Pitt County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Greenville, Winterville and Ayden
No data center or power plant project is on record in Pitt County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Pitt County is home to Greenville, Winterville, Ayden and Farmville. Electrical contractors employ 745, up 22.7% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $65,281 a year. 7 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 81,398 jobs in 2025, up 4.9% from 2019. Its power plants have 48 MW of capacity, 77% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Pitt County
Pitt County is home to Greenville, Winterville, Ayden and Farmville.
- Grifton also extends into Lenoir County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bell Arthur, Belvoir, Stokes.
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 Pitt County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 173,642 | 182,936 | ▲ 5.4% | 16th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 77,591 | 81,398 | ▲ 4.9% | 37th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,499 | $62,996 | ▲ 35.5% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 607 | 745 | ▲ 22.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 4.3% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 7 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Pitt County, one of 11 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 182,936 people live here, up 5.4% since 2020. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019.
Who powers Pitt County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +7 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Pitt 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% |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 108,656 | 13.93¢ | 24% |
| Greenville Utilities Comm | Municipal | Bundled | 65,731 | 11.97¢ | 34% |
| City of Wilson - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 32,078 | 12.13¢ | 28% |
| City of Washington - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 11,547 | 13.01¢ | 40% |
| Edgecombe-Martin County E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,716 | 16.06¢ | 21% |
| Town of Ayden - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Farmville - (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 10
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 37 MW | 77% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 11% |
| Natural gas | 4 MW | 8% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM Pharmaceuticals | Patheon Manufacturing Service LLC | Petroleum | 9 MW | 1987 |
| Beaker | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
| Bethel Price Solar, LLC | Deriva Energy | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Bethel Solar | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Flemming Solar Center LLC | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Littlefield Solar Center LLC | SRE Utility Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
The Pitt County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 81,398 | $62,996 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 745 | $65,281 | 1.27 |
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 Pitt County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pitt County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Beaufort County, Edgecombe County.
Pitt County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Pitt County, Edgecombe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitt County | 182,936 | ▲ 4.9% | 48 MW | — | — | — |
| Beaufort County | 44,670 | ▲ 4.9% | 196 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Craven County | 105,025 | ▲ 1.8% | 137 MW | — | — | — |
| Edgecombe County | 49,121 | ▼ 6.5% | 284 MW | 75 MW | — | 1 |
| Greene County | 20,700 | ▲ 4.5% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Lenoir County | 55,837 | ▲ 3.5% | 165 MW | — | — | — |
| Martin County | 21,601 | ▼ 4.5% | 216 MW | — | — | — |
| Wilson County | 81,150 | ▼ 3.4% | 131 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Pitt County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pitt County, North Carolina?
11 utilities have service territory in Pitt County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Virginia Electric & Power Co, Greenville Utilities Comm, City of Wilson - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Greenville, NC in?
Greenville is in Pitt County, North Carolina. About 96,443 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Winterville, NC in?
Winterville is in Pitt County, North Carolina. About 10,973 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Pitt County?
10 operating plants with 48 MW of capacity. The largest is DSM Pharmaceuticals (9 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Pitt County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pitt County.
Is Pitt County adding jobs?
Employers counted 81,398 jobs in 2025 against 77,591 in 2019 (+4.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Pitt County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pitt County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.