Halifax County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Roanoke Rapids, Enfield and Scotland Neck
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Halifax County. Halifax County is home to Roanoke Rapids, Enfield, Scotland Neck and Weldon. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Quiet Data Centers Halifax. 173 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by CleanChoice Energy (solar), the 3rd largest pipeline among North Carolina's counties. 80 MW of it is already under construction or built. 257 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 850 MW of capacity, 41% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Halifax County
Halifax County is home to Roanoke Rapids, Enfield, Scotland Neck and Weldon.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Hollister, South Rosemary, South Weldon.
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 Halifax County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 48,401 | 46,534 | ▼ 3.9% | 54th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,655 | 15,111 | ▼ 3.5% | 79th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,273 | $48,427 | ▲ 37.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.9% | 5.3% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 257 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 173 MW | 20% of today's fleet | 3rd of 30 by size |
Employers here counted 15,111 jobs in 2025, down 3.5% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 5.9% in 2019. Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Halifax County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 46,534 people live here, down 3.9% since 2020.
Who powers Halifax County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +257 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Halifax 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% |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 108,656 | 13.93¢ | 24% |
| Roanoke Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 12,049 | 21.14¢ | 24% |
| Edgecombe-Martin County E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,716 | 16.06¢ | 21% |
| Town of Enfield - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Halifax Electric Member Corp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Hobgood | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Scotland Neck - (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 19
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 352 MW | 41% |
| Hydro | 278 MW | 33% |
| Petroleum | 180 MW | 21% |
| Other technologies | 28 MW | 3% |
| Battery storage | 12 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemary Power Station | Virginia Electric & Power Co | Petroleum | 180 MW | 1990 |
| Gaston | Virginia Electric & Power Co | Hydro | 178 MW | 1963 |
| American Beech Solar LLC | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 140 MW | 2025 |
| Roanoke Rapids | Virginia Electric & Power Co | Hydro | 100 MW | 1955 |
| Chestnut Solar | Dominion Renewable Energy | Solar | 75 MW | 2020 |
| KapStone Kraft Paper Corp | Westrock Kraft Paper, LLC | Other technologies | 28 MW | 1966 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetleaf Solar LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 93 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | CleanChoice Energy |
| Halifax County Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 80 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | AES Clean Energy |
The Halifax County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 15,111 | $48,427 | 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 Halifax County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet Data Centers Halifax | denied | — |
Halifax County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Halifax County, Edgecombe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax County | 46,534 | ▼ 3.5% | 850 MW | 173 MW | — | — |
| Bertie County | 17,086 | ▼ 6.2% | 45 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Edgecombe County | 49,121 | ▼ 6.5% | 284 MW | 75 MW | — | 1 |
| Franklin County | 82,037 | ▲ 19.6% | 136 MW | — | — | — |
| Martin County | 21,601 | ▼ 4.5% | 216 MW | — | — | — |
| Nash County | 99,365 | ▼ 0.8% | 379 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Northampton County | 16,491 | ▼ 14.3% | 363 MW | — | — | 2 |
| Warren County | 18,898 | ▼ 4.7% | 154 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Halifax County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Halifax County, North Carolina?
8 utilities have service territory in Halifax County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Virginia Electric & Power Co, Roanoke Electric Member Corp, Edgecombe-Martin County E M C. The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Roanoke Rapids, NC in?
Roanoke Rapids is in Halifax County, North Carolina. About 14,386 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Halifax County?
19 operating plants with 850 MW of capacity. The largest is Rosemary Power Station (180 MW, petroleum).
How much new power is planned in Halifax County?
173 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 80 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is CleanChoice Energy.
Are there data centers in Halifax County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Halifax County.
Is Halifax County adding jobs?
Employers counted 15,111 jobs in 2025 against 15,655 in 2019 (-3.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Halifax County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Halifax County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.