# Swain County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Bryson City Swain County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Employers here counted 6,871 jobs in 2025, down 32.9% from 2019. Swain County is home to Bryson City. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “12-month data center moratorium”. Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. Construction employs 191, up 1.6% since 2019. -32.9% total jobs since 2019, now 6,871 255 MW of operating power plants, mostly hydro 13.94¢ per kWh for Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC residential customers, 2024 ## Cities and towns in Swain County Swain County is home to Bryson City. Bryson City1,525 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cherokee. 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 Swain County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 14,107 | 14,024 | ▼ 0.6% | 89th of 100 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,239 | 6,871 | ▼ 32.9% | 100th of 100 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,717 | $50,665 | ▲ 34.3% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 188 | 191 | ▲ 1.6% | 50th of 60 by growth | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 3.0% | ▼ 1.5pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Its power plants have 255 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Electrical contractors employ 14, at an average $33,092 a year. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Swain County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. 14,024 people live here, down 0.6% since 2020. ## Who powers Swain County ### Utilities with service territory in Swain 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% | 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 | |---|---|---| | Hydro | 255 MW | 100% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Fontana Dam | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 255 MW | 1945 | ## The Swain County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 6,871 | $50,665 | 1.00 | | Construction | 191 | $56,368 | 0.52 | | Electrical contractors | 14 | $33,092 | 0.28 | 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 Swain County ### Local measures | Measure | Status | Date | |---|---|---| | 12-month data center moratorium | In force | 2026-04 | ## Swain County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Swain County, Jackson 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Swain County | 14,024 | ▼ 32.9% | 255 MW | — | — | 1 | | Blount County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/blount-county) TN | 143,820 | ▲ 11.3% | 217 MW | — | — | — | | Graham County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/graham-county) | 8,190 | ▼ 8.3% | 185 MW | — | — | — | | Haywood County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/haywood-county) | 63,369 | ▼ 2.1% | 110 MW | — | — | — | | Jackson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/jackson-county) | 45,039 | ▲ 36.6% | 51 MW | — | 1 | 1 | | Macon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/macon-county) | 39,232 | ▲ 10.7% | 46 MW | — | — | — | | Sevier County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/sevier-county) TN | 101,342 | ▲ 8.3% | 151 MW | — | — | — | ## More of North Carolina [All North Carolina countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina)[Haywood County63,369 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/haywood-county)[Jackson County45,039 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/jackson-county)[Macon County39,232 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/macon-county)[Graham County8,190 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/graham-county) ## Swain County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Swain County, North Carolina? 1 utility has service territory in Swain County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Swain County? 1 operating plant with 255 MW of capacity. The largest is Fontana Dam (255 MW, hydro). ### Are there data centers in Swain County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Swain County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jackson County. ### Is Swain County adding jobs? Employers counted 6,871 jobs in 2025 against 10,239 in 2019 (-32.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 188 to 191. ### Does Swain County have a data center moratorium? The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Swain County, 1 in force. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-carolina/swain-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/).