Gates County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sunbury
Gates County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Gates County is home to Gatesville. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “12-month moratorium on data center approvals”. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Gates County data center moratorium. Employers here counted 1,428 jobs in 2025, down 6.0% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 4.3% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Gates County
Gates County is home to Gatesville.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Sunbury.
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 Gates County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,450 | 10,234 | ▼ 2.1% | 96th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,519 | 1,428 | ▼ 6.0% | 87th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,689 | $46,065 | ▲ 29.1% | — |
| 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 | — |
Its power plants have 15 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Virginia Electric & Power Co is the largest utility serving Gates County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.93¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 10,234 people live here, down 2.1% since 2020.
Who powers Gates County
Utilities with service territory in Gates County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 108,656 | 13.93¢ | 24% |
| Roanoke Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 12,049 | 21.14¢ | 24% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 15 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates Solar LLC | Oppidum Renewables USA, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| SoINCPower6, LLC | Deriva Energy | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Sugar Run Solar | Sugar Run Solar, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
The Gates County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,428 | $46,065 | 1.00 |
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 Gates County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-month moratorium on data center approvals | In force | 2026-01 |
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates County data center moratorium | pending review | — |
Gates County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Gates County, Southampton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates County | 10,234 | ▼ 6.0% | 15 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Camden County | 11,315 | ▼ 2.0% | 35 MW | — | — | — |
| Chowan County | 14,082 | ▲ 9.9% | 211 MW | — | — | — |
| Hertford County | 19,015 | ▼ 7.7% | 222 MW | — | — | — |
| Pasquotank County | 42,201 | ▲ 4.6% | 43 MW | 12 MW | — | — |
| Perquimans County | 13,490 | ▲ 6.4% | 259 MW | — | — | — |
| Southampton County VA | 18,110 | ▼ 4.7% | 182 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Suffolk (city) VA | 104,699 | ▲ 36.3% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Gates County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Gates County, North Carolina?
2 utilities have service territory in Gates County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Virginia Electric & Power Co, Roanoke Electric Member Corp. The largest, Virginia Electric & Power Co, charged residential customers 13.93¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Gates County?
3 operating plants with 15 MW of capacity. The largest is Gates Solar LLC (5 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Gates County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Gates County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Southampton County.
Is Gates County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,428 jobs in 2025 against 1,519 in 2019 (-6.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Gates County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Gates County, 1 in force.