Ascension Parish, Louisiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Sorrento
Ascension Parish supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Electrical contractors employ 742, up 165.0% since 2019 against down 2.9% statewide, at an average $80,133 a year. Ascension Parish is home to Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Sorrento. Construction employs 9,483, up 5.0% since 2019, and construction is 3.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Iberville Parish has 400 MW of planned generation. 12 MW has retired here since 2019, including Burnside Alumina Plant (natural gas, 12 MW, 2020).
Cities and towns in Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish is home to Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Sorrento.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Darrow, Lemannville, Prairieville.
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 Ascension Parish
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Louisiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 126,975 | 135,105 | ▲ 6.4% | 11th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 46,953 | 50,437 | ▲ 7.4% | 11th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $57,625 | $72,814 | ▲ 26.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,030 | 9,483 | ▲ 5.0% | 27th of 43 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 280 | 742 | ▲ 165.0% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 87 | 644 | ▲ 640.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.1% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 12 MW | — |
Employers here counted 50,437 jobs in 2025, up 7.4% from 2019. Owners plan to retire 84 MW more by 2035, led by Geismar Cogen in 2030. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Its power plants have 248 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Entergy Louisiana LLC is the largest utility serving Ascension Parish, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.05¢/kWh in 2024, below the 11.88¢ median for Louisiana utilities. 135,105 people live here, up 6.4% since 2020.
Who powers Ascension Parish
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −12 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Ascension Parish
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy Louisiana LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 957,522 | 11.05¢ | 20% |
| Dixie Electric Membership Corp - (LA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 110,675 | 11.91¢ | 10% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 248 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geismar | BASF Corporation | Natural gas | 84 MW | 1985 |
| Geismar Cogen | Air Liquide Large Industries U S LP | Natural gas | 84 MW | 2000 |
| Shell Chemical | Shell Chemical LP - Geismar | Natural gas | 80 MW | 2002 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnside Alumina Plant | Natural gas | 12 MW | 2020 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geismar Cogen | Natural gas | 84 MW | 2030 |
The Ascension Parish labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 50,437 | $72,814 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 9,483 | $85,854 | 3.55 |
| Electrical contractors | 742 | $80,133 | 2.04 |
| Power and communication line construction | 644 | $116,023 | 7.90 |
| Electric utilities | 45 | $122,488 | 0.33 |
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 Ascension Parish
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ascension Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures on record statewide.
Ascension Parish and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Ascension Parish, Iberville Parish 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Parish | 135,105 | ▲ 7.4% | 248 MW | — | — | — |
| Assumption Parish | 19,720 | ▲ 2.6% | — | — | — | — |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | 456,180 | ▲ 2.0% | 832 MW | — | 6 | — |
| Iberville Parish | 29,579 | ▲ 6.6% | 2,683 MW | 400 MW | — | — |
| Livingston Parish | 155,036 | ▲ 6.4% | — | — | — | — |
| St. James Parish | 18,938 | ▼ 5.1% | 138 MW | — | — | — |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | 39,875 | ▼ 7.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Louisiana
Ascension Parish, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ascension Parish, Louisiana?
2 utilities have service territory in Ascension Parish in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Louisiana LLC, Dixie Electric Membership Corp - (LA). The largest, Entergy Louisiana LLC, charged residential customers 11.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Gonzales, LA in?
Gonzales is in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. About 13,930 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Ascension Parish?
3 operating plants with 248 MW of capacity. The largest is Geismar (84 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Ascension Parish?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ascension Parish. The nearest activity on record is next door in Iberville Parish.
Is Ascension Parish adding jobs?
Employers counted 50,437 jobs in 2025 against 46,953 in 2019 (+7.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 9,030 to 9,483.
Does Ascension Parish have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ascension Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.