Johnston County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Clayton, Smithfield and Selma
Johnston County supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Employers here counted 65,551 jobs in 2025, up 29.2% from 2019 (the 4th fastest growth of 100 North Carolina counties). Electrical contractors employ 864, up 66.2% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $65,134 a year. Johnston County is home to Clayton, Smithfield, Selma and Archer Lodge. 73 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Capital Power Corporation (solar). Next door, Wake County has 12 data centers.
Cities and towns in Johnston County
Johnston County is home to Clayton, Smithfield, Selma and Archer Lodge.
- Kenly also extends into Wilson County.
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 Johnston County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 217,450 | 256,448 | ▲ 17.9% | 9th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 50,751 | 65,551 | ▲ 29.2% | 4th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,478 | $56,109 | ▲ 35.3% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 520 | 864 | ▲ 66.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9 | 51 | ▲ 466.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 3.1% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 39 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 73 MW | 65% of today's fleet | 12th of 30 by size |
256,448 people live here, up 17.9% since 2020, 9th of 100 North Carolina counties by population. 39 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 112 MW of capacity, 99% of it solar. Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Johnston County, one of 9 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019.
Who powers Johnston County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +39 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Johnston 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% |
| South River Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 45,730 | 13.30¢ | 17% |
| City of Wilson - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 32,078 | 12.13¢ | 28% |
| Tri-County Elec Member Corp (NC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,523 | 12.76¢ | 22% |
| Town of Benson - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Clayton - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Selma - (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 31
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 110 MW | 99% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bizzell Church Solar 1, LLC | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Langdon Solar Farm, LLC | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Keen Farm | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Wendell Solar Farm LLC | Sol Systems | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
| Wellons Farm | Wellons Farm, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Truman (NC) | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Leaf Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 73 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | Capital Power Corporation |
The Johnston County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 65,551 | $56,109 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 864 | $65,134 | 1.83 |
| Data processing and hosting | 51 | $134,747 | 0.25 |
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 Johnston County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Johnston County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Harnett County, Nash County.
Johnston County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Johnston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston County | 256,448 | ▲ 29.2% | 112 MW | 73 MW | — | — |
| Franklin County | 82,037 | ▲ 19.6% | 136 MW | — | — | — |
| Harnett County | 150,137 | ▲ 15.1% | 57 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Nash County | 99,365 | ▼ 0.8% | 379 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Sampson County | 61,504 | ▼ 5.1% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
| Wake County | 1,257,235 | ▲ 15.7% | 1,108 MW | 56 MW | 12 | — |
| Wayne County | 122,278 | ▼ 1.4% | 2,181 MW | 80 MW | — | — |
| Wilson County | 81,150 | ▼ 3.4% | 131 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Johnston County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Johnston County, North Carolina?
9 utilities have service territory in Johnston County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Wake Electric Membership Corp, South River Elec Member Corp, City of Wilson - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Clayton, NC in?
Clayton is in Johnston County, North Carolina. About 32,633 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Smithfield, NC in?
Smithfield is in Johnston County, North Carolina. About 13,114 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Johnston County?
31 operating plants with 112 MW of capacity. The largest is Bizzell Church Solar 1, LLC (5 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Johnston County?
73 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Capital Power Corporation.
Are there data centers in Johnston County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Johnston County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Wake County.
Is Johnston County adding jobs?
Employers counted 65,551 jobs in 2025 against 50,751 in 2019 (+29.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Johnston County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Johnston County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.