Spartanburg County, South Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Spartanburg, Greer and Lyman
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Spartanburg County. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Spartanburg County, 9% of South Carolina's total. Spartanburg County is home to Spartanburg, part of Greer (14,338 of its 50,007 residents), Lyman and Woodruff. The Moratorium Tracker holds 3 local measures here (3 in force); the latest is “Proposed 12-month data center moratorium”. 3 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including NorthMark Strategies / Valara Holdings Computing Center (former Kohler plant) (450 MW). Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Spartanburg County
Spartanburg County is home to Spartanburg, part of Greer (14,338 of its 50,007 residents), Lyman and Woodruff.
- Greer also extends into Greenville County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Arcadia, Arkwright, Ben Avon, Boiling Springs, Camp Croft, Clifton, Converse, Cross Anchor, Drayton, Enoree, Fairforest, Fingerville, Glendale, Glenn Springs, Gramling, Hilltop, Inman Mills, Mayo, Pauline, Roebuck, Saxon, Southern Shops, Startex, Valley Falls, Whitney.
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 Spartanburg County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 329,370 | 380,857 | ▲ 15.6% | 5th of 46 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 147,638 | 157,484 | ▲ 6.7% | 17th of 46 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,641 | $62,161 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,831 | 7,537 | ▲ 10.3% | 15th of 25 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 483 | 586 | ▲ 21.3% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 859 | 225 | ▼ 73.8% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 212 | 218 | ▲ 2.8% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 21 | 46 | ▲ 119.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 4.3% | ▲ 1.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 38 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
Construction employs 7,537, up 10.3% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 586, up 21.3% since 2019 against up 10.4% statewide, at an average $61,466 a year. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Spartanburg Water System (petroleum, 1 MW, 2021). 380,857 people live here, up 15.6% since 2020, 5th of 46 South Carolina counties by population. Employers here counted 157,484 jobs in 2025, up 6.7% from 2019. 38 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 63 MW of capacity, 60% of it solar. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Spartanburg County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.99¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.59¢ median for South Carolina utilities.
Who powers Spartanburg County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +37 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Spartanburg 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% |
| Laurens Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 58,438 | 14.66¢ | 20% |
| Greer Commission of Public Wks | Municipal | Bundled | 24,893 | 11.80¢ | 45% |
| Broad River Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,140 | 15.91¢ | 11% |
| Lockhart Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 4,976 | 13.42¢ | 75% |
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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 38 MW | 60% |
| Other technologies | 13 MW | 20% |
| Petroleum | 10 MW | 15% |
| Hydro | 3 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinson Solar Farm | Cardinal Renewables | Solar | 20 MW | 2022 |
| BMW Manufacturing Co | BMW Manufacturing Co LLC | Other technologies | 11 MW | 2009 |
| Pacolet Diesel Generation Facility | Lockhart Power Co | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2006 |
| Spartanburg Water System | Spartanburg Commissioners PW | Petroleum | 5 MW | 1926 |
| Limelight Solar III, LLC | Limelight Solar III, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2020 |
| AGA TAG Solar III LLC | AGA TAG Solar III LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2020 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spartanburg Water System | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2021 |
The Spartanburg County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 157,484 | $62,161 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 7,537 | $75,374 | 0.90 |
| Electrical contractors | 586 | $61,466 | 0.52 |
| Power and communication line construction | 225 | $96,296 | 0.88 |
| Electric utilities | 218 | $104,411 | 0.51 |
| Data processing and hosting | 46 | $155,166 | 0.09 |
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 Spartanburg County
3 data centers in Spartanburg County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Local measures 3
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed 12-month data center moratorium | In force | 2026-09 | |
| One-year moratorium on data centers over 65 MW | In force | 2026-09 | |
| One-year moratorium on data centers over 65 MW | In force | 2026-09 |
Delay Watchlist 3
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthMark Strategies / Valara Holdings Computing Center (former Kohler plant) | permitting challenged | 450 MW | ||
| Project Spero | cancelled | 400 MW | ||
| LightHouse Data Centers campus at 300 Jones Road (former paper mill site) | halted | 60 MW |
Spartanburg County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Spartanburg County, Cherokee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartanburg County | 380,857 | ▲ 6.7% | 63 MW | — | 3 | 3 |
| Cherokee County | 58,275 | ▼ 13.7% | 1,928 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Greenville County | 583,125 | ▲ 8.2% | 13 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Laurens County | 71,848 | ▼ 4.6% | 47 MW | 45 MW | — | 1 |
| Polk County NC | 20,533 | ▲ 11.4% | 5 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Rutherford County NC | 65,745 | ▼ 3.1% | 127 MW | 60 MW | 3 | — |
| Union County | 26,799 | ▼ 12.4% | 51 MW | — | — | — |
More of South Carolina
Spartanburg County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Spartanburg County, South Carolina?
6 utilities have service territory in Spartanburg County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc - (SC), Laurens Electric Coop, Inc, Greer Commission of Public Wks. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.99¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Spartanburg, SC in?
Spartanburg is in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. About 39,978 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
Is Greer in Spartanburg County?
Partly. 14,338 of Greer's 50,007 residents (29%) live in Spartanburg County; most of the city is in Greenville County.
What power plants are in Spartanburg County?
15 operating plants with 63 MW of capacity. The largest is Pinson Solar Farm (20 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Spartanburg County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Spartanburg County.
Is Spartanburg County adding jobs?
Employers counted 157,484 jobs in 2025 against 147,638 in 2019 (+6.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 6,831 to 7,537.
Does Spartanburg County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 3 local measures for Spartanburg County, 3 in force.