Rapides Parish, Louisiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Alexandria, Pineville and Ball
Rapides Parish hosts some of the generating capacity Louisiana runs on. Rapides Parish is home to Alexandria, Pineville, Ball and Woodworth. 49 MW of new generation is planned here across 6 units, led by Rye Development (other technologies). Its power plants have 1,772 MW of capacity, 40% of it petroleum, the 8th largest fleet in Louisiana. Construction employs 3,398, up 8.2% since 2019. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 4.7% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish is home to Alexandria, Pineville, Ball and Woodworth.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Deville, Echo.
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 Rapides Parish
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Louisiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 129,655 | 125,877 | ▼ 2.9% | 13th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 56,599 | 56,850 | ▲ 0.4% | 28th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,706 | $53,620 | ▲ 28.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,141 | 3,398 | ▲ 8.2% | 24th of 43 by growth |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 582 | 811 | ▲ 39.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.7% | 3.5% | ▼ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 49 MW | 3% of today's fleet | 11th of 14 by size |
Electrical contractors employ 264, at an average $59,345 a year. Entergy Louisiana LLC is the largest utility serving Rapides Parish, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.05¢/kWh in 2024, below the 11.88¢ median for Louisiana utilities. Employers here counted 56,850 jobs in 2025, up 0.4% from 2019. 125,877 people live here, down 2.9% since 2020.
Who powers Rapides Parish
Utilities with service territory in Rapides 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% |
| Cleco Power LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 251,927 | 12.33¢ | 32% |
| Beauregard Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 40,051 | 13.70¢ | 12% |
| City of Alexandria - (LA) | Municipal | Bundled | 19,541 | 11.10¢ | 56% |
| Concordia Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,879 | 13.36¢ | 24% |
| Town of Boyce | — | — | — | — | — |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 704 MW | 40% |
| Coal | 558 MW | 31% |
| Natural gas | 511 MW | 29% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brame Energy Center | Cleco Power LLC | Natural gas | 1,707 MW | 1975 |
| D G Hunter | City of Alexandria - (LA) | Natural gas | 65 MW | 2016 |
Planned generation 6
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overton Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Overton Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Overton Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Overton Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Overton Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Overton Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
The Rapides Parish labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 56,850 | $53,620 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,398 | $73,619 | 1.13 |
| Electrical contractors | 264 | $59,345 | 0.64 |
| Power and communication line construction | 811 | $100,744 | 8.83 |
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 Rapides Parish
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rapides Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures on record statewide.
Rapides Parish and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Rapides Parish, Evangeline 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapides Parish | 125,877 | ▲ 0.4% | 1,772 MW | 49 MW | — | — |
| Allen Parish | 22,672 | ▼ 5.5% | 143 MW | — | — | — |
| Avoyelles Parish | 37,941 | ▼ 6.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Evangeline Parish | 31,980 | ▲ 6.1% | 923 MW | — | — | — |
| Grant Parish | 22,075 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| LaSalle Parish | 15,154 | ▼ 1.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Natchitoches Parish | 36,089 | ▲ 5.7% | 79 MW | — | — | — |
| Vernon Parish | 45,091 | ▼ 1.3% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
More of Louisiana
Rapides Parish, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rapides Parish, Louisiana?
6 utilities have service territory in Rapides Parish in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Louisiana LLC, Cleco Power LLC, Beauregard Electric Coop, Inc, City of Alexandria - (LA). The largest, Entergy Louisiana LLC, charged residential customers 11.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Alexandria, LA in?
Alexandria is in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. About 42,938 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Pineville, LA in?
Pineville is in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. About 13,967 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Rapides Parish?
2 operating plants with 1,772 MW of capacity. The largest is Brame Energy Center (1,707 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Rapides Parish?
49 MW across 6 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Rye Development.
Are there data centers in Rapides Parish?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rapides Parish.
Is Rapides Parish adding jobs?
Employers counted 56,850 jobs in 2025 against 56,599 in 2019 (+0.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,141 to 3,398.
Does Rapides Parish have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rapides Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.