Lincoln Parish, Louisiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Ruston, Grambling and Choudrant
Lincoln Parish supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Lincoln Parish is home to Ruston, Grambling, Choudrant and Dubach. Electrical contractors employ 197, up 30.5% since 2019 against down 2.9% statewide, at an average $55,267 a year. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 5.2% in 2019. Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Entergy Louisiana LLC is the largest utility serving Lincoln Parish, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.05¢/kWh in 2024, below the 11.88¢ median for Louisiana utilities.
Cities and towns in Lincoln Parish
Lincoln Parish is home to Ruston, Grambling, Choudrant and Dubach.
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 Lincoln Parish
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Louisiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 48,301 | 48,360 | ▲ 0.1% | 22nd of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,269 | 19,084 | ▼ 1.0% | 34th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,618 | $48,256 | ▲ 31.8% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 151 | 197 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.2% | 4.1% | ▼ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 19,084 jobs in 2025, down 1.0% from 2019. 48,360 people live here, up 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Lincoln Parish
Utilities with service territory in Lincoln 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% |
| Claiborne Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,438 | 13.00¢ | 14% |
| City of Ruston - (LA) | Municipal | Bundled | 9,900 | 5.66¢ | 55% |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 8 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech University Power Plant | Louisiana Tech University | Natural gas | 8 MW | 2004 |
The Lincoln Parish labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 19,084 | $48,256 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 197 | $55,267 | 1.43 |
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 Lincoln Parish
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lincoln Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures on record statewide.
Lincoln Parish and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Lincoln Parish, Ouachita 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Parish | 48,360 | ▼ 1.0% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Bienville Parish | 12,269 | ▼ 6.0% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Claiborne Parish | 13,354 | ▼ 15.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Parish | 15,834 | ▲ 16.1% | 66 MW | — | — | — |
| Ouachita Parish | 158,542 | ▲ 0.1% | 2,020 MW | — | — | — |
| Union Parish | 20,561 | ▲ 8.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Louisiana
Lincoln Parish, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana?
3 utilities have service territory in Lincoln Parish in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Louisiana LLC, Claiborne Electric Coop, Inc, City of Ruston - (LA). The largest, Entergy Louisiana LLC, charged residential customers 11.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Ruston, LA in?
Ruston is in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. About 22,397 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lincoln Parish?
1 operating plant with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is Louisiana Tech University Power Plant (8 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Lincoln Parish?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lincoln Parish.
Is Lincoln Parish adding jobs?
Employers counted 19,084 jobs in 2025 against 19,269 in 2019 (-1.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Lincoln Parish have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lincoln Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.