Humphreys County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Waverly, New Johnsonville and McEwen
Humphreys County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Electrical contractors employ 108, up 332.0% since 2019 against up 20.9% statewide, at an average $70,495 a year. Humphreys County is home to Waverly, New Johnsonville and McEwen. Construction employs 378, down 20.3% since 2019. Owners plan to retire 680 MW more by 2035, led by Johnsonville in 2028. 408 MW has retired here since 2019, including Johnsonville (natural gas, 408 MW, 2025).
Cities and towns in Humphreys County
Humphreys County is home to Waverly, New Johnsonville and McEwen.
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 Humphreys County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 18,998 | 19,646 | ▲ 3.4% | 69th of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,959 | 5,768 | ▼ 3.2% | 82nd of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,375 | $62,916 | ▲ 30.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 474 | 378 | ▼ 20.3% | 54th of 55 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25 | 108 | ▲ 332.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 658 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 408 MW | — |
658 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Its power plants have 1,676 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas, the 7th largest fleet in Tennessee. Employers here counted 5,768 jobs in 2025, down 3.2% from 2019. Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop is the largest utility serving Humphreys County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.68¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.22¢ median for Tennessee utilities. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 19,646 people live here, up 3.4% since 2020.
Who powers Humphreys County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +250 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Humphreys County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Operating power plants 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,676 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnsonville | Tennessee Valley Authority | Natural gas | 1,676 MW | 1975 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnsonville | Natural gas | 408 MW | 2025 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnsonville | Natural gas | 680 MW | 2028 |
The Humphreys County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,768 | $62,916 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 378 | $76,151 | 1.24 |
| Electrical contractors | 108 | $70,495 | 2.60 |
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 Humphreys County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Humphreys County. Tennessee has 38 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Dickson County.
Humphreys County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Humphreys County, Dickson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humphreys County | 19,646 | ▼ 3.2% | 1,676 MW | — | — | — |
| Benton County | 16,183 | ▲ 8.4% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Dickson County | 58,662 | ▲ 4.3% | 36 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Hickman County | 26,219 | ▲ 12.3% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Houston County | 8,479 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Perry County | 9,126 | ▼ 5.1% | — | — | — | — |
More of Tennessee
Humphreys County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Humphreys County, Tennessee?
1 utility has service territory in Humphreys County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop. The largest, Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop, charged residential customers 13.68¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Humphreys County?
1 operating plant with 1,676 MW of capacity. The largest is Johnsonville (1,676 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Humphreys County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Humphreys County.
Is Humphreys County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,768 jobs in 2025 against 5,959 in 2019 (-3.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 474 to 378.
Does Humphreys County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Humphreys County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.