Randolph County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Asheboro, Archdale and Trinity
Randolph County supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Electrical contractors employ 617, up 198.1% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $103,661 a year. Construction employs 3,237, up 47.3% since 2019, and construction is 1.3 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Randolph County is home to Asheboro, most of Archdale (11,865 of its 12,254 residents), Trinity and Randleman. Next door, Guilford County has 1 data center. 42 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Randolph County
Randolph County is home to Asheboro, most of Archdale (11,865 of its 12,254 residents), Trinity and Randleman.
- Archdale also extends into Guilford County.
- Thomasville also extends into Davidson County.
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 Randolph County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 144,401 | 149,516 | ▲ 3.5% | 23rd of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 45,194 | 45,446 | ▲ 0.6% | 55th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,639 | $53,246 | ▲ 41.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,198 | 3,237 | ▲ 47.3% | 6th of 60 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 207 | 617 | ▲ 198.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 49 | 190 | ▲ 287.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 3.5% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 42 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 71 MW of capacity, 84% of it solar. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Randolph County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. Employers here counted 45,446 jobs in 2025, up 0.6% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 149,516 people live here, up 3.5% since 2020.
Who powers Randolph County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +42 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Randolph 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% |
| EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 121,995 | 11.54¢ | 23% |
| Town of High Point | Municipal | Bundled | 38,079 | 11.63¢ | 52% |
| Randolph Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 31,086 | 15.91¢ | 23% |
| Central Electric Membership Corp. - (NC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,071 | 14.34¢ | 12% |
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 18
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 59 MW | 84% |
| Battery storage | 11 MW | 16% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABD Farms | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2017 |
| Little River PV 1 | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Tanager Holdings | RWE Clean Energy | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
| Strider Solar, LLC | Cardinal Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2018 |
| Millikan Farm | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Trinity Solar | Trinity Solar, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
The Randolph County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 45,446 | $53,246 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,237 | $74,750 | 1.34 |
| Electrical contractors | 617 | $103,661 | 1.88 |
| Power and communication line construction | 190 | $70,127 | 2.59 |
| Electric utilities | 128 | $112,130 | 1.04 |
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 Randolph County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Randolph County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide, and 4 neighboring counties have one: Alamance County, Chatham County, Davidson County, Guilford County.
Randolph County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Randolph County, Davidson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County | 149,516 | ▲ 0.6% | 71 MW | — | — | — |
| Alamance County | 186,177 | ▲ 6.2% | 33 MW | 35 MW | 1 | 1 |
| Chatham County | 85,111 | ▲ 31.9% | 42 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Davidson County | 180,182 | ▲ 4.9% | 54 MW | 135 MW | — | 1 |
| Guilford County | 562,234 | ▲ 2.3% | 44 MW | 40 MW | 1 | 1 |
| Montgomery County | 26,403 | ▼ 5.4% | 261 MW | — | — | — |
| Moore County | 110,619 | ▲ 15.6% | 49 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Randolph County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Randolph County, North Carolina?
6 utilities have service territory in Randolph County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, Town of High Point. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Asheboro, NC in?
Asheboro is in Randolph County, North Carolina. About 27,990 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Archdale, NC in?
Most of Archdale is in Randolph County: 11,865 of its 12,254 residents, or 97%. The rest of the city lies in Guilford County.
What power plants are in Randolph County?
18 operating plants with 71 MW of capacity. The largest is ABD Farms (5 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Randolph County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Randolph County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Guilford County.
Is Randolph County adding jobs?
Employers counted 45,446 jobs in 2025 against 45,194 in 2019 (+0.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,198 to 3,237.
Does Randolph County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Randolph County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.