Vernon Parish, Louisiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Leesville, New Llano and Rosepine
Vernon Parish is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Vernon Parish is home to Leesville, New Llano, Rosepine and Anacoco. Construction employs 591, up 33.7% since 2019. Next door, Beauregard Parish has 300 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 5.5% in 2019. 10 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Vernon Parish
Vernon Parish is home to Leesville, New Llano, Rosepine and Anacoco.
- DeRidder also extends into Beauregard Parish.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Fort Polk North, Fort Polk South, Pitkin.
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 Vernon Parish
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Louisiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 48,632 | 45,091 | ▼ 7.3% | 25th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,692 | 12,525 | ▼ 1.3% | 37th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,913 | $50,035 | ▲ 22.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 442 | 591 | ▲ 33.7% | 11th of 43 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.5% | 4.3% | ▼ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 10 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 10 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Entergy Louisiana LLC is the largest utility serving Vernon Parish, one of 4 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 12,525 jobs in 2025, down 1.3% from 2019. 45,091 people live here, down 7.3% since 2020.
Who powers Vernon Parish
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +10 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Vernon 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% |
| Southwestern Electric Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 207,011 | 13.46¢ | 36% |
| Beauregard Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 40,051 | 13.70¢ | 12% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 10 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Polk (fka Johnson) - Chaffee East | Onyx Asset Services Group | Solar | 5 MW | 2025 |
| Fort Polk (fka Johnson) - Chaffee West | Onyx Asset Services Group | Solar | 4 MW | 2025 |
The Vernon Parish labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,525 | $50,035 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 591 | $62,055 | 0.89 |
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 Vernon Parish
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Vernon Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures on record statewide.
Vernon Parish and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Vernon Parish, Rapides 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Parish | 45,091 | ▼ 1.3% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Allen Parish | 22,672 | ▼ 5.5% | 143 MW | — | — | — |
| Beauregard Parish | 36,673 | ▲ 7.5% | 62 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Natchitoches Parish | 36,089 | ▲ 5.7% | 79 MW | — | — | — |
| Newton County TX | 11,954 | ▼ 4.2% | 1,515 MW | — | — | — |
| Rapides Parish | 125,877 | ▲ 0.4% | 1,772 MW | 49 MW | — | — |
| Sabine Parish | 21,834 | ▼ 0.4% | — | 220 MW | — | — |
More of Louisiana
Vernon Parish, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Vernon Parish, Louisiana?
4 utilities have service territory in Vernon Parish in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Louisiana LLC, Cleco Power LLC, Southwestern Electric Power Co, Beauregard Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Entergy Louisiana LLC, charged residential customers 11.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Vernon Parish?
2 operating plants with 10 MW of capacity. The largest is Fort Polk (fka Johnson) - Chaffee East (5 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Vernon Parish?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Vernon Parish. The nearest activity on record is next door in Beauregard Parish.
Is Vernon Parish adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,525 jobs in 2025 against 12,692 in 2019 (-1.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 442 to 591.
Does Vernon Parish have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Vernon Parish. Louisiana has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.