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

Home to Charleston and East Prairie

Mississippi 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. Mississippi County is home to Charleston, East Prairie and Bertrand. Employers here counted 2,952 jobs in 2025, down 18.7% from 2019. Unemployment was 6.2% in August 2026, against 5.1% in 2019. Union Electric Co - (MO) is the largest utility serving Mississippi County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024. 12,003 people live here, down 1.1% since 2020.

-18.7%
total jobs since 2019, now 2,952

12.56¢
per kWh for Union Electric Co - (MO) residential customers, 2024

12,003
residents, 2025

## Cities and towns in Mississippi County

Mississippi County is home to Charleston, East Prairie and Bertrand.

Charleston4,731 residents
East Prairie2,841 residents
Bertrand698 residents
Wyatt212 residents
Anniston179 residents
Wilson City75 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Whiting.

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 Mississippi County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 12,133 | 12,003 | ▼ 1.1% | 76th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,633 | 2,952 | ▼ 18.7% | 113th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,793 | $46,309 | ▲ 45.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.1% | 6.2% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |

## Who powers Mississippi County

### Utilities with service territory in Mississippi County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Electric Co - (MO) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,095,619 | 12.56¢ | 44% |
| SEMO Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,783 | 12.79¢ | 25% |

Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.

No operating power plant is located in Mississippi County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.

## The Mississippi County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,952 | $46,309 | 1.00 |

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 Mississippi County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Mississippi County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide.

## Mississippi County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Mississippi County, New Madrid 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi County | 12,003 | ▼ 18.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Alexander County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/alexander-county) IL | 4,570 | ▼ 14.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Ballard County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/ballard-county) KY | 7,594 | ▲ 20.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Carlisle County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/carlisle-county) KY | 4,747 | ▲ 5.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Fulton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/fulton-county) KY | 6,218 | ▲ 10.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Hickman County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/hickman-county) KY | 4,372 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
| New Madrid County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/new-madrid-county) | 15,086 | ▲ 0.8% | 1,500 MW | — | — | — |
| Scott County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/scott-county) | 37,975 | ▲ 4.5% | 610 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Missouri

[All Missouri countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri)[Scott County37,975 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/scott-county)[New Madrid County15,086 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/new-madrid-county)

## Mississippi County, answered from the record

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

2 utilities have service territory in Mississippi County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Union Electric Co - (MO), SEMO Electric Cooperative. The largest, Union Electric Co - (MO), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### Are there data centers in Mississippi County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Mississippi County.

### Is Mississippi County adding jobs?

Employers counted 2,952 jobs in 2025 against 3,633 in 2019 (-18.7%, BLS QCEW).

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

No county-level measure is on record for Mississippi County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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