# Cherokee County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Murphy and Andrews

Cherokee County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Cherokee County. Cherokee County is home to Murphy and Andrews. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 4.3% in 2019. Its power plants have 168 MW of capacity, 98% of it hydro. Employers here counted 7,869 jobs in 2025, down 1.8% from 2019.

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

168 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

-1.8%
total jobs since 2019, now 7,869

## Cities and towns in Cherokee County

Cherokee County is home to Murphy and Andrews.

Murphy1,808 residents
Andrews1,799 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Marble.

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 Cherokee County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 28,866 | 30,830 | ▲ 6.8% | 71st of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,017 | 7,869 | ▼ 1.8% | 71st of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $34,503 | $47,296 | ▲ 37.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24 | 24 | ● 0.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.3% | 3.6% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Cherokee County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 30,830 people live here, up 6.8% since 2020.

## Who powers Cherokee County

### Utilities with service territory in Cherokee 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% |
| Blue Ridge Mountain EMC - (GA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,879 | 14.05¢ | 20% |
| Town of Murphy - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 3,685 | 12.85¢ | 20% |
| Tri-State Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 1,571 | 14.68¢ | 7% |

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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 166 MW | 98% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 2% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiwassee Dam | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 166 MW | 1940 |
| CS Murphy Point, LLC | Deriva Energy | Solar | 1 MW | 2011 |
| Martins Creek Solar NC, LLC | Deriva Energy | Solar | 1 MW | 2011 |
| Murphy Farm Power, LLC | Deriva Energy | Solar | 1 MW | 2011 |

## The Cherokee County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,869 | $47,296 | 1.00 |
| Power and communication line construction | 24 | $59,495 | 1.89 |

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 Cherokee County

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

## Cherokee County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Cherokee County, Graham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County | 30,830 | ▼ 1.8% | 168 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Clay County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/clay-county) | 12,239 | ▲ 9.2% | 15 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Fannin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/fannin-county) GA | 26,111 | ▲ 14.9% | 24 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Graham County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/graham-county) | 8,190 | ▼ 8.3% | 185 MW | — | — | — |
| Macon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/macon-county) | 39,232 | ▲ 10.7% | 46 MW | — | — | — |
| Monroe County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/monroe-county) TN | 49,730 | ▲ 1.4% | — | 20 MW | — | — |
| Polk County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/polk-county) TN | 18,592 | ▲ 15.1% | 164 MW | — | — | — |
| Union County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/union-county) GA | 27,859 | ▲ 13.3% | 16 MW | — | — | — |

## More of North Carolina

[All North Carolina countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina)[Macon County39,232 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/macon-county)[Clay County12,239 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/clay-county)[Graham County8,190 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/graham-county)

## Cherokee County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Cherokee County, North Carolina?

4 utilities have service territory in Cherokee County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC - (GA), Town of Murphy - (NC), Tri-State Electric Member Corp. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Cherokee County?

4 operating plants with 168 MW of capacity. The largest is Hiwassee Dam (166 MW, hydro).

### Are there data centers in Cherokee County?

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

### Is Cherokee County adding jobs?

Employers counted 7,869 jobs in 2025 against 8,017 in 2019 (-1.8%, BLS QCEW).

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

No county-level measure is on record for Cherokee County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/cherokee-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/).