Grady County, Georgia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Cairo
No data center or power plant project is on record in Grady County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Grady County is home to Cairo. Construction employs 277, up 23.1% since 2019. Next door, Mitchell County has 261 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 2 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Employers here counted 5,823 jobs in 2025, down 2.4% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Grady County
Grady County is home to Cairo.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Calvary.
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 Grady County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 26,213 | 26,590 | ▲ 1.4% | 75th of 159 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,967 | 5,823 | ▼ 2.4% | 123rd of 159 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,628 | $46,393 | ▲ 23.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 225 | 277 | ▲ 23.1% | 61st of 97 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.2% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Georgia Power Co is the largest utility serving Grady County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.49¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.61¢ median for Georgia utilities. Unemployment was 3.2% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. 26,590 people live here, up 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Grady County
Utilities with service territory in Grady 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% |
| Mitchell Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,293 | 16.01¢ | 35% |
| Grady Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,283 | 14.84¢ | 16% |
| City of Thomasville - (GA) | Municipal | Bundled | 14,025 | 13.55¢ | 61% |
| City of Cairo - (GA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Whigham - (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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 2 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Solar Farm, LLC | Southeastern Solar Farm Fund, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
The Grady County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,823 | $46,393 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 277 | $55,329 | 0.90 |
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 Grady County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Grady County. Georgia has 60 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Decatur County, Leon County, Thomas County.
Grady County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Grady County, Mitchell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grady County | 26,590 | ▼ 2.4% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Decatur County | 29,432 | ▼ 1.9% | 637 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Gadsden County FL | 44,298 | ▲ 3.4% | 196 MW | — | — | — |
| Leon County FL | 299,048 | ▲ 8.0% | 754 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Mitchell County | 20,467 | ▼ 4.9% | 701 MW | 261 MW | — | — |
| Thomas County | 46,368 | ▲ 5.1% | 1 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Georgia
Grady County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Grady County, Georgia?
6 utilities have service territory in Grady County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Georgia Power Co, Mitchell Electric Member Corp, Grady Electric Membership Corp, City of Thomasville - (GA). The largest, Georgia Power Co, charged residential customers 15.49¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Cairo, GA in?
Cairo is in Grady County, Georgia. About 10,150 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Grady County?
1 operating plant with 2 MW of capacity. The largest is Cairo Solar Farm, LLC (2 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Grady County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Grady County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Mitchell County.
Is Grady County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,823 jobs in 2025 against 5,967 in 2019 (-2.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 225 to 277.
Does Grady County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Grady County. Georgia has 60 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.