Pickett County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Pickett 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. Pickett County is home to Byrdstown. Employers here counted 898 jobs in 2025, down 11.7% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.2% in August 2026, against 5.8% in 2019. Volunteer Electric Coop is the largest utility serving Pickett County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.19¢/kWh in 2024. 5,219 people live here, up 4.3% since 2020.
Cities and towns in Pickett County
Pickett County is home to Byrdstown.
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 Pickett County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,002 | 5,219 | ▲ 4.3% | 95th of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,017 | 898 | ▼ 11.7% | 95th of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $32,015 | $41,278 | ▲ 28.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.8% | 5.2% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
Who powers Pickett County
Utilities with service territory in Pickett County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 104,387 | 12.19¢ | 24% |
| Upper Cumberland E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 45,560 | 12.77¢ | 26% |
| South Kentucky Rural E C C | Cooperative | Bundled | 152 | 13.77¢ | 27% |
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 Pickett County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Pickett County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 898 | $41,278 | 1.00 |
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 Pickett County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pickett County. Tennessee has 38 local measures on record statewide.
Pickett County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Pickett County, Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickett County | 5,219 | ▼ 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Clay County | 7,821 | ▼ 1.4% | 54 MW | — | — | — |
| Clinton County KY | 9,139 | ▼ 8.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Fentress County | 20,322 | ▲ 16.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Overton County | 23,787 | ▲ 13.5% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Scott County | 22,671 | ▼ 0.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Wayne County KY | 19,597 | ▼ 10.9% | — | — | — | — |
More of Tennessee
Pickett County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pickett County, Tennessee?
3 utilities have service territory in Pickett County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Volunteer Electric Coop, Upper Cumberland E M C, South Kentucky Rural E C C. The largest, Volunteer Electric Coop, charged residential customers 12.19¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Pickett County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pickett County.
Is Pickett County adding jobs?
Employers counted 898 jobs in 2025 against 1,017 in 2019 (-11.7%, BLS QCEW).
Does Pickett County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pickett County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.