Shelby County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Memphis, Bartlett and Collierville
Shelby County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 16 data centers in Shelby County, 21% of Tennessee's total. Shelby County is home to Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville and Germantown. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including xAI Colossus 1 & 2 (Memphis). 16 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by SR Shelby, LLC (solar). 502 MW has retired here since 2019, including Allen (petroleum, 502 MW, 2025).
Cities and towns in Shelby County
Shelby County is home to Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville and Germantown.
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 Shelby County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 929,720 | 910,226 | ▼ 2.1% | 1st of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 502,998 | 471,160 | ▼ 6.3% | 87th of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $57,400 | $74,117 | ▲ 29.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,595 | 18,381 | ▼ 1.2% | 48th of 55 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,146 | 3,555 | ▲ 13.0% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 204 | 426 | ▲ 108.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 5.0% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 226 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 502 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 16 MW | 1% of today's fleet | 11th of 12 by size |
Its power plants have 1,571 MW of capacity, 75% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in Tennessee. 226 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 3,555, up 13.0% since 2019 against up 20.9% statewide, at an average $88,621 a year. Employers here counted 471,160 jobs in 2025, down 6.3% from 2019. Construction employs 18,381, down 1.2% since 2019. City of Memphis - (TN) is the largest utility serving Shelby County. Its residential customers paid an average 12.16¢/kWh in 2024. 910,226 people live here, down 2.1% since 2020, 1st of 95 Tennessee counties by population.
Who powers Shelby County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −275 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Shelby County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Memphis - (TN) | Municipal | Bundled | 380,286 | 12.16¢ | 46% |
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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,171 MW | 75% |
| Solar | 280 MW | 18% |
| Petroleum | 119 MW | 8% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | Tennessee Valley Authority | Natural gas | 1,290 MW | 1972 |
| Graceland Solar, LLC | RWE Clean Energy | Solar | 150 MW | 2026 |
| SR Millington II | SR Millington II, LLC | Solar | 75 MW | 2026 |
| Millington Solar Farm | SR Millington, LLC | Solar | 53 MW | 2018 |
| SR Innovation - NIKE PV | SR Innovation, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2020 |
| IKEA Memphis 508 | IKEA Property Inc | Solar | 1 MW | 2016 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR Shelby | Solar Photovoltaic | 10 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | SR Shelby, LLC |
| SR Shelby II, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 6 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | SR Shelby II, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | Petroleum | 502 MW | 2025 |
The Shelby County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 471,160 | $74,117 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 18,381 | $88,613 | 0.74 |
| Electrical contractors | 3,555 | $88,621 | 1.05 |
| Data processing and hosting | 426 | $131,204 | 0.29 |
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 Shelby County
16 data centers in Shelby County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xAI Colossus 1 & 2 (Memphis) | active litigation | — |
Shelby County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Shelby County, Mississippi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County | 910,226 | ▼ 6.3% | 1,571 MW | 16 MW | 16 | — |
| Crittenden County AR | 46,210 | ▲ 9.5% | 360 MW | — | 1 | — |
| DeSoto County MS | 197,918 | ▲ 14.6% | 1,004 MW | 195 MW | — | — |
| Fayette County | 45,071 | ▲ 5.4% | 180 MW | — | — | — |
| Marshall County MS | 34,654 | ▲ 52.9% | 10 MW | 55 MW | — | — |
| Mississippi County AR | 37,828 | ▲ 11.0% | 1,927 MW | 2,250 MW | — | — |
| Tipton County | 62,287 | ▲ 5.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Tennessee
Shelby County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Shelby County, Tennessee?
1 utility has service territory in Shelby County in the EIA-861 2024 report: City of Memphis - (TN). The largest, City of Memphis - (TN), charged residential customers 12.16¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Memphis, TN in?
Memphis is in Shelby County, Tennessee. About 609,647 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Bartlett, TN in?
Bartlett is in Shelby County, Tennessee. About 56,416 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Collierville, TN in?
Collierville is in Shelby County, Tennessee. About 51,909 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Shelby County?
6 operating plants with 1,571 MW of capacity. The largest is Allen (1,290 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Shelby County?
16 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is SR Shelby, LLC.
Are there data centers in Shelby County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 16 data centers in Shelby County.
Is Shelby County adding jobs?
Employers counted 471,160 jobs in 2025 against 502,998 in 2019 (-6.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 18,595 to 18,381.
Does Shelby County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Shelby County. Tennessee has 38 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.