Fentress County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Jamestown
Fentress County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Fentress County is home to Jamestown and Allardt. Construction employs 148, down 27.5% since 2019. Employers here counted 5,947 jobs in 2025, up 16.7% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 95 Tennessee counties). Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. 20,322 people live here, up 9.7% since 2020.
Cities and towns in Fentress County
Fentress County is home to Jamestown and Allardt.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Clarkrange, Grimsley.
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 Fentress County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 18,533 | 20,322 | ▲ 9.7% | 68th of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,096 | 5,947 | ▲ 16.7% | 9th of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $32,989 | $42,719 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 204 | 148 | ▼ 27.5% | 55th of 55 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 3.5% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
Volunteer Electric Coop is the largest utility serving Fentress County. Its residential customers paid an average 12.19¢/kWh in 2024.
Who powers Fentress County
Utilities with service territory in Fentress County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 104,387 | 12.19¢ | 24% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Fentress County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Fentress County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,947 | $42,719 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 148 | $52,106 | 0.47 |
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 Fentress County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Fentress County. Tennessee has 38 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Morgan County.
Fentress County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Fentress County, Cumberland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fentress County | 20,322 | ▲ 16.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Cumberland County | 66,300 | ▲ 8.6% | — | 110 MW | — | — |
| Morgan County | 22,160 | ▲ 3.9% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Overton County | 23,787 | ▲ 13.5% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Pickett County | 5,219 | ▼ 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Putnam County | 86,612 | ▲ 7.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Scott County | 22,671 | ▼ 0.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Tennessee
Fentress County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fentress County, Tennessee?
1 utility has service territory in Fentress County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Volunteer Electric Coop. The largest, Volunteer Electric Coop, charged residential customers 12.19¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Fentress County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Fentress County.
Is Fentress County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,947 jobs in 2025 against 5,096 in 2019 (+16.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 204 to 148.
Does Fentress County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Fentress County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.