Pender County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Surf City and Burgaw
Pender 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. Pender County is home to most of Surf City (4,712 of its 5,142 residents), Burgaw and Topsail Beach. Employers here counted 16,071 jobs in 2025, up 25.7% from 2019 (the 5th fastest growth of 100 North Carolina counties). Construction employs 1,380, up 28.1% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 72,111 people live here, up 19.0% since 2020. 90 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Pender County
Pender County is home to most of Surf City (4,712 of its 5,142 residents), Burgaw and Topsail Beach.
- Surf City also extends into Onslow County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Hampstead, Long Creek, Rocky Point.
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 Pender County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 60,614 | 72,111 | ▲ 19.0% | 39th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,782 | 16,071 | ▲ 25.7% | 5th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,641 | $50,002 | ▲ 36.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,077 | 1,380 | ▲ 28.1% | 21st of 60 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 90 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Its power plants have 137 MW of capacity, 96% of it solar. Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Pender County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities.
Who powers Pender County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +90 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Pender 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% |
| Four County Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,807 | 13.98¢ | 24% |
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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 132 MW | 96% |
| Battery storage | 5 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crooked Run | Cubico USA, LLC | Solar | 70 MW | 2019 |
| Innovative Solar 67 | John Laing US Solar Corp. | Solar | 33 MW | 2018 |
| Bearford Farm Solar Project | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2017 |
| Burgaw Solar, LLC | CI-II Mitchell Holding LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
| Rocky Point BESS | North Carolina El Member Corp | Battery storage | 5 MW | 2024 |
| Willard Solar | USF Essex Lessor, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2020 |
The Pender County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 16,071 | $50,002 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,380 | $61,304 | 1.62 |
| Power and communication line construction | 58 | $91,953 | 2.23 |
| Data processing and hosting | 13 | $120,941 | 0.26 |
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 Pender County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pender County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Columbus County.
Pender County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Pender 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pender County | 72,111 | ▲ 25.7% | 137 MW | — | — | — |
| Bladen County | 30,007 | ▼ 5.3% | 372 MW | 80 MW | — | — |
| Brunswick County | 174,702 | ▲ 30.6% | 2,071 MW | — | — | — |
| Columbus County | 50,487 | ▼ 6.4% | 166 MW | 25 MW | — | 1 |
| Duplin County | 51,571 | ▲ 3.9% | 195 MW | 123 MW | — | — |
| New Hanover County | 245,959 | ▲ 11.8% | 854 MW | — | — | — |
| Onslow County | 217,175 | ▲ 9.8% | 46 MW | — | — | — |
| Sampson County | 61,504 | ▼ 5.1% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Pender County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pender County, North Carolina?
3 utilities have service territory in Pender County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp, Four County Elec Member Corp. The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Pender County?
9 operating plants with 137 MW of capacity. The largest is Crooked Run (70 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Pender County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pender County.
Is Pender County adding jobs?
Employers counted 16,071 jobs in 2025 against 12,782 in 2019 (+25.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,077 to 1,380.
Does Pender County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pender County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.