# Powell County, Kentucky: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Stanton and Clay City No data center or power plant project is on record in Powell County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Powell County is home to Stanton and Clay City. Employers here counted 3,003 jobs in 2025, up 13.3% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 4.8% in 2019. Jackson Energy Coop Corp - (KY) is the largest utility serving Powell County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.66¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.21¢ median for Kentucky utilities. 12,812 people live here, down 2.2% since 2020. +13.3% total jobs since 2019, now 3,003 13.66¢ per kWh for Jackson Energy Coop Corp - (KY) residential customers, 2024 12,812 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Powell County Powell County is home to Stanton and Clay City. Stanton3,153 residents Clay City1,174 residents 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 Powell County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kentucky | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,098 | 12,812 | ▼ 2.2% | 86th of 120 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,650 | 3,003 | ▲ 13.3% | 13th of 120 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $30,982 | $42,654 | ▲ 37.7% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.8% | 4.1% | ▼ 0.7pts | — | ## Who powers Powell County ### Utilities with service territory in Powell County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Jackson Energy Coop Corp - (KY) | Cooperative | Bundled | 49,423 | 13.66¢ | 14% | | Clark Energy Coop Inc - (KY) | Cooperative | Bundled | 26,203 | 13.25¢ | 21% | Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers. No operating power plant is located in Powell County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Powell County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 3,003 | $42,654 | 1.00 | 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 Powell County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Powell County. Kentucky has 44 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Clark County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/clark-county). ## Powell County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Powell County, Clark 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Powell County | 12,812 | ▲ 13.3% | — | — | — | — | | Clark County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/clark-county) | 37,888 | ▼ 7.8% | 947 MW | — | — | 1 | | Estill County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/estill-county) | 13,962 | ▼ 5.8% | 4 MW | 3 MW | — | — | | Lee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/lee-county) | 7,297 | ▲ 4.1% | — | 6 MW | — | — | | Menifee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/menifee-county) | 6,430 | ▲ 0.2% | — | — | — | — | | Montgomery County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/montgomery-county) | 28,822 | ▼ 2.2% | — | — | — | — | | Wolfe County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/wolfe-county) | 6,298 | ▲ 28.3% | — | — | — | — | ## More of Kentucky [All Kentucky countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky)[Clark County37,888 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/clark-county)[Montgomery County28,822 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/montgomery-county)[Estill County13,962 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/estill-county)[Lee County7,297 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/lee-county)[Menifee County6,430 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/menifee-county) ## Powell County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Powell County, Kentucky? 2 utilities have service territory in Powell County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Jackson Energy Coop Corp - (KY), Clark Energy Coop Inc - (KY). The largest, Jackson Energy Coop Corp - (KY), charged residential customers 13.66¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Powell County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Powell County. ### Is Powell County adding jobs? Employers counted 3,003 jobs in 2025 against 2,650 in 2019 (+13.3%, BLS QCEW). ### Does Powell County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Powell County. Kentucky has 44 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/powell-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/).