# Monroe County, Georgia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Forsyth Monroe County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Monroe County. Monroe County is home to Forsyth. Construction employs 633, up 36.1% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Bolingbroke data center rezoning denied”. 804 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Oglethorpe Power Corporation (natural gas), the 3rd largest pipeline among Georgia's counties. 2 data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map 804 MW of new generation planned here, natural gas leading 891 MW of generating capacity retired since 2019 ## Cities and towns in Monroe County Monroe County is home to Forsyth. Forsyth4,952 residents Culloden209 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bolingbroke, Juliette, Smarr. 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 Monroe County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Georgia | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 28,065 | 32,023 | ▲ 14.1% | 63rd of 159 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,855 | 8,368 | ▲ 6.5% | 70th of 159 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,897 | $56,980 | ▲ 36.0% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 465 | 633 | ▲ 36.1% | 43rd of 97 by growth | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.1% | ▼ 0.2pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 891 MW | | — | | Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 804 MW | 28% of today's fleet | 3rd of 18 by size | 891 MW has retired here since 2019, including Scherer (coal, 891 MW, 2022). Its power plants have 2,915 MW of capacity, 92% of it coal, the 5th largest fleet in Georgia. Employers here counted 8,368 jobs in 2025, up 6.5% from 2019. 32,023 people live here, up 14.1% since 2020. Georgia Power Co is the largest utility serving Monroe County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.49¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.61¢ median for Georgia utilities. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019. ## Who powers Monroe County ### Utilities with service territory in Monroe 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% | | Flint Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 83,739 | 13.57¢ | 26% | | Central Georgia El Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 61,155 | 12.24¢ | 14% | | Southern Rivers Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,411 | 16.41¢ | 11% | | City of Forsyth - (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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Coal | 2,673 MW | 92% | | Natural gas | 242 MW | 8% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Scherer | Georgia Power Co | Coal | 2,673 MW | 1982 | | Smarr Energy Center | Oglethorpe Power Corporation | Natural gas | 242 MW | 1999 | ### Planned generation | Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Smarr Combined Cycle Energy Facility | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 459 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2029 | Oglethorpe Power Corporation | | Smarr Combined Cycle Energy Facility | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 345 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2029 | Oglethorpe Power Corporation | ### Retired since 2019 | Plant | Technology | MW | Year | |---|---|---|---| | Scherer | Coal | 891 MW | 2022 | ## The Monroe County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 8,368 | $56,980 | 1.00 | | Construction | 633 | $60,930 | 1.43 | 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 Monroe County 2 data centers in Monroe County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map. ### Local measures | Measure | Status | Date | |---|---|---| | Bolingbroke data center rezoning denied | In force | 2025-08 | ## Monroe County and its neighbors Of the 7 counties that border Monroe County, Upson 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Monroe County | 32,023 | ▲ 6.5% | 2,915 MW | 804 MW | 2 | 1 | | Bibb County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/bibb-county) | 157,556 | ▼ 3.4% | 328 MW | — | — | — | | Butts County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/butts-county) | 27,218 | ▲ 19.3% | — | — | 2 | — | | Crawford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/crawford-county) | 12,206 | ▲ 3.0% | — | — | — | — | | Jasper County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/jasper-county) | 17,632 | ▲ 6.0% | 14 MW | — | — | — | | Jones County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/jones-county) | 29,171 | ▲ 1.4% | — | — | 1 | — | | Lamar County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/lamar-county) | 20,941 | ▲ 22.4% | 60 MW | — | 1 | 1 | | Upson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/upson-county) | 28,500 | ▲ 7.9% | 705 MW | — | 1 | — | ## More of Georgia [All Georgia countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia)[Bibb County157,556 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/bibb-county)[Jones County29,171 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/jones-county)[Upson County28,500 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/upson-county)[Butts County27,218 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/butts-county)[Lamar County20,941 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/lamar-county) ## Monroe County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Monroe County, Georgia? 5 utilities have service territory in Monroe County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Georgia Power Co, Flint Electric Membership Corp, Central Georgia El Member Corp, Southern Rivers Energy. The largest, Georgia Power Co, charged residential customers 15.49¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Monroe County? 2 operating plants with 2,915 MW of capacity. The largest is Scherer (2,673 MW, coal). ### How much new power is planned in Monroe County? 804 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Oglethorpe Power Corporation. ### Are there data centers in Monroe County? Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Monroe County. ### Is Monroe County adding jobs? Employers counted 8,368 jobs in 2025 against 7,855 in 2019 (+6.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 465 to 633. ### Does Monroe County have a data center moratorium? The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Monroe County, 1 in force. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/monroe-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/).