# Jackson County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Sylva The data center boom is not abstract in Jackson County: it is on the ground here. Employers here counted 19,262 jobs in 2025, up 36.6% from 2019 (the fastest growth of 100 North Carolina counties). The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Jackson County. Jackson County is home to Sylva. Construction employs 902, up 42.3% since 2019. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “One-year data center moratorium”. +36.6% total jobs since 2019, now 19,262 1 data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map 51 MW of operating power plants, mostly hydro ## Cities and towns in Jackson County Jackson County is home to Sylva. Sylva2,691 residents Webster387 residents Forest Hills325 residents Dillsboro217 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cashiers, Cherokee, Cullowhee, Glenville, Whittier. 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 Jackson County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 42,142 | 45,039 | ▲ 6.9% | 58th of 100 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14,100 | 19,262 | ▲ 36.6% | 1st of 100 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,028 | $49,793 | ▲ 30.9% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 634 | 902 | ▲ 42.3% | 9th of 60 by growth | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.5% | ▼ 0.5pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Its power plants have 51 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Jackson 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. 45,039 people live here, up 6.9% since 2020. ## Who powers Jackson County ### Utilities with service territory in Jackson 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% | | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,356,079 | 15.54¢ | 36% | | Haywood Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,078 | 16.60¢ | 8% | | City of Highlands - (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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Hydro | 51 MW | 100% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Thorpe | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 22 MW | 1941 | | Tennessee Creek | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 11 MW | 1955 | | Bear Creek Dam | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 9 MW | 1954 | | Cedar Cliff | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 6 MW | 1952 | | Tuckasegee | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 3 MW | 1950 | ## The Jackson County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 19,262 | $49,793 | 1.00 | | Construction | 902 | $60,146 | 0.88 | 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 Jackson County 1 data center in Jackson County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map. ### Local measures | Measure | Status | Date | |---|---|---| | One-year data center moratorium | In force | 2026-08 | ## Jackson County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Jackson County, Oconee 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Jackson County | 45,039 | ▲ 36.6% | 51 MW | — | 1 | 1 | | Haywood County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/haywood-county) | 63,369 | ▼ 2.1% | 110 MW | — | — | — | | Macon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/macon-county) | 39,232 | ▲ 10.7% | 46 MW | — | — | — | | Oconee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-carolina/oconee-county) SC | 83,775 | ▲ 6.7% | 4,360 MW | — | — | — | | Rabun County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/georgia/rabun-county) GA | 17,764 | ▲ 6.7% | 27 MW | — | — | — | | Swain County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/swain-county) | 14,024 | ▼ 32.9% | 255 MW | — | — | 1 | | Transylvania County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/transylvania-county) | 34,211 | ▲ 4.0% | — | — | 1 | — | ## More of North Carolina [All North Carolina countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina)[Haywood County63,369 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/haywood-county)[Macon County39,232 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/macon-county)[Transylvania County34,211 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/transylvania-county)[Swain County14,024 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/swain-county) ## Jackson County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Jackson County, North Carolina? 4 utilities have service territory in Jackson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Haywood Electric Member Corp, City of Highlands - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Jackson County? 5 operating plants with 51 MW of capacity. The largest is Thorpe (22 MW, hydro). ### Are there data centers in Jackson County? Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Jackson County. ### Is Jackson County adding jobs? Employers counted 19,262 jobs in 2025 against 14,100 in 2019 (+36.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 634 to 902. ### Does Jackson County have a data center moratorium? The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Jackson County, 1 in force. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/jackson-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/).