Kemper County, Mississippi: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Bogue Chitto and Porterville
Kemper County hosts some of the generating capacity Mississippi runs on. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 7.6% in 2019. Kemper County is home to De Kalb and Scooba. Next door, Lauderdale County has 1 data center. Employers here counted 1,748 jobs in 2025, down 12.2% from 2019. Its power plants have 1,212 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas, the 5th largest fleet in Mississippi.
Cities and towns in Kemper County
Kemper County is home to De Kalb and Scooba.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bogue Chitto, Porterville.
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 Kemper County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Mississippi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,968 | 8,600 | ▼ 4.1% | 72nd of 82 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,990 | 1,748 | ▼ 12.2% | 76th of 82 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,606 | $45,275 | ▲ 14.3% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 64 | 68 | ▲ 6.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 7.6% | 4.2% | ▼ 3.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
East Mississippi Elec Pwr Assn is the largest utility serving Kemper County. Its residential customers paid an average 14.26¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.78¢ median for Mississippi utilities. 8,600 people live here, down 4.1% since 2020.
Who powers Kemper County
Utilities with service territory in Kemper County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Mississippi Elec Pwr Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,885 | 14.26¢ | 42% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,212 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratcliffe | Mississippi Power Co | Natural gas | 840 MW | 2014 |
| Kemper County | Tennessee Valley Authority | Natural gas | 372 MW | 2002 |
The Kemper County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,748 | $45,275 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 69 | $74,383 | 0.75 |
| Electric utilities | 68 | $107,533 | 14.37 |
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 Kemper County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Kemper County. Mississippi has 1 local measure on record statewide.
Kemper County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Kemper County, Lauderdale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kemper County | 8,600 | ▼ 12.2% | 1,212 MW | — | — | — |
| Lauderdale County | 70,317 | ▼ 6.3% | 108 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Neshoba County | 28,732 | ▲ 5.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Newton County | 20,960 | ▼ 10.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Noxubee County | 9,798 | ▼ 11.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Sumter County AL | 11,588 | ▼ 2.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Winston County | 17,473 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
More of Mississippi
Kemper County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Kemper County, Mississippi?
1 utility has service territory in Kemper County in the EIA-861 2024 report: East Mississippi Elec Pwr Assn. The largest, East Mississippi Elec Pwr Assn, charged residential customers 14.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Kemper County?
2 operating plants with 1,212 MW of capacity. The largest is Ratcliffe (840 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Kemper County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Kemper County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lauderdale County.
Is Kemper County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,748 jobs in 2025 against 1,990 in 2019 (-12.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Kemper County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Kemper County. Mississippi has 1 local measure statewide, listed on the state page.