# Wayne County, Kentucky: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Monticello No data center or power plant project is on record in Wayne County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Wayne County is home to Monticello. Employers here counted 5,080 jobs in 2025, down 10.9% from 2019. South Kentucky Rural E C C is the largest utility serving Wayne County. Its residential customers paid an average 12.92¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 5.7% in August 2026, against 5.4% in 2019. 19,597 people live here, up 0.3% since 2020. -10.9% total jobs since 2019, now 5,080 12.92¢ per kWh for South Kentucky Rural E C C residential customers, 2024 19,597 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Wayne County Wayne County is home to Monticello. Monticello5,721 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 Wayne County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kentucky | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 19,548 | 19,597 | ▲ 0.3% | 62nd of 120 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,704 | 5,080 | ▼ 10.9% | 117th of 120 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $30,934 | $41,770 | ▲ 35.0% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 40 | 59 | ▲ 47.5% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.4% | 5.7% | ▲ 0.3pts | — | ## Who powers Wayne County ### Utilities with service territory in Wayne County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | South Kentucky Rural E C C | Cooperative | Bundled | 64,877 | 12.92¢ | 8% | 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 Wayne County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Wayne County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 5,080 | $41,770 | 1.00 | | Construction | 59 | $53,675 | 0.22 | 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 Wayne County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wayne County. Kentucky has 44 local measures on record statewide. ## Wayne County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Wayne 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Wayne County | 19,597 | ▼ 10.9% | — | — | — | — | | Clinton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/clinton-county) | 9,139 | ▼ 8.6% | — | — | — | — | | McCreary County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/mccreary-county) | 17,124 | ▲ 5.0% | — | — | — | — | | Pickett County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/pickett-county) TN | 5,219 | ▼ 11.7% | — | — | — | — | | Pulaski County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/pulaski-county) | 67,384 | ▲ 1.8% | 344 MW | — | — | — | | Russell County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/russell-county) | 18,608 | ▲ 5.1% | 270 MW | — | — | — | | Scott County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/scott-county) TN | 22,671 | ▼ 0.6% | — | — | — | — | ## More of Kentucky [All Kentucky countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky)[Pulaski County67,384 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/pulaski-county)[Russell County18,608 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/russell-county)[McCreary County17,124 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/mccreary-county)[Clinton County9,139 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/clinton-county) ## Wayne County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Wayne County, Kentucky? 1 utility has service territory in Wayne County in the EIA-861 2024 report: South Kentucky Rural E C C. The largest, South Kentucky Rural E C C, charged residential customers 12.92¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Wayne County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wayne County. ### Is Wayne County adding jobs? Employers counted 5,080 jobs in 2025 against 5,704 in 2019 (-10.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 40 to 59. ### Does Wayne County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Wayne County. Kentucky has 44 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/wayne-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/).