St. Landry Parish, Louisiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Opelousas, Eunice and Sunset
No data center or power plant project is on record in St. Landry Parish, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. St. Landry Parish is home to Opelousas, most of Eunice (8,746 of its 9,035 residents), Sunset and Port Barre. 4 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by SR Sunset, LLC (solar). Next door, Pointe Coupee Parish has 2,341 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 5.9% in 2019. Construction employs 1,273, up 1.9% since 2019.
Cities and towns in St. Landry Parish
St. Landry Parish is home to Opelousas, most of Eunice (8,746 of its 9,035 residents), Sunset and Port Barre.
- Eunice also extends into Acadia Parish.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lawtell, Morrow.
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 St. Landry Parish
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Louisiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 82,306 | 80,765 | ▼ 1.9% | 16th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 23,737 | 23,882 | ▲ 0.6% | 27th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,448 | $48,457 | ▲ 29.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,249 | 1,273 | ▲ 1.9% | 28th of 43 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.9% | 4.6% | ▼ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 135 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 4 MW | 3% of today's fleet | 14th of 14 by size |
135 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 135 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Entergy Louisiana LLC is the largest utility serving St. Landry 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. Employers here counted 23,882 jobs in 2025, up 0.6% from 2019. 80,765 people live here, down 1.9% since 2020.
Who powers St. Landry Parish
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +135 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in St. Landry 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% |
| Southwest Louisiana E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 108,368 | 11.55¢ | 19% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 135 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Ronde Solar Farm | Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC | Solar | 135 MW | 2024 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR Sunset | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | SR Sunset, LLC |
The St. Landry Parish labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 23,882 | $48,457 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,273 | $65,480 | 1.01 |
| Data processing and hosting | 7 | $81,560 | 0.09 |
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 St. Landry Parish
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in St. Landry Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures on record statewide.
St. Landry Parish and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border St. Landry Parish, Pointe Coupee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Landry Parish | 80,765 | ▲ 0.6% | 135 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Acadia Parish | 57,032 | ▲ 3.5% | 1,818 MW | 150 MW | — | — |
| Avoyelles Parish | 37,941 | ▼ 6.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Evangeline Parish | 31,980 | ▲ 6.1% | 923 MW | — | — | — |
| Lafayette Parish | 257,949 | ▲ 5.8% | 202 MW | — | — | — |
| Pointe Coupee Parish | 19,520 | ▼ 1.0% | 2,855 MW | 2,341 MW | — | — |
| St. Martin Parish | 51,106 | ▲ 3.5% | — | — | — | — |
More of Louisiana
St. Landry Parish, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana?
3 utilities have service territory in St. Landry Parish in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Louisiana LLC, Cleco Power LLC, Southwest Louisiana E M C. The largest, Entergy Louisiana LLC, charged residential customers 11.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Opelousas, LA in?
Opelousas is in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. About 15,098 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in St. Landry Parish?
1 operating plant with 135 MW of capacity. The largest is Prairie Ronde Solar Farm (135 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in St. Landry Parish?
4 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is SR Sunset, LLC.
Are there data centers in St. Landry Parish?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in St. Landry Parish. The nearest activity on record is next door in Pointe Coupee Parish.
Is St. Landry Parish adding jobs?
Employers counted 23,882 jobs in 2025 against 23,737 in 2019 (+0.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,249 to 1,273.
Does St. Landry Parish have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for St. Landry Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.