Panola County, Mississippi: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Batesville, Sardis and Como
Panola County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 7.0% in 2019. Panola County is home to Batesville, Sardis and Como. 20 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Rye Development (other technologies). Construction employs 413, up 11.6% since 2019. Its power plants have 904 MW of capacity, 99% of it natural gas, the 9th largest fleet in Mississippi.
Cities and towns in Panola County
Panola County is home to Batesville, Sardis and Como.
- Crenshaw also extends into Quitman County.
- Crowder also extends into Quitman County.
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 Panola County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Mississippi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 33,173 | 32,691 | ▼ 1.5% | 24th of 82 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,170 | 10,737 | ▲ 5.6% | 22nd of 82 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,638 | $45,819 | ▲ 21.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 370 | 413 | ▲ 11.6% | 23rd of 45 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 102 | 98 | ▼ 3.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 7.0% | 3.9% | ▼ 3.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 13 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 20 MW | 2% of today's fleet | 13th of 14 by size |
13 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 10,737 jobs in 2025, up 5.6% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 98, down 3.9% since 2019 against up 33.2% statewide, at an average $57,751 a year. Entergy Mississippi LLC is the largest utility serving Panola County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.21¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.78¢ median for Mississippi utilities. 32,691 people live here, down 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Panola County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +13 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Panola 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% |
| Tallahatchie Valley E P A | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,493 | 12.41¢ | 32% |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 891 MW | 99% |
| Solar | 13 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batesville Generation Facility | Cooperative Energy | Natural gas | 891 MW | 2000 |
| SR Panola I, LLC | SR Panola I, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2024 |
| SR Panola II, LLC | SR Panola II, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2024 |
| SR Panola III, LLC | SR Panola III, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2024 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sardis Lake Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Sardis Lake Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Enid Lake Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
| Enid Lake Hydroelectric Project | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Rye Development |
The Panola County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 10,737 | $45,819 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 413 | $59,761 | 0.73 |
| Electrical contractors | 98 | $57,751 | 1.27 |
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 Panola County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Panola County. Mississippi has 1 local measure on record statewide.
Panola County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Panola County, Tallahatchie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panola County | 32,691 | ▲ 5.6% | 904 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
| Lafayette County | 59,597 | ▲ 6.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Quitman County | 5,364 | ▼ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Tallahatchie County | 10,877 | ▼ 2.0% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
| Tate County | 28,725 | ▲ 19.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Tunica County | 8,819 | ▼ 26.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Yalobusha County | 12,375 | ▼ 4.4% | — | — | — | — |
More of Mississippi
Panola County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Panola County, Mississippi?
2 utilities have service territory in Panola County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Mississippi LLC, Tallahatchie Valley E P A. The largest, Entergy Mississippi LLC, charged residential customers 13.21¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Panola County?
4 operating plants with 904 MW of capacity. The largest is Batesville Generation Facility (891 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Panola County?
20 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Rye Development.
Are there data centers in Panola County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Panola County.
Is Panola County adding jobs?
Employers counted 10,737 jobs in 2025 against 10,170 in 2019 (+5.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 370 to 413.
Does Panola County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Panola County. Mississippi has 1 local measure statewide, listed on the state page.