Lawrence County, Kentucky: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Louisa
Lawrence County hosts some of the generating capacity Kentucky runs on. Lawrence County is home to Louisa. Its power plants have 1,430 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in Kentucky. Construction employs 113, down 8.9% since 2019. Employers here counted 3,759 jobs in 2025, up 8.4% from 2019. Kentucky Power Co is the largest utility serving Lawrence County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.07¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.21¢ median for Kentucky utilities.
Cities and towns in Lawrence County
Lawrence County is home to Louisa.
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 Lawrence County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kentucky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 16,300 | 15,765 | ▼ 3.3% | 73rd of 120 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,467 | 3,759 | ▲ 8.4% | 35th of 120 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,404 | $44,863 | ▲ 26.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 124 | 113 | ▼ 8.9% | 52nd of 55 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.7% | 6.3% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 6.3% in August 2026, against 6.7% in 2019. 15,765 people live here, down 3.3% since 2020.
Who powers Lawrence County
Utilities with service territory in Lawrence County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 130,852 | 15.07¢ | 27% |
| Grayson Rural Electric Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,429 | 16.07¢ | 33% |
| Big Sandy Rural Elec Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,574 | 13.69¢ | 16% |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,430 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Generating LLC | Riverside Generating Co LLC | Natural gas | 1,150 MW | 2001 |
| Big Sandy | Kentucky Power Co | Natural gas | 280 MW | 1963 |
The Lawrence County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,759 | $44,863 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 113 | $58,985 | 0.57 |
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 Lawrence County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lawrence County. Kentucky has 44 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Boyd County.
Lawrence County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Lawrence County, Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County | 15,765 | ▲ 8.4% | 1,430 MW | — | — | — |
| Boyd County | 47,751 | ▲ 9.3% | — | — | — | 2 |
| Carter County | 26,149 | ▲ 2.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Elliott County | 7,265 | ▼ 3.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Johnson County | 22,051 | ▲ 3.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Martin County | 10,697 | ▼ 22.2% | 111 MW | — | — | — |
| Morgan County | 14,415 | ▲ 6.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Wayne County WV | 37,309 | ▲ 2.6% | 872 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kentucky
Lawrence County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
3 utilities have service territory in Lawrence County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Kentucky Power Co, Grayson Rural Electric Coop Corp, Big Sandy Rural Elec Coop Corp. The largest, Kentucky Power Co, charged residential customers 15.07¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Lawrence County?
2 operating plants with 1,430 MW of capacity. The largest is Riverside Generating LLC (1,150 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Lawrence County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lawrence County.
Is Lawrence County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,759 jobs in 2025 against 3,467 in 2019 (+8.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 124 to 113.
Does Lawrence County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lawrence County. Kentucky has 44 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.