Wayne County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Goldsboro, Mount Olive and Fremont
Wayne County hosts some of the generating capacity North Carolina runs on. Wayne County is home to Goldsboro, Mount Olive, Fremont and Walnut Creek. Construction employs 2,517, up 31.2% since 2019. 80 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Cypress Creek Renewables (solar), the 9th largest pipeline among North Carolina's counties. Its power plants have 2,181 MW of capacity, 94% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in North Carolina. 3 MW has retired here since 2019, including Terreva Wayne County RNG, LLC (other technologies, 3 MW, 2024).
Cities and towns in Wayne County
Wayne County is home to Goldsboro, Mount Olive, Fremont and Walnut Creek.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Brogden, Dudley, Elroy, Mar-Mac, New Hope.
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 Wayne County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 117,758 | 122,278 | ▲ 3.8% | 25th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 41,641 | 41,053 | ▼ 1.4% | 69th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,910 | $50,216 | ▲ 29.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,918 | 2,517 | ▲ 31.2% | 17th of 60 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 48 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 3 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 80 MW | 4% of today's fleet | 9th of 30 by size |
48 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Duke Energy Progress - (NC) is the largest utility serving Wayne County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities. Employers here counted 41,053 jobs in 2025, down 1.4% from 2019. 122,278 people live here, up 3.8% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019.
Who powers Wayne County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +45 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Wayne 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% |
| City of Wilson - (NC) | Municipal | Bundled | 32,078 | 12.13¢ | 28% |
| Tri-County Elec Member Corp (NC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,523 | 12.76¢ | 22% |
| Town of Fremont - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pitt & Greene Elec Member Corp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Pikeville - (NC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Stantonsburg - (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 34
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,048 MW | 94% |
| Solar | 131 MW | 6% |
| Battery storage | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Combined Cycle Plant | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural gas | 1,068 MW | 2012 |
| Wayne County Energy Complex | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural gas | 980 MW | 2000 |
| AM Best Farm | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2013 |
| Moorings Farm | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2013 |
| Wayne Solar III LLC | Wayne Solar III, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Wayne Solar II LLC | Wayne Solar II, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens Mill Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 80 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Cypress Creek Renewables |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terreva Wayne County RNG, LLC | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2024 |
The Wayne County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 41,053 | $50,216 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,517 | $74,707 | 1.16 |
| Electric utilities | 152 | $128,995 | 1.37 |
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 Wayne County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wayne County. North Carolina has 62 local measures on record statewide.
Wayne County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Wayne County, Duplin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 122,278 | ▼ 1.4% | 2,181 MW | 80 MW | — | — |
| Duplin County | 51,571 | ▲ 3.9% | 195 MW | 123 MW | — | — |
| Greene County | 20,700 | ▲ 4.5% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Johnston County | 256,448 | ▲ 29.2% | 112 MW | 73 MW | — | — |
| Lenoir County | 55,837 | ▲ 3.5% | 165 MW | — | — | — |
| Sampson County | 61,504 | ▼ 5.1% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
| Wilson County | 81,150 | ▼ 3.4% | 131 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
More of North Carolina
Wayne County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wayne County, North Carolina?
7 utilities have service territory in Wayne County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Progress - (NC), City of Wilson - (NC), Tri-County Elec Member Corp (NC), Town of Fremont - (NC). The largest, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), charged residential customers 15.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Goldsboro, NC in?
Goldsboro is in Wayne County, North Carolina. About 35,012 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Wayne County?
34 operating plants with 2,181 MW of capacity. The largest is Lee Combined Cycle Plant (1,068 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Wayne County?
80 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Cypress Creek Renewables.
Are there data centers in Wayne County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wayne County.
Is Wayne County adding jobs?
Employers counted 41,053 jobs in 2025 against 41,641 in 2019 (-1.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,918 to 2,517.
Does Wayne County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wayne County. North Carolina has 62 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.