Gaston County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Gastonia, Mount Holly and Belmont
New generation is lining up in Gaston County. Gaston County is home to Gastonia, Mount Holly, Belmont and Cherryville. 1,149 MW has retired here since 2019, including G G Allen (coal, 1,148 MW, 2024). 240 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (battery storage), the largest pipeline among North Carolina's counties. 73 MW of it is already under construction or built. Electrical contractors employ 704, up 41.6% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $72,637 a year. Employers here counted 81,516 jobs in 2025, up 8.9% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Gaston County
Gaston County is home to Gastonia, Mount Holly, Belmont and Cherryville.
- Kings Mountain also extends into Cleveland County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Alexis, Springdale.
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 Gaston County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 228,640 | 246,558 | ▲ 7.8% | 11th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 74,887 | 81,516 | ▲ 8.9% | 26th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,280 | $56,852 | ▲ 34.5% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 497 | 704 | ▲ 41.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 91 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1,149 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 240 MW | 123% of today's fleet | 1st of 30 by size |
91 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Its power plants have 195 MW of capacity, 31% of it hydro. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Gaston County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 246,558 people live here, up 7.8% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019.
Who powers Gaston County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −1,058 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Gaston 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% |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 70,743 | 13.13¢ | 14% |
| City of Gastonia - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 27,008 | 12.40¢ | 45% |
| York Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15 | 12.35¢ | 33% |
| City of Cherryville - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Dallas - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Kings Mountain - (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 13
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 60 MW | 31% |
| Solar | 55 MW | 28% |
| Battery storage | 50 MW | 26% |
| Petroleum | 26 MW | 13% |
| Other technologies | 4 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Island | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 60 MW | 1923 |
| Allen 1 Battery Energy Storage System | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Battery storage | 50 MW | 2025 |
| Gaston Solar Power Plant | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Solar | 25 MW | 2020 |
| High Shoals PV1 | SunStrong Management | Solar | 16 MW | 2022 |
| Gastonia Prime Power Park | North Carolina Mun Power Agny #1 | Petroleum | 12 MW | 2008 |
| Gastonia, Tulip Drive | North Carolina Mun Power Agny #1 | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2005 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen 2 BESS | Batteries | 167 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC |
| Hornet Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 73 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Hornet Solar LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| G G Allen | Coal | 1,148 MW | 2024 |
| DE Solar 1725 Drywall Dr | Solar | 1 MW | 2025 |
The Gaston County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 81,516 | $56,852 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 704 | $72,637 | 1.20 |
| Power and communication line construction | 791 | $93,663 | 6.01 |
| Electric utilities | 134 | $142,640 | 0.61 |
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 Gaston County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Gaston County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: York County.
Gaston County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Gaston County, Mecklenburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston County | 246,558 | ▲ 8.9% | 195 MW | 240 MW | — | — |
| Cleveland County | 103,325 | ▲ 0.9% | 2,982 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lincoln County | 98,654 | ▲ 18.6% | 2,519 MW | 54 MW | — | — |
| Mecklenburg County | 1,233,383 | ▲ 10.7% | 2,456 MW | 2 MW | 26 | — |
| York County SC | 306,887 | ▲ 5.9% | 2,476 MW | — | 5 | 1 |
More of North Carolina
Gaston County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Gaston County, North Carolina?
8 utilities have service territory in Gaston County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, Rutherford Elec Member Corp, City of Gastonia - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Gastonia, NC in?
Gastonia is in Gaston County, North Carolina. About 87,067 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Mount Holly, NC in?
Mount Holly is in Gaston County, North Carolina. About 19,033 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Belmont, NC in?
Belmont is in Gaston County, North Carolina. About 16,415 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Gaston County?
13 operating plants with 195 MW of capacity. The largest is Mountain Island (60 MW, hydro).
How much new power is planned in Gaston County?
240 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 73 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC.
Are there data centers in Gaston County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Gaston County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Mecklenburg County.
Is Gaston County adding jobs?
Employers counted 81,516 jobs in 2025 against 74,887 in 2019 (+8.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Gaston County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Gaston County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.