| Fayette County | 125,156 | ▲ 5.5% | — | — | 8 | — |
| Forsyth County | 282,805 | ▲ 16.2% | 131 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Gwinnett County | 1,018,099 | ▲ 7.8% | 11 MW | — | 12 | — |
More of Georgia
Fulton County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fulton County, Georgia?
9 utilities have service territory in Fulton County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Georgia Power Co, Cobb Electric Membership Corp, Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation, GreyStone Power Corporation. The largest, Georgia Power Co, charged residential customers 15.49¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Atlanta, GA in?
Most of Atlanta is in Fulton County: 485,770 of its 529,110 residents, or 92%. The rest of the city lies in DeKalb County.
What county is South Fulton, GA in?
South Fulton is in Fulton County, Georgia. About 112,820 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Sandy Springs, GA in?
Sandy Springs is in Fulton County, Georgia. About 105,013 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Fulton County?
13 operating plants with 59 MW of capacity. The largest is Morgan Falls (17 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Fulton County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 106 data centers in Fulton County.
Is Fulton County adding jobs?
Employers counted 948,768 jobs in 2025 against 903,005 in 2019 (+5.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 20,516 to 24,308.
Does Fulton County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Fulton County. Georgia has 60 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.