# Rutherford County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Forest City, Spindale and Rutherfordton

Rutherford County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Rutherford County, 4% of North Carolina's total. Rutherford County is home to Forest City, Spindale, Rutherfordton and Lake Lure. 60 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Ecoplexus, Inc (solar). 29 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 127 MW of capacity, 96% of it solar.

3
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 4% of North Carolina's

60 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

-25.9%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 406

## Cities and towns in Rutherford County

Rutherford County is home to Forest City, Spindale, Rutherfordton and Lake Lure.

Forest City7,410 residents
Spindale4,180 residents
Rutherfordton3,723 residents
Lake Lure1,391 residents
Ellenboro738 residents
Bostic359 residents
Ruth345 residents
Chimney Rock Village126 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Caroleen, Cliffside, Henrietta.

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 Rutherford County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 64,370 | 65,745 | ▲ 2.1% | 44th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,741 | 18,151 | ▼ 3.1% | 76th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,633 | $49,049 | ▲ 33.9% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 548 | 406 | ▼ 25.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.3% | 4.1% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 29 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 60 MW | 47% of today's fleet | 13th of 30 by size |

Employers here counted 18,151 jobs in 2025, down 3.1% from 2019. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Rutherford 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. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 4.3% in 2019. 65,745 people live here, up 2.1% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 406, down 25.9% since 2019 against up 19.7% statewide, at an average $81,485 a year.

## Who powers Rutherford County

### Utilities with service territory in Rutherford 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% |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 70,743 | 13.13¢ | 14% |
| Broad River Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 482 | 15.62¢ | 2% |
| Town of Bostic - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Forest City | — | — | — | — | — |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 122 MW | 96% |
| Hydro | 4 MW | 3% |
| Petroleum | 1 MW | 1% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford Farm | Southern Power Co | Solar | 75 MW | 2016 |
| Ruff Solar LLC | Sol Systems | Solar | 22 MW | 2020 |
| Charlotte Solar | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2015 |
| Lincoln Solar, LLC (NC) | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 5 MW | 2016 |
| Clear Solar I, LLC | Clear Solar I, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2020 |
| Lake Lure | Town of Lake Lure - (NC) | Hydro | 4 MW | 1927 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminister NC | Solar Photovoltaic | 60 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Ecoplexus, Inc |

## The Rutherford County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 18,151 | $49,049 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 406 | $81,485 | 3.10 |

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 Rutherford County

3 data centers in Rutherford County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Rutherford County and its neighbors

Of the 8 counties that border Rutherford County, Cleveland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County | 65,745 | ▼ 3.1% | 127 MW | 60 MW | 3 | — |
| Buncombe County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/buncombe-county) | 277,417 | ▼ 0.2% | 1,033 MW | 57 MW | 3 | — |
| Burke County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/burke-county) | 88,655 | ● 0.0% | 48 MW | 3 MW | — | — |
| Cherokee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-carolina/cherokee-county) SC | 58,275 | ▼ 13.7% | 1,928 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Cleveland County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/cleveland-county) | 103,325 | ▲ 0.9% | 2,982 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Henderson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/henderson-county) | 122,375 | ▲ 10.0% | 12 MW | — | — | 1 |
| McDowell County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/mcdowell-county) | 45,198 | ▼ 3.2% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Polk County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/polk-county) | 20,533 | ▲ 11.4% | 5 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Spartanburg County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-carolina/spartanburg-county) SC | 380,857 | ▲ 6.7% | 63 MW | — | 3 | 3 |

## More of North Carolina

[All North Carolina countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina)[Buncombe County277,417 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/buncombe-county)[Henderson County122,375 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/henderson-county)[Cleveland County103,325 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/cleveland-county)[Burke County88,655 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/burke-county)[McDowell County45,198 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/mcdowell-county)

## Rutherford County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Rutherford County, North Carolina?

6 utilities have service territory in Rutherford County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Rutherford Elec Member Corp, Broad River Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Rutherford County?

12 operating plants with 127 MW of capacity. The largest is Rutherford Farm (75 MW, solar).

### How much new power is planned in Rutherford County?

60 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Ecoplexus, Inc.

### Are there data centers in Rutherford County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Rutherford County.

### Is Rutherford County adding jobs?

Employers counted 18,151 jobs in 2025 against 18,741 in 2019 (-3.1%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Rutherford County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Rutherford County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/rutherford-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).