# Jones County, Mississippi: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Laurel and Ellisville No data center or power plant project is on record in Jones County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Jones County is home to Laurel, Ellisville and Sandersville. Unemployment was 2.4% in August 2026, against 4.6% in 2019. Its power plants have 510 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 136, at an average $52,151 a year. Employers here counted 28,680 jobs in 2025, up 2.9% from 2019. 510 MW of operating power plants, mostly natural gas +2.9% total jobs since 2019, now 28,680 14.47¢ per kWh for Mississippi Power Co residential customers, 2024 ## Cities and towns in Jones County Jones County is home to Laurel, Ellisville and Sandersville. Laurel17,662 residents Ellisville4,473 residents Sandersville622 residents Soso416 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Eastabuchie, Moselle, Ovett, Sharon. 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 Jones County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Mississippi | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 67,167 | 66,496 | ▼ 1.0% | 11th of 82 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 27,881 | 28,680 | ▲ 2.9% | 29th of 82 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,628 | $54,231 | ▲ 33.5% | — | | Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 165 | 203 | ▲ 23.0% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.6% | 2.4% | ▼ 2.2pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Mississippi Power Co is the largest utility serving Jones County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.47¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.78¢ median for Mississippi utilities. 66,496 people live here, down 1.0% since 2020. ## Who powers Jones County ### Utilities with service territory in Jones County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Mississippi Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 157,437 | 14.47¢ | 30% | | Dixie Electric Power Assn - (MS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 37,803 | 13.44¢ | 24% | 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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Natural gas | 510 MW | 100% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Moselle | Cooperative Energy | Natural gas | 510 MW | 1970 | ## The Jones County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 28,680 | $54,231 | 1.00 | | Electrical contractors | 136 | $52,151 | 0.66 | | Electric utilities | 203 | $101,978 | 2.61 | 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 Jones County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Jones County. Mississippi has 1 local measure on record statewide. ## Jones County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Jones County, Jasper County 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Jones County | 66,496 | ▲ 2.9% | 510 MW | — | — | — | | Covington County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/covington-county) | 17,898 | ▲ 0.9% | — | 96 MW | — | — | | Forrest County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/forrest-county) | 79,034 | ▼ 3.9% | 50 MW | — | — | — | | Jasper County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/jasper-county) | 15,785 | ▼ 4.3% | — | 150 MW | — | — | | Perry County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/perry-county) | 11,577 | ▲ 0.3% | 50 MW | — | — | — | | Smith County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/smith-county) | 13,991 | ▼ 1.3% | 148 MW | — | — | — | | Wayne County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/wayne-county) | 19,807 | ▼ 2.1% | — | — | — | — | ## More of Mississippi [All Mississippi countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi)[Forrest County79,034 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/forrest-county)[Wayne County19,807 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/wayne-county)[Covington County17,898 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/covington-county)[Jasper County15,785 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/jasper-county)[Smith County13,991 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/smith-county) ## Jones County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Jones County, Mississippi? 2 utilities have service territory in Jones County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Mississippi Power Co, Dixie Electric Power Assn - (MS). The largest, Mississippi Power Co, charged residential customers 14.47¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What county is Laurel, MS in? Laurel is in Jones County, Mississippi. About 17,662 people live there (2025 Census estimate). ### What power plants are in Jones County? 1 operating plant with 510 MW of capacity. The largest is Moselle (510 MW, natural gas). ### Are there data centers in Jones County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Jones County. ### Is Jones County adding jobs? Employers counted 28,680 jobs in 2025 against 27,881 in 2019 (+2.9%, BLS QCEW). ### Does Jones County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Jones County. Mississippi has 1 local measure statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/jones-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).