Macon County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Franklin and Highlands
Macon County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Macon County is home to Franklin and Highlands. Construction employs 1,109, up 26.5% since 2019, and construction is 1.7 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Cherokee County has 1 data center. Employers here counted 12,592 jobs in 2025, up 10.7% from 2019. Its power plants have 46 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro.
Cities and towns in Macon County
Macon County is home to Franklin and Highlands.
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 Macon County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 37,085 | 39,232 | ▲ 5.8% | 64th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,373 | 12,592 | ▲ 10.7% | 19th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,495 | $48,238 | ▲ 35.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 877 | 1,109 | ▲ 26.5% | 22nd of 60 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Macon County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 39,232 people live here, up 5.8% since 2020.
Who powers Macon County
Utilities with service territory in Macon 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% |
| 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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 46 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nantahala | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 43 MW | 1942 |
| Queens Creek | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 1 MW | 1949 |
| Franklin (NC) | Northbrook Carolina Hydro II, LLC | Hydro | 1 MW | 1925 |
The Macon County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,592 | $48,238 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,109 | $53,064 | 1.66 |
| Data processing and hosting | 24 | $85,324 | 0.61 |
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 Macon County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Macon County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Clay County, Jackson County, Swain County.
Macon County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Macon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County | 39,232 | ▲ 10.7% | 46 MW | — | — | — |
| Cherokee County | 30,830 | ▼ 1.8% | 168 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Clay County | 12,239 | ▲ 9.2% | 15 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Graham County | 8,190 | ▼ 8.3% | 185 MW | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 45,039 | ▲ 36.6% | 51 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Oconee County SC | 83,775 | ▲ 6.7% | 4,360 MW | — | — | — |
| Rabun County GA | 17,764 | ▲ 6.7% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Swain County | 14,024 | ▼ 32.9% | 255 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of North Carolina
Macon County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Macon County, North Carolina?
3 utilities have service territory in Macon County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, 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 Macon County?
3 operating plants with 46 MW of capacity. The largest is Nantahala (43 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Macon County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Macon County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cherokee County.
Is Macon County adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,592 jobs in 2025 against 11,373 in 2019 (+10.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 877 to 1,109.
Does Macon County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Macon County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.