Leake County, Mississippi: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Carthage
Leake County 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. Leake County is home to Carthage and Walnut Grove. Unemployment was 2.6% in August 2026, against 5.3% in 2019. Next door, Madison County has 7 data centers and 819 MW of planned generation. 3 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Employers here counted 5,541 jobs in 2025, up 5.8% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Leake County
Leake County is home to Carthage and Walnut Grove.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Redwater, Standing Pine.
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 Leake County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Mississippi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 21,249 | 21,662 | ▲ 1.9% | 41st of 82 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,235 | 5,541 | ▲ 5.8% | 21st of 82 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,688 | $41,836 | ▲ 32.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.3% | 2.6% | ▼ 2.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 3 MW of capacity, 50% of it battery storage. Entergy Mississippi LLC is the largest utility serving Leake County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.21¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.78¢ median for Mississippi utilities. 21,662 people live here, up 1.9% since 2020.
Who powers Leake County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +3 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Leake County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy Mississippi LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 384,611 | 13.21¢ | 39% |
| Mississippi Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 157,437 | 14.47¢ | 30% |
| Central Electric Power Assn - (MS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,905 | 12.22¢ | 29% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery storage | 2 MW | 50% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 50% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Grove Demonstration Plant | Mississippi Power Co | Battery storage | 3 MW | 2023 |
The Leake County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,541 | $41,836 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 107 | $47,410 | 0.36 |
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 Leake County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Leake County. Mississippi has 1 local measure on record statewide.
Leake County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Leake County, Madison 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leake County | 21,662 | ▲ 5.8% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Attala County | 17,100 | ▲ 1.0% | 551 MW | — | — | — |
| Madison County | 116,298 | ▲ 7.1% | 100 MW | 819 MW | 7 | — |
| Neshoba County | 28,732 | ▲ 5.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Newton County | 20,960 | ▼ 10.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Scott County | 28,073 | ▲ 2.7% | 175 MW | — | — | — |
| Winston County | 17,473 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
More of Mississippi
Leake County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Leake County, Mississippi?
3 utilities have service territory in Leake County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Mississippi LLC, Mississippi Power Co, Central Electric Power Assn - (MS). The largest, Entergy Mississippi LLC, charged residential customers 13.21¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Leake County?
1 operating plant with 3 MW of capacity. The largest is Walnut Grove Demonstration Plant (3 MW, battery storage).
Are there data centers in Leake County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Leake County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Madison County.
Is Leake County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,541 jobs in 2025 against 5,235 in 2019 (+5.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Leake County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Leake County. Mississippi has 1 local measure statewide, listed on the state page.