Rowan County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Salisbury, Kannapolis and China Grove
Rowan County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Rowan County is home to Salisbury, part of Kannapolis (11,556 of its 61,708 residents), China Grove and Landis. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “One-year data center moratorium”. Construction employs 3,211, up 14.1% since 2019. Its power plants have 1,943 MW of capacity, 97% of it natural gas, the 10th largest fleet in North Carolina. Electrical contractors employ 387, up 10.3% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $62,243 a year.
Cities and towns in Rowan County
Rowan County is home to Salisbury, part of Kannapolis (11,556 of its 61,708 residents), China Grove and Landis.
- Kannapolis also extends into Cabarrus County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Enochville, Gold Hill.
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 Rowan County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 146,893 | 155,096 | ▲ 5.6% | 20th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 48,767 | 51,121 | ▲ 4.8% | 40th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,395 | $60,925 | ▲ 34.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,813 | 3,211 | ▲ 14.1% | 35th of 60 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 351 | 387 | ▲ 10.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.6% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 10 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
10 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 51,121 jobs in 2025, up 4.8% from 2019. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Rowan County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. 155,096 people live here, up 5.6% since 2020.
Who powers Rowan County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +10 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Rowan 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% |
| EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 121,995 | 11.54¢ | 23% |
| Union Electric Membership Corp - (NC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 84,602 | 13.37¢ | 12% |
| Town of Landis - (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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,890 MW | 97% |
| Solar | 51 MW | 3% |
| Petroleum | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan | Southern Power Co | Natural gas | 1,192 MW | 2001 |
| Buck | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Natural gas | 698 MW | 2011 |
| Woodleaf Solar Facility | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Solar | 6 MW | 2018 |
| Meadowbrook Solar Farm | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2016 |
| Organ Church Solar | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
| Saw Solar | SunStrong Management | Solar | 5 MW | 2022 |
The Rowan County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 51,121 | $60,925 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,211 | $72,526 | 1.19 |
| Electrical contractors | 387 | $62,243 | 1.05 |
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 Rowan County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-year data center moratorium | In force | 2026-04 |
Rowan County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Rowan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan County | 155,096 | ▲ 4.8% | 1,943 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Cabarrus County | 249,725 | ▲ 19.1% | 128 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Davidson County | 180,182 | ▲ 4.9% | 54 MW | 135 MW | — | 1 |
| Davie County | 45,855 | ▲ 13.4% | 53 MW | 60 MW | — | 1 |
| Iredell County | 211,798 | ▲ 7.1% | 43 MW | 10 MW | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 26,403 | ▼ 5.4% | 261 MW | — | — | — |
| Stanly County | 68,830 | ▲ 22.6% | 282 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Rowan County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rowan County, North Carolina?
4 utilities have service territory in Rowan County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, Union Electric Membership Corp - (NC), Town of Landis - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Salisbury, NC in?
Salisbury is in Rowan County, North Carolina. About 36,879 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
Is Kannapolis in Rowan County?
Partly. 11,556 of Kannapolis's 61,708 residents (19%) live in Rowan County; most of the city is in Cabarrus County.
What power plants are in Rowan County?
15 operating plants with 1,943 MW of capacity. The largest is Rowan (1,192 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Rowan County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rowan County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cabarrus County.
Is Rowan County adding jobs?
Employers counted 51,121 jobs in 2025 against 48,767 in 2019 (+4.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,813 to 3,211.
Does Rowan County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Rowan County, 1 in force.