Polk County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Benton
No data center or power plant project is on record in Polk County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Polk County is home to Benton. Employers here counted 2,666 jobs in 2025, up 15.1% from 2019. Next door, Cherokee County, North Carolina, has 1 data center. Its power plants have 164 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Volunteer Electric Coop is the largest utility serving Polk County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.19¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Polk County
Polk County is home to Benton.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Conasauga, Delano, Farner, Ocoee.
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 Polk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 17,558 | 18,592 | ▲ 5.9% | 71st of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,317 | 2,666 | ▲ 15.1% | 11th of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,845 | $43,999 | ▲ 38.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
18,592 people live here, up 5.9% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019.
Who powers Polk County
Utilities with service territory in Polk County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 104,387 | 12.19¢ | 24% |
| Tri-State Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 2,812 | 14.03¢ | 30% |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 164 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apalachia | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 94 MW | 1943 |
| Ocoee 3 | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 29 MW | 1943 |
| Ocoee 2 | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 23 MW | 1913 |
| Ocoee 1 | Tennessee Valley Authority | Hydro | 19 MW | 1912 |
The Polk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,666 | $43,999 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 127 | $53,584 | 0.90 |
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 Polk County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Polk County. Tennessee has 38 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Fannin County, Murray County.
Polk County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Polk County, Murray 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 18,592 | ▲ 15.1% | 164 MW | — | — | — |
| Bradley County | 115,465 | ▼ 8.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Cherokee County NC | 30,830 | ▼ 1.8% | 168 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Fannin County GA | 26,111 | ▲ 14.9% | 24 MW | — | — | 1 |
| McMinn County | 57,404 | ▼ 9.4% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Monroe County | 49,730 | ▲ 1.4% | — | 20 MW | — | — |
| Murray County GA | 41,607 | ▼ 1.1% | 1,702 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Tennessee
Polk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Polk County, Tennessee?
2 utilities have service territory in Polk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Volunteer Electric Coop, Tri-State Electric Member Corp. The largest, Volunteer Electric Coop, charged residential customers 12.19¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Polk County?
4 operating plants with 164 MW of capacity. The largest is Apalachia (94 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Polk County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Polk County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cherokee County.
Is Polk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,666 jobs in 2025 against 2,317 in 2019 (+15.1%, BLS QCEW).
Does Polk County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Polk County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.