Houston County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Tennessee Ridge and Erin
Houston 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. Houston County is home to Tennessee Ridge and Erin. Next door, Stewart County has 1,556 MW of planned generation. Electrical contractors employ 14, at an average $56,383 a year. City of Dickson is the largest utility serving Houston County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.65¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.22¢ median for Tennessee utilities. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Houston County
Houston County is home to Tennessee Ridge and Erin.
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 Houston County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,295 | 8,479 | ▲ 2.2% | 89th of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,490 | 1,478 | ▼ 0.8% | 73rd of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,567 | $47,548 | ▲ 41.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
Employers here counted 1,478 jobs in 2025, down 0.8% from 2019. 8,479 people live here, up 2.2% since 2020.
Who powers Houston County
Utilities with service territory in Houston County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Dickson | Municipal | Bundled | 30,808 | 11.65¢ | 30% |
| Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,319 | 13.68¢ | 19% |
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 Houston County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Houston County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,478 | $47,548 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 14 | $56,383 | 1.31 |
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 Houston County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Houston County. Tennessee has 38 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Dickson County.
Houston County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Houston County, Stewart 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County | 8,479 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Benton County | 16,183 | ▲ 8.4% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Dickson County | 58,662 | ▲ 4.3% | 36 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Humphreys County | 19,646 | ▼ 3.2% | 1,676 MW | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 249,935 | ▲ 17.6% | 10 MW | — | 5 | — |
| Stewart County | 14,439 | ▼ 0.5% | 2,600 MW | 1,556 MW | — | — |
More of Tennessee
Houston County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Houston County, Tennessee?
2 utilities have service territory in Houston County in the EIA-861 2024 report: City of Dickson, Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop. The largest, City of Dickson, charged residential customers 11.65¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Houston County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Houston County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Stewart County.
Is Houston County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,478 jobs in 2025 against 1,490 in 2019 (-0.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Houston County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Houston County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.