Lenoir County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Kinston and La Grange
No data center or power plant project is on record in Lenoir County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Lenoir County is home to Kinston and La Grange. Next door, Jones County has 224 MW of planned generation. Electrical contractors employ 551, up 17.7% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $86,264 a year. Its power plants have 165 MW of capacity, 94% of it solar. Employers here counted 29,635 jobs in 2025, up 3.5% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Lenoir County
Lenoir County is home to Kinston and La Grange.
- Grifton also extends into Pitt County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Deep Run, Graingers, Jackson Heights.
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 Lenoir County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 55,062 | 55,837 | ▲ 1.4% | 49th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 28,630 | 29,635 | ▲ 3.5% | 48th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,365 | $52,662 | ▲ 33.8% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 468 | 551 | ▲ 17.7% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 260 | 262 | ▲ 0.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Lenoir County, one of 6 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 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. 55,837 people live here, up 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Lenoir County
Utilities with service territory in Lenoir 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% |
| Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 79,690 | 13.09¢ | 19% |
| Tri-County Elec Member Corp (NC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,523 | 12.76¢ | 22% |
| City of Kinston - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 10,042 | 13.07¢ | 30% |
| Town of La Grange - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pitt & Greene Elec Member Corp | — | — | — | — | — |
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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 156 MW | 94% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 6% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckleberry Solar | John Laing US Solar Corp. | Solar | 52 MW | 2018 |
| Innovative Solar 54 | John Laing US Solar Corp. | Solar | 50 MW | 2018 |
| Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp (Kinston) | Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp (Kinston) | Petroleum | 9 MW | 2013 |
| Albemarle Solar Center LLC | SRE Utility Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Crockett Farm | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Highland Solar Center LLC | SRE Utility Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
The Lenoir County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 29,635 | $52,662 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 551 | $86,264 | 2.58 |
| Power and communication line construction | 262 | $84,888 | 5.47 |
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 Lenoir County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lenoir County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide.
Lenoir County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Lenoir County, Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir County | 55,837 | ▲ 3.5% | 165 MW | — | — | — |
| Craven County | 105,025 | ▲ 1.8% | 137 MW | — | — | — |
| Duplin County | 51,571 | ▲ 3.9% | 195 MW | 123 MW | — | — |
| Greene County | 20,700 | ▲ 4.5% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Jones County | 9,575 | ▼ 2.0% | 120 MW | 224 MW | — | — |
| Pitt County | 182,936 | ▲ 4.9% | 48 MW | — | — | — |
| Wayne County | 122,278 | ▼ 1.4% | 2,181 MW | 80 MW | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Lenoir County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lenoir County, North Carolina?
6 utilities have service territory in Lenoir County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp, Tri-County Elec Member Corp (NC), City of Kinston - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Kinston, NC in?
Kinston is in Lenoir County, North Carolina. About 19,705 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lenoir County?
15 operating plants with 165 MW of capacity. The largest is Buckleberry Solar (52 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Lenoir County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lenoir County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jones County.
Is Lenoir County adding jobs?
Employers counted 29,635 jobs in 2025 against 28,630 in 2019 (+3.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Lenoir County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lenoir County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.