# McCracken County, Kentucky: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Paducah

McCracken County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in McCracken County, 7% of Kentucky's total. McCracken County is home to Paducah. Owners plan to retire 1,400 MW more by 2035, led by Shawnee in 2033. Construction employs 2,426, up 29.0% since 2019. 400 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by GGSO, LLC (solar), the 3rd largest pipeline among Kentucky's counties.

4
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 7% of Kentucky's

400 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

1,695 MW
of operating power plants, mostly coal

## Cities and towns in McCracken County

McCracken County is home to Paducah.

Paducah26,730 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Farley, Hendron, Massac, Reidland.

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 McCracken County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kentucky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 67,923 | 67,553 | ▼ 0.5% | 13th of 120 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 38,893 | 40,975 | ▲ 5.4% | 48th of 120 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,459 | $59,309 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,881 | 2,426 | ▲ 29.0% | 24th of 55 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.6% | 4.0% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 400 MW | 24% of today's fleet | 3rd of 17 by size |

Its power plants have 1,695 MW of capacity, 93% of it coal, the 5th largest fleet in Kentucky. Employers here counted 40,975 jobs in 2025, up 5.4% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 4.6% in 2019. Kentucky Utilities Co is the largest utility serving McCracken County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.85¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.21¢ median for Kentucky utilities. 67,553 people live here, down 0.5% since 2020.

## Who powers McCracken County

### Utilities with service territory in McCracken County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Utilities Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 450,673 | 11.85¢ | 32% |
| Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,979 | 15.64¢ | 55% |
| City of Paducah - (KY) | Municipal | Bundled | 18,863 | 15.55¢ | 56% |

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 | 1,575 MW | 93% |
| Natural gas | 120 MW | 7% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | Tennessee Valley Authority | Coal | 1,575 MW | 1953 |
| PPS Power Plant No 1 | Paducah Power System | Natural gas | 120 MW | 2010 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gage Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 200 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | GGSO, LLC |
| Mayfield Solar and Storage | Solar Photovoltaic | 200 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | BrightNight Power |

### Scheduled to retire

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | Coal | 1,400 MW | 2033 |

## The McCracken County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 40,975 | $59,309 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,426 | $68,843 | 1.12 |
| Power and communication line construction | 52 | $86,627 | 0.79 |

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 McCracken County

4 data centers in McCracken County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## McCracken County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border McCracken County, Pulaski 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCracken County | 67,553 | ▲ 5.4% | 1,695 MW | 400 MW | 4 | — |
| Ballard County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/ballard-county) | 7,594 | ▲ 20.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Carlisle County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/carlisle-county) | 4,747 | ▲ 5.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Graves County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/graves-county) | 37,050 | ▲ 4.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Livingston County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/livingston-county) | 8,863 | ▲ 35.9% | 76 MW | — | — | — |
| Marshall County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/marshall-county) | 31,659 | ▲ 1.9% | 933 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Massac County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/massac-county) IL | 13,502 | ▼ 7.3% | — | 2 MW | 1 | — |
| Pulaski County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/pulaski-county) IL | 4,820 | ▼ 22.9% | 5 MW | 417 MW | — | — |

## More of Kentucky

[All Kentucky countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky)[Graves County37,050 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/graves-county)[Marshall County31,659 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/marshall-county)[Livingston County8,863 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/livingston-county)[Ballard County7,594 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/ballard-county)[Carlisle County4,747 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/carlisle-county)

## McCracken County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in McCracken County, Kentucky?

3 utilities have service territory in McCracken County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Kentucky Utilities Co, Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation, City of Paducah - (KY). The largest, Kentucky Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.85¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Paducah, KY in?

Paducah is in McCracken County, Kentucky. About 26,730 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in McCracken County?

2 operating plants with 1,695 MW of capacity. The largest is Shawnee (1,575 MW, coal).

### How much new power is planned in McCracken County?

400 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is GGSO, LLC.

### Are there data centers in McCracken County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in McCracken County.

### Is McCracken County adding jobs?

Employers counted 40,975 jobs in 2025 against 38,893 in 2019 (+5.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,881 to 2,426.

### Does McCracken County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for McCracken County. Kentucky has 44 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/mccracken-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/).