Durham County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh
Durham County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Durham County, 11% of North Carolina's total. Durham County is home to Durham, part of Chapel Hill (2,922 of its 63,565 residents) and part of Raleigh (1,660 of its 506,306 residents). The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Nine-month moratorium on new large data centers”. Employers here counted 233,836 jobs in 2025, up 10.5% from 2019. Its power plants have 19 MW of capacity, 88% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Durham County
Durham County is home to Durham, part of Chapel Hill (2,922 of its 63,565 residents) and part of Raleigh (1,660 of its 506,306 residents).
- Chapel Hill also extends into Orange County.
- Raleigh also extends into Wake County.
- Morrisville also extends into Wake County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Gorman, Rougemont.
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 Durham County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 322,465 | 347,240 | ▲ 7.7% | 5th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 211,634 | 233,836 | ▲ 10.5% | 21st of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $71,539 | $103,812 | ▲ 45.1% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,251 | 995 | ▼ 20.5% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 196 | 534 | ▲ 172.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 426 | 273 | ▼ 35.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Durham 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. 347,240 people live here, up 7.7% since 2020, 5th of 100 North Carolina counties by population. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 995, down 20.5% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $80,411 a year.
Who powers Durham County
Utilities with service territory in Durham 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% |
| Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,356,079 | 15.54¢ | 36% |
| Wake Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 53,268 | 13.42¢ | 14% |
| Piedmont Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,334 | 15.60¢ | 14% |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 16 MW | 88% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 12% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile Farm | Palmetto Power Management LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Star Solar | Star Solar LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2016 |
| Durham Solar | SRE Utility Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2015 |
| XPF Solar Field | United Therapeutics Corporation | Solar | 3 MW | 2014 |
| Mas Durham Power, LLC | Mas Durham Power, LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2010 |
The Durham County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 233,836 | $103,812 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 995 | $80,411 | 0.59 |
| Power and communication line construction | 534 | $111,512 | 1.41 |
| Data processing and hosting | 273 | $134,432 | 0.38 |
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 Durham County
9 data centers in Durham County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nine-month moratorium on new large data centers | In force | 2026-08 |
Durham County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Durham County, Wake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham County | 347,240 | ▲ 10.5% | 19 MW | — | 9 | 1 |
| Chatham County | 85,111 | ▲ 31.9% | 42 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Granville County | 61,421 | ▲ 0.5% | 43 MW | — | — | — |
| Orange County | 152,498 | ▲ 8.4% | 50 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Person County | 40,636 | ▼ 6.8% | 3,344 MW | 80 MW | 1 | — |
| Wake County | 1,257,235 | ▲ 15.7% | 1,108 MW | 56 MW | 12 | — |
More of North Carolina
Durham County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Durham County, North Carolina?
4 utilities have service territory in Durham County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Wake Electric Membership Corp, Piedmont Electric Member Corp. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Durham, NC in?
Durham is in Durham County, North Carolina. About 305,116 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Durham County?
5 operating plants with 19 MW of capacity. The largest is Mile Farm (5 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Durham County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Durham County.
Is Durham County adding jobs?
Employers counted 233,836 jobs in 2025 against 211,634 in 2019 (+10.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Durham County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Durham County, 1 in force.