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

Home to Winston-Salem, Kernersville and Clemmons

Forsyth County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Forsyth County. Forsyth County is home to Winston-Salem, most of Kernersville (28,528 of its 29,128 residents), Clemmons and Lewisville. The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (1 in force); the latest is “Rejected six-month data center moratorium”. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Waste Management Piedmont LFGTE Project (other technologies, 1 MW, 2023). Its power plants have 21 MW of capacity, 68% of it other technologies.

2
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

1 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

-5.2%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 934

## Cities and towns in Forsyth County

Forsyth County is home to Winston-Salem, most of Kernersville (28,528 of its 29,128 residents), Clemmons and Lewisville.

Winston-Salem257,271 residents
Kernersville28,528 residents · 98% of the city
Clemmons22,808 residents
Lewisville14,421 residents
Walkertown6,120 residents
Rural Hall3,607 residents
Tobaccoville2,770 residents
King647 residents · 8% of the city
High Point448 residents · 0% of the city
Bethania367 residents
- Kernersville also extends into [Guilford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/guilford-county).
- King also extends into [Stokes County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/stokes-county).
- High Point also extends into [Guilford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/guilford-county), [Davidson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/davidson-county).

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Germanton.

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 Forsyth County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 382,618 | 401,718 | ▲ 5.0% | 4th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 191,005 | 190,305 | ▼ 0.4% | 63rd of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $52,319 | $69,731 | ▲ 33.3% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 985 | 934 | ▼ 5.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 337 | 184 | ▼ 45.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.9% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW |  | — |

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Forsyth 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. Electrical contractors employ 934, down 5.2% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $68,096 a year. Employers here counted 190,305 jobs in 2025, down 0.4% from 2019. 401,718 people live here, up 5.0% since 2020, 4th of 100 North Carolina counties by population. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019.

## Who powers Forsyth County

### Utilities with service territory in Forsyth 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% |
| EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 121,995 | 11.54¢ | 23% |
| Town of High Point | Municipal | Bundled | 38,079 | 11.63¢ | 52% |
| Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 28,080 | 16.06¢ | 6% |

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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other technologies | 14 MW | 68% |
| Solar | 7 MW | 32% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredion Winston Salem | Ingredion Inc - Winston Salem | Other technologies | 8 MW | 1985 |
| South Winston Farm, LLC | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2016 |
| Salem Energy Systems LLC | NextEra Renewable Fuels, LLC | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2017 |
| Waste Management Piedmont LFGTE Project | WM Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2011 |
| Germantown Solar, LLC | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 2 MW | 2015 |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste Management Piedmont LFGTE Project | Other technologies | 1 MW | 2023 |

## The Forsyth County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 190,305 | $69,731 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 934 | $68,096 | 0.68 |
| Power and communication line construction | 120 | $80,332 | 0.39 |
| Data processing and hosting | 184 | $115,674 | 0.31 |

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 Forsyth County

2 data centers in Forsyth County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Rejected six-month data center moratorium | Failed / vetoed | 2026-10 |
| Project Iron Spur data center rezoning denied | In force | 2026-07 |

## Forsyth County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Forsyth County, Stokes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth County | 401,718 | ▼ 0.4% | 21 MW | — | 2 | 2 |
| Davidson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/davidson-county) | 180,182 | ▲ 4.9% | 54 MW | 135 MW | — | 1 |
| Davie County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/davie-county) | 45,855 | ▲ 13.4% | 53 MW | 60 MW | — | 1 |
| Guilford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/guilford-county) | 562,234 | ▲ 2.3% | 44 MW | 40 MW | 1 | 1 |
| Rockingham County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/rockingham-county) | 94,195 | ▼ 4.4% | 1,718 MW | — | — | — |
| Stokes County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/stokes-county) | 46,126 | ▼ 1.0% | 2,555 MW | 34 MW | — | 1 |
| Surry County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/surry-county) | 72,287 | ▼ 0.8% | 92 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Yadkin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/yadkin-county) | 38,325 | ▼ 0.7% | 103 MW | — | — | 1 |

## More of North Carolina

[All North Carolina countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina)[Guilford County562,234 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/guilford-county)[Davidson County180,182 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/davidson-county)[Rockingham County94,195 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/rockingham-county)[Surry County72,287 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/surry-county)[Stokes County46,126 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/stokes-county)

## Forsyth County, answered from the record

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

4 utilities have service territory in Forsyth County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, Town of High Point, Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Winston-Salem, NC in?

Winston-Salem is in Forsyth County, North Carolina. About 257,271 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Kernersville, NC in?

Most of Kernersville is in Forsyth County: 28,528 of its 29,128 residents, or 98%. The rest of the city lies in Guilford County.

### What county is Clemmons, NC in?

Clemmons is in Forsyth County, North Carolina. About 22,808 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Forsyth County?

5 operating plants with 21 MW of capacity. The largest is Ingredion Winston Salem (8 MW, other technologies).

### Are there data centers in Forsyth County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Forsyth County.

### Is Forsyth County adding jobs?

Employers counted 190,305 jobs in 2025 against 191,005 in 2019 (-0.4%, BLS QCEW).

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

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Forsyth County, 1 in force.

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