# Lowndes County, Mississippi: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Columbus and Caledonia

The build-out shows up in Lowndes County as work for the electrical trades. Electrical contractors employ 420, up 244.3% since 2019 against up 33.2% statewide, at an average $71,145 a year. Construction employs 2,491, up 74.8% since 2019, and construction is 1.8 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Lowndes County, 7% of Mississippi's total. Lowndes County is home to Columbus and Caledonia. 504 MW of new generation is planned here across 6 units, led by Tennessee Valley Authority (natural gas), the 4th largest pipeline among Mississippi's counties.

+244.3%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 420

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 7% of Mississippi's

504 MW
of new generation planned here, natural gas leading

## Cities and towns in Lowndes County

Lowndes County is home to Columbus and Caledonia.

Columbus22,792 residents
Caledonia1,117 residents
Crawford415 residents
Artesia323 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Columbus AFB, New Hope.

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 Lowndes County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Mississippi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 58,783 | 57,346 | ▼ 2.4% | 14th of 82 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25,468 | 26,162 | ▲ 2.7% | 31st of 82 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,230 | $59,265 | ▲ 37.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,425 | 2,491 | ▲ 74.8% | 6th of 45 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 122 | 420 | ▲ 244.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.4% | 3.6% | ▼ 1.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 450 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 504 MW | 37% of today's fleet | 4th of 14 by size |

Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 5.4% in 2019. Next door, Oktibbeha County has 1 data center. 450 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 1,380 MW of capacity, 58% of it natural gas, the 4th largest fleet in Mississippi. Employers here counted 26,162 jobs in 2025, up 2.7% from 2019. 4-County Electric Power Assn is the largest utility serving Lowndes County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.88¢/kWh in 2024. 57,346 people live here, down 2.4% since 2020.

## Who powers Lowndes County

### Utilities with service territory in Lowndes County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-County Electric Power Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 41,076 | 12.88¢ | 29% |
| Monroe County Elec Power Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,170 | 12.53¢ | 22% |
| City of Columbus - (MS) | Municipal | Bundled | 8,842 | 12.01¢ | 56% |

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 | 801 MW | 58% |
| Solar | 350 MW | 25% |
| Other technologies | 129 MW | 9% |
| Battery storage | 100 MW | 7% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia | Tennessee Valley Authority | Natural gas | 801 MW | 2003 |
| Golden Triangle | Origis Energy USA, Inc | Battery storage | 250 MW | 2025 |
| Golden Triangle II | Origis Energy USA, Inc | Battery storage | 200 MW | 2024 |
| GCF US Holdings LLC Columbus Mill | GCF - Columbus Mill | Other technologies | 129 MW | 1982 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Caledonia | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 84 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| New Caledonia | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 84 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| New Caledonia | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 84 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| New Caledonia | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 84 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| New Caledonia | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 84 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| New Caledonia | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 84 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Tennessee Valley Authority |

## The Lowndes County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,162 | $59,265 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,491 | $81,632 | 1.80 |
| Electrical contractors | 420 | $71,145 | 2.23 |

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 Lowndes County

1 data center in Lowndes County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Lowndes County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Lowndes County, Monroe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowndes County | 57,346 | ▲ 2.7% | 1,380 MW | 504 MW | 1 | — |
| Clay County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/clay-county) | 18,238 | ▲ 21.4% | 250 MW | — | — | — |
| Lamar County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alabama/lamar-county) AL | 13,587 | ▼ 3.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Monroe County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/monroe-county) | 33,318 | ▼ 6.7% | — | 160 MW | — | — |
| Noxubee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/noxubee-county) | 9,798 | ▼ 11.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Oktibbeha County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/oktibbeha-county) | 51,896 | ▲ 0.1% | 26 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Pickens County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alabama/pickens-county) AL | 18,221 | ▼ 1.7% | — | — | — | — |

## More of Mississippi

[All Mississippi countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi)[Oktibbeha County51,896 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/oktibbeha-county)[Monroe County33,318 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/monroe-county)[Clay County18,238 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/clay-county)[Noxubee County9,798 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/noxubee-county)

## Lowndes County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Lowndes County, Mississippi?

3 utilities have service territory in Lowndes County in the EIA-861 2024 report: 4-County Electric Power Assn, Monroe County Elec Power Assn, City of Columbus - (MS). The largest, 4-County Electric Power Assn, charged residential customers 12.88¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Columbus, MS in?

Columbus is in Lowndes County, Mississippi. About 22,792 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Lowndes County?

4 operating plants with 1,380 MW of capacity. The largest is Caledonia (801 MW, natural gas).

### How much new power is planned in Lowndes County?

504 MW across 6 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Tennessee Valley Authority.

### Are there data centers in Lowndes County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Lowndes County.

### Is Lowndes County adding jobs?

Employers counted 26,162 jobs in 2025 against 25,468 in 2019 (+2.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,425 to 2,491.

### Does Lowndes County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Lowndes County. Mississippi has 1 local measure statewide, listed on the state page.

---
Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/mississippi/lowndes-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/).