Person County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Roxboro
Person County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Person County. Person County is home to Roxboro. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Person County Microsoft data center. Its power plants have 3,344 MW of capacity, 99% of it coal, the largest fleet in North Carolina. 80 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Cypress Creek Renewables (solar), the 8th largest pipeline among North Carolina's counties.
Cities and towns in Person County
Person County is home to Roxboro.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Rougemont.
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 Person County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 39,184 | 40,636 | ▲ 3.7% | 63rd of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,724 | 9,063 | ▼ 6.8% | 92nd of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,630 | $51,186 | ▲ 23.0% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 354 | 229 | ▼ 35.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 68 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 80 MW | 2% of today's fleet | 8th of 30 by size |
Owners plan to retire 763 MW more by 2035, led by Mayo in 2031. 68 MW has retired here since 2019, including CPI USA NC Roxboro (other technologies, 68 MW, 2021). Employers here counted 9,063 jobs in 2025, down 6.8% from 2019. 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Person County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 40,636 people live here, up 3.7% since 2020.
Who powers Person County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −62 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Person 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% |
| Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,356,079 | 15.54¢ | 36% |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 108,656 | 13.93¢ | 24% |
| Piedmont Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,334 | 15.60¢ | 14% |
| Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 135 | 14.40¢ | 0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 3,321 MW | 99% |
| Solar | 22 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roxboro | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Coal | 2,558 MW | 1966 |
| Mayo | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Coal | 763 MW | 1983 |
| ESA Boston Solar, LLC | Sol Systems | Solar | 5 MW | 2020 |
| Roxboro Farm | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Wagstaff Farm 1 | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2013 |
| PCSP3 Airport | Carolina Solar Energy LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2011 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyco Solar LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 80 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Cypress Creek Renewables |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPI USA NC Roxboro | Other technologies | 68 MW | 2021 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo | Coal | 763 MW | 2031 |
The Person County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,063 | $51,186 | 1.00 |
| Electric utilities | 229 | $140,946 | 9.33 |
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 Person County
1 data center in Person County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person County Microsoft data center | delayed | — |
Person County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Person County, Halifax 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person County | 40,636 | ▼ 6.8% | 3,344 MW | 80 MW | 1 | — |
| Caswell County | 22,563 | ▲ 0.2% | 18 MW | — | — | — |
| Durham County | 347,240 | ▲ 10.5% | 19 MW | — | 9 | 1 |
| Granville County | 61,421 | ▲ 0.5% | 43 MW | — | — | — |
| Halifax County VA | 33,447 | ▼ 2.8% | 1,426 MW | 107 MW | 2 | — |
| Orange County | 152,498 | ▲ 8.4% | 50 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of North Carolina
Person County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Person County, North Carolina?
5 utilities have service territory in Person County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Virginia Electric & Power Co, Piedmont Electric Member Corp. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Person County?
9 operating plants with 3,344 MW of capacity. The largest is Roxboro (2,558 MW, coal).
How much new power is planned in Person County?
80 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Cypress Creek Renewables.
Are there data centers in Person County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Person County.
Is Person County adding jobs?
Employers counted 9,063 jobs in 2025 against 9,724 in 2019 (-6.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Person County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Person County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.