New Hanover County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Wilmington, Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach
New Hanover County hosts some of the generating capacity North Carolina runs on. New Hanover County is home to Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach. Construction employs 9,488, up 17.0% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Electrical contractors employ 963, up 24.4% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $66,205 a year. Employers here counted 131,696 jobs in 2025, up 11.8% from 2019. Its power plants have 854 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in New Hanover County
New Hanover County is home to Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bayshore, Blue Clay Farms, Castle Hayne, Hightsville, Kings Grant, Murraysville, Myrtle Grove, Northchase, Ogden, Porters Neck, Sea Breeze, Silver Lake, Skippers Corner, Wrightsboro.
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 New Hanover County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 226,449 | 245,959 | ▲ 8.6% | 12th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 117,834 | 131,696 | ▲ 11.8% | 17th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,669 | $65,281 | ▲ 39.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,106 | 9,488 | ▲ 17.0% | 30th of 60 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 774 | 963 | ▲ 24.4% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 225 | 205 | ▼ 8.9% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 41 | 186 | ▲ 353.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
245,959 people live here, up 8.6% since 2020. Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving New Hanover County. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019.
Who powers New Hanover County
Utilities with service territory in New Hanover 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% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 851 MW | 100% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L V Sutton Combined Cycle | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural gas | 851 MW | 2013 |
| South Atlantic Services Solar Farm I | South Atlantic Services Inc | Solar | 2 MW | 2013 |
| SunEdison LV Sutton Plant Site | SunE NC Progress 1 LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2008 |
The New Hanover County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 131,696 | $65,281 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 9,488 | $73,637 | 1.36 |
| Electrical contractors | 963 | $66,205 | 1.01 |
| Electric utilities | 205 | $144,036 | 0.58 |
| Data processing and hosting | 186 | $146,111 | 0.45 |
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 New Hanover County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in New Hanover County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide.
New Hanover County and its neighbors
Of the 2 counties that border New Hanover County, Brunswick 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover County | 245,959 | ▲ 11.8% | 854 MW | — | — | — |
| Brunswick County | 174,702 | ▲ 30.6% | 2,071 MW | — | — | — |
| Pender County | 72,111 | ▲ 25.7% | 137 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
New Hanover County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in New Hanover County, North Carolina?
1 utility has service territory in New Hanover County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Wilmington, NC in?
Wilmington is in New Hanover County, North Carolina. About 126,809 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in New Hanover County?
3 operating plants with 854 MW of capacity. The largest is L V Sutton Combined Cycle (851 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in New Hanover County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in New Hanover County.
Is New Hanover County adding jobs?
Employers counted 131,696 jobs in 2025 against 117,834 in 2019 (+11.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 8,106 to 9,488.
Does New Hanover County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for New Hanover County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.