Blount County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Maryville, Alcoa and Louisville
The build-out shows up in Blount County as work for the electrical trades. Blount County is home to Maryville, Alcoa, Louisville and Friendsville. Electrical contractors employ 632, up 29.8% since 2019 against up 20.9% statewide, at an average $90,913 a year. Next door, Knox County has 4 data centers. Employers here counted 57,169 jobs in 2025, up 11.3% from 2019. 10 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Blount County
Blount County is home to Maryville, Alcoa, Louisville and Friendsville.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Eagleton Village, Seymour, Walland, Wildwood.
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 Blount County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 135,666 | 143,820 | ▲ 6.0% | 11th of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 51,363 | 57,169 | ▲ 11.3% | 20th of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,397 | $62,848 | ▲ 32.6% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 487 | 632 | ▲ 29.8% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13 | 19 | ▲ 46.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.1% | 3.1% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 10 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 217 MW of capacity, 95% of it hydro. Knoxville Utilities Board is the largest utility serving Blount County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.54¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.22¢ median for Tennessee utilities. 143,820 people live here, up 6.0% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.1% in 2019.
Who powers Blount County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +10 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Blount County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville Utilities Board | Municipal | Bundled | 193,707 | 12.54¢ | 40% |
| Sevier County Electric System | Municipal | Bundled | 35,626 | 11.33¢ | 68% |
| Fort Loudoun Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,527 | 12.11¢ | 21% |
| City of Alcoa Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 28,183 | 12.21¢ | 39% |
| Maryville Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 19,971 | 11.28¢ | 32% |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 206 MW | 95% |
| Solar | 10 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calderwood | Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP | Hydro | 157 MW | 1930 |
| Chilhowee | Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP | Hydro | 50 MW | 1957 |
| SR Maryville East | SR Maryville East, LLC | Solar | 8 MW | 2025 |
| SR Blount, LLC | SR Blount, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
| SR Maryville | SR Maryville, LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2025 |
The Blount County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 57,169 | $62,848 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 632 | $90,913 | 1.53 |
| Power and communication line construction | 54 | $85,599 | 0.58 |
| Data processing and hosting | 19 | $105,839 | 0.11 |
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 Blount County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Blount County. Tennessee has 38 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Knox County, Loudon County, Swain County.
Blount County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Blount County, Knox 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blount County | 143,820 | ▲ 11.3% | 217 MW | — | — | — |
| Graham County NC | 8,190 | ▼ 8.3% | 185 MW | — | — | — |
| Knox County | 511,453 | ▲ 9.2% | 5 MW | — | 4 | 1 |
| Loudon County | 63,764 | ▲ 11.0% | 287 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Monroe County | 49,730 | ▲ 1.4% | — | 20 MW | — | — |
| Sevier County | 101,342 | ▲ 8.3% | 151 MW | — | — | — |
| Swain County NC | 14,024 | ▼ 32.9% | 255 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Tennessee
Blount County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Blount County, Tennessee?
5 utilities have service territory in Blount County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Knoxville Utilities Board, Sevier County Electric System, Fort Loudoun Electric Coop, City of Alcoa Utilities. The largest, Knoxville Utilities Board, charged residential customers 12.54¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Maryville, TN in?
Maryville is in Blount County, Tennessee. About 32,442 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Alcoa, TN in?
Alcoa is in Blount County, Tennessee. About 13,689 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Blount County?
5 operating plants with 217 MW of capacity. The largest is Calderwood (157 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Blount County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Blount County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Knox County.
Is Blount County adding jobs?
Employers counted 57,169 jobs in 2025 against 51,363 in 2019 (+11.3%, BLS QCEW).
Does Blount County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Blount County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.