Franklin County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Louisburg, Franklinton and Wake Forest
Franklin 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. Franklin County is home to Louisburg, Franklinton, part of Wake Forest (2,712 of its 58,147 residents) and Youngsville. Employers here counted 14,549 jobs in 2025, up 19.6% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 100 North Carolina counties). Next door, Wake County has 12 data centers. 82,037 people live here, up 18.8% since 2020. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including CenturyLink Regional HQ (petroleum, 1 MW, 2021).
Cities and towns in Franklin County
Franklin County is home to Louisburg, Franklinton, part of Wake Forest (2,712 of its 58,147 residents) and Youngsville.
- Wake Forest also extends into Wake County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Centerville, Lake Royale.
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 Franklin County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 69,029 | 82,037 | ▲ 18.8% | 35th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,167 | 14,549 | ▲ 19.6% | 9th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,681 | $58,429 | ▲ 33.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 52 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
52 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 136 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Franklin County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities.
Who powers Franklin County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +51 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Franklin County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,356,079 | 15.54¢ | 36% |
| Wake Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 53,268 | 13.42¢ | 14% |
| Town of Louisburg - (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 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 136 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Creek Solar | John Laing US Solar Corp. | Solar | 50 MW | 2018 |
| Highest Power Solar, LLC | SunStrong Management | Solar | 49 MW | 2022 |
| Cirrus Solar LLC | Oppidum Renewables USA, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Franklinton Solar | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2017 |
| Morgan Farm, LLC | SRE Utility Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Sarah Solar | USF Surry, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink Regional HQ | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2021 |
The Franklin County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 14,549 | $58,429 | 1.00 |
| Data processing and hosting | 11 | $111,167 | 0.24 |
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 Franklin County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Franklin County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Nash County.
Franklin County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | 82,037 | ▲ 19.6% | 136 MW | — | — | — |
| Granville County | 61,421 | ▲ 0.5% | 43 MW | — | — | — |
| Halifax County | 46,534 | ▼ 3.5% | 850 MW | 173 MW | — | — |
| Johnston County | 256,448 | ▲ 29.2% | 112 MW | 73 MW | — | — |
| Nash County | 99,365 | ▼ 0.8% | 379 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Vance County | 42,638 | ▼ 1.6% | 108 MW | — | — | — |
| Wake County | 1,257,235 | ▲ 15.7% | 1,108 MW | 56 MW | 12 | — |
| Warren County | 18,898 | ▼ 4.7% | 154 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Franklin County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Franklin County, North Carolina?
3 utilities have service territory in Franklin County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Wake Electric Membership Corp, Town of Louisburg - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Franklin County?
11 operating plants with 136 MW of capacity. The largest is Fox Creek Solar (50 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Franklin County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Franklin County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Wake County.
Is Franklin County adding jobs?
Employers counted 14,549 jobs in 2025 against 12,167 in 2019 (+19.6%, BLS QCEW).
Does Franklin County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Franklin County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.