Burke County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Morganton, Valdese and Drexel
Burke 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. Burke County is home to Morganton, Valdese, Drexel and Hildebran. 3 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (battery storage). 3 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Catawba County has 12 data centers. Its power plants have 48 MW of capacity, 57% of it hydro. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Burke County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities.
Cities and towns in Burke County
Burke County is home to Morganton, Valdese, Drexel and Hildebran.
- Long View also extends into Catawba County.
- Rhodhiss also extends into Caldwell County.
- Hickory also extends into Catawba County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Icard, Salem.
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 Burke County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 87,262 | 88,655 | ▲ 1.6% | 33rd of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 29,772 | 29,771 | ● 0.0% | 61st of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,110 | $51,032 | ▲ 33.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 3 MW | 6% of today's fleet | 29th of 30 by size |
Employers here counted 29,771 jobs in 2025, unchanged from 2019. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 88,655 people live here, up 1.6% since 2020.
Who powers Burke County
Utilities with service territory in Burke County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,919,372 | 13.94¢ | 42% |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 70,743 | 13.13¢ | 14% |
| Mountain Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,491 | 12.51¢ | 36% |
| City of Morganton - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 7,055 | 10.67¢ | 35% |
| Town of Drexel - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 28 MW | 57% |
| Solar | 12 MW | 25% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 18% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 28 MW | 1919 |
| Cline Solar Farm, LLC | Cline Solar, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2017 |
| Dragstrip Farm | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Drexel Operations Center | North Carolina Mun Power Agny #1 | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2007 |
| Innovative Solar 26, LLC | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 2 MW | 2015 |
| Morganton Station 5 | North Carolina Mun Power Agny #1 | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2006 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebo Energy Storage | Batteries | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC |
The Burke County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 29,771 | $51,032 | 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 Burke County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Burke County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: McDowell County.
Burke County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Burke County, Catawba 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County | 88,655 | ● 0.0% | 48 MW | 3 MW | — | — |
| Avery County | 18,110 | ▲ 16.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Caldwell County | 81,105 | ▲ 0.2% | 40 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Catawba County | 170,172 | ▲ 0.9% | 2,328 MW | 50 MW | 12 | — |
| Cleveland County | 103,325 | ▲ 0.9% | 2,982 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lincoln County | 98,654 | ▲ 18.6% | 2,519 MW | 54 MW | — | — |
| McDowell County | 45,198 | ▼ 3.2% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Rutherford County | 65,745 | ▼ 3.1% | 127 MW | 60 MW | 3 | — |
More of North Carolina
Burke County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Burke County, North Carolina?
5 utilities have service territory in Burke County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Rutherford Elec Member Corp, Mountain Electric Coop, Inc, City of Morganton - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Morganton, NC in?
Morganton is in Burke County, North Carolina. About 17,849 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Burke County?
9 operating plants with 48 MW of capacity. The largest is Bridgewater (28 MW, hydro).
How much new power is planned in Burke County?
3 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 3 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC.
Are there data centers in Burke County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Burke County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Catawba County.
Is Burke County adding jobs?
Employers counted 29,771 jobs in 2025 against 29,772 in 2019 (-0.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Burke County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Burke County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.