Calhoun County, South Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to St. Matthews
Calhoun County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Calhoun County is home to St. Matthews. Construction employs 470, down 26.0% since 2019, and construction is 1.9 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Richland County has 3 data centers. 204 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 907 MW of capacity, 74% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Calhoun County
Calhoun County is home to St. Matthews.
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 Calhoun County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 14,111 | 14,188 | ▲ 0.5% | 43rd of 46 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,658 | 4,571 | ▼ 1.9% | 29th of 46 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,019 | $64,061 | ▲ 39.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 635 | 470 | ▼ 26.0% | 23rd of 25 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 4.4% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 204 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. Employers here counted 4,571 jobs in 2025, down 1.9% from 2019. Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc is the largest utility serving Calhoun County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.59¢/kWh in 2024. 14,188 people live here, up 0.5% since 2020.
Who powers Calhoun County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +204 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Calhoun County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 696,385 | 14.59¢ | 36% |
| Aiken Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 49,460 | 15.53¢ | 14% |
| Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,672 | 18.51¢ | 13% |
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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 668 MW | 74% |
| Solar | 172 MW | 19% |
| Battery storage | 66 MW | 7% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Energy Center (SC) | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | Natural gas | 668 MW | 2004 |
| Lone Star Solar | Lone Star Solar | Solar | 132 MW | 2024 |
| Midlands | Cubico USA, LLC | Solar | 72 MW | 2020 |
| Cameron Solar | Cameron Solar, LLC | Solar | 20 MW | 2017 |
| St. Matthews Solar | SunStrong Management | Solar | 10 MW | 2017 |
| Cameron Solar II | SunStrong Management | Solar | 4 MW | 2017 |
The Calhoun County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,571 | $64,061 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 470 | $65,162 | 1.94 |
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 Calhoun County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Calhoun County. South Carolina has 22 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Clarendon County, Orangeburg County.
Calhoun County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Calhoun County, Richland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County | 14,188 | ▼ 1.9% | 907 MW | — | — | — |
| Clarendon County | 31,043 | ▼ 3.6% | 8 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Lexington County | 317,588 | ▲ 9.9% | 708 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Orangeburg County | 83,177 | ▼ 6.0% | 716 MW | 174 MW | — | 1 |
| Richland County | 434,956 | ▲ 2.7% | 992 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Sumter County | 105,067 | ▼ 5.1% | — | — | — | — |
More of South Carolina
Calhoun County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Calhoun County, South Carolina?
3 utilities have service territory in Calhoun County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc, Aiken Electric Coop Inc, Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC). The largest, Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc, charged residential customers 14.59¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Calhoun County?
6 operating plants with 907 MW of capacity. The largest is Columbia Energy Center (SC) (668 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Calhoun County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Calhoun County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Richland County.
Is Calhoun County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,571 jobs in 2025 against 4,658 in 2019 (-1.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 635 to 470.
Does Calhoun County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Calhoun County. South Carolina has 22 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.