Oconee County, South Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster
Oconee County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Oconee County is home to Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster. Its power plants have 4,360 MW of capacity, 61% of it nuclear, the largest fleet in South Carolina. Construction employs 1,596, up 27.3% since 2019. Next door, Anderson County has 1 data center. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Oconee County
Oconee County is home to Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Chickasaw Point, Fair Play, Keowee Key, Longcreek, Newry, South Union, Tamassee, Utica.
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 Oconee County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 78,794 | 83,775 | ▲ 6.3% | 17th of 46 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24,304 | 25,929 | ▲ 6.7% | 16th of 46 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,461 | $60,154 | ▲ 26.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,254 | 1,596 | ▲ 27.3% | 6th of 25 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 4.2% | ▲ 1.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 25,929 jobs in 2025, up 6.7% from 2019. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Oconee County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.99¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.59¢ median for South Carolina utilities. 83,775 people live here, up 6.3% since 2020.
Who powers Oconee County
Utilities with service territory in Oconee County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 568,586 | 13.99¢ | 28% |
| Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc - (SC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 67,553 | 18.94¢ | 17% |
| Haywood Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 9 | 18.97¢ | 51% |
| City of Seneca - (SC) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Westminster - (SC) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 2,667 MW | 61% |
| Hydro | 1,680 MW | 39% |
| Petroleum | 13 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oconee | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Nuclear | 2,667 MW | 1973 |
| Bad Creek | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Hydro | 1,680 MW | 1991 |
| Seneca City of | City of Seneca - (SC) | Petroleum | 10 MW | 2004 |
| Valenite | Central Electric Power | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2003 |
The Oconee County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 25,929 | $60,154 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,596 | $64,864 | 1.16 |
| Data processing and hosting | 30 | $139,440 | 0.37 |
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 Oconee County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Oconee County. South Carolina has 22 local measures on record statewide, and 4 neighboring counties have one: Anderson County, Franklin County, Hart County, Jackson County.
Oconee County and its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Oconee County, Anderson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oconee County | 83,775 | ▲ 6.7% | 4,360 MW | — | — | — |
| Anderson County | 219,930 | ▲ 9.3% | 2,133 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Franklin County GA | 25,948 | ▲ 3.1% | 61 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Habersham County GA | 50,416 | ▲ 9.6% | 117 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Hart County GA | 28,639 | ▲ 24.2% | 780 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Jackson County NC | 45,039 | ▲ 36.6% | 51 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Macon County NC | 39,232 | ▲ 10.7% | 46 MW | — | — | — |
| Pickens County | 139,198 | ▲ 9.5% | 950 MW | — | — | — |
| Rabun County GA | 17,764 | ▲ 6.7% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Stephens County GA | 27,854 | ▼ 9.0% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
| Transylvania County NC | 34,211 | ▲ 4.0% | — | — | 1 | — |
More of South Carolina
Oconee County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Oconee County, South Carolina?
5 utilities have service territory in Oconee County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc - (SC), Haywood Electric Member Corp, City of Seneca - (SC). The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.99¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Oconee County?
4 operating plants with 4,360 MW of capacity. The largest is Oconee (2,667 MW, nuclear).
Are there data centers in Oconee County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Oconee County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Anderson County.
Is Oconee County adding jobs?
Employers counted 25,929 jobs in 2025 against 24,304 in 2019 (+6.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,254 to 1,596.
Does Oconee County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Oconee County. South Carolina has 22 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.