Boone County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Belvidere Township, Belvidere and Caledonia Township
Boone 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. Employers here counted 11,310 jobs in 2025, down 37.4% from 2019. Boone County is home to Belvidere Township, Belvidere, Caledonia Township and Poplar Grove. Construction employs 1,492, up 12.4% since 2019, and construction is 2.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 18 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation (solar). 18 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, DeKalb County has 5 data centers.
Cities and towns in Boone County
Boone County is home to Belvidere Township, Belvidere, Caledonia Township and Poplar Grove.
- Loves Park also extends into Winnebago County.
- Cherry Valley also extends into Winnebago County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Argyle, Candlewick Lake, Garden Prairie.
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 Boone County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 53,344 | 53,568 | ▲ 0.4% | 26th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,058 | 11,310 | ▼ 37.4% | 102nd of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,309 | $57,255 | ▲ 16.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,327 | 1,492 | ▲ 12.4% | 26th of 56 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.2% | 4.2% | ▼ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 18 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 18 MW | 100% of today's fleet | 28th of 57 by size |
Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 5.2% in 2019. 18 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 18 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Commonwealth Edison Co is the largest utility serving Boone County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.22¢/kWh in 2024. 53,568 people live here, up 0.4% since 2020.
Who powers Boone County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +18 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Boone County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 3,727,675 | 15.22¢ | 27% |
| Rock Energy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,339 | 14.97¢ | 40% |
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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 18 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL - Ameresco - Belvidere East | Belvidere Landfill Solar 2 East, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
| IL -ForeFront CS (Brimfield 1 2) - Brimf | IL Solar Brimfield Project 1, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
| Kish CSG | Kish Solar, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2021 |
| Poplar Grove Solar 2, LLC | SRC Partnership 12, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2023 |
| Poplar Grove Solar, LLC | SRC Partnership 12, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2023 |
| Route 76 Boone Solar 1 | Route 76 Boone Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2020 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Valley | Solar Photovoltaic | 12 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation |
| Pivot Energy IL 70 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Pivot Energy |
The Boone County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 11,310 | $57,255 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,492 | $76,978 | 2.49 |
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 Boone County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Boone County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: McHenry County, Rock County.
Boone County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Boone County, Ogle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | 53,568 | ▼ 37.4% | 18 MW | 18 MW | — | — |
| DeKalb County | 101,835 | ▼ 1.4% | 306 MW | 100 MW | 5 | — |
| McHenry County | 317,751 | ▲ 0.8% | 89 MW | 17 MW | — | 1 |
| Ogle County | 51,399 | ▼ 6.0% | 2,502 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Rock County WI | 166,472 | ▲ 2.9% | 1,829 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Walworth County WI | 106,127 | ▲ 8.1% | 26 MW | 324 MW | — | — |
| Winnebago County | 283,674 | ▼ 0.3% | 520 MW | 11 MW | — | — |
More of Illinois
Boone County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Boone County, Illinois?
2 utilities have service territory in Boone County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Commonwealth Edison Co, Rock Energy Cooperative. The largest, Commonwealth Edison Co, charged residential customers 15.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Belvidere Township, IL in?
Belvidere Township is in Boone County, Illinois. About 29,501 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Belvidere, IL in?
Belvidere is in Boone County, Illinois. About 25,462 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Boone County?
9 operating plants with 18 MW of capacity. The largest is IL - Ameresco - Belvidere East (2 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Boone County?
18 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 18 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation.
Are there data centers in Boone County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Boone County. The nearest activity on record is next door in DeKalb County.
Is Boone County adding jobs?
Employers counted 11,310 jobs in 2025 against 18,058 in 2019 (-37.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,327 to 1,492.
Does Boone County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Boone County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.