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Illinois · County record

Cook County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Chicago, Wheeling Township and Thornton Township

Seal of Illinois

Cook County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 122 data centers in Cook County, 58% of Illinois's total. Cook County is home to Chicago, Wheeling Township, Thornton Township and Worth Township. 35 MW of new generation is planned here across 16 units, led by Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated (solar). 27 MW of it is already under construction or built. Unemployment was 5.9% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. 419 MW has retired here since 2019, including Southeast Chicago Energy Project (natural gas, 407 MW, 2024).

Rebuilt 2026-10-08 · refreshed weekly
122
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 58% of Illinois's
35 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading
419 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019
Population, 2025
5,194,625
▼ 1.3% since 2020
Jobs, 2025
2,594,810
▼ 0.5% since 2019
Unemployment
5.9%
▲ 2.0 pts vs 20192019: 3.9%2024: 5.3%August 2026: 5.9%
Power plants
1,364 MW
43 plants operating▼ 21.7% fleet since 2019
Planned generation
35 MW
16 units
Data centers
122
SAVRN Data Center Map
Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Cook County

Cook County is home to Chicago, Wheeling Township, Thornton Township and Worth Township.

Chicago2,731,585 residents
Wheeling Township154,050 residents
Thornton Township152,667 residents
Worth Township148,514 residents
Proviso Township147,144 residents
Maine Township136,611 residents
Schaumburg Township131,411 residents
Lyons Township112,345 residents
Palatine Township111,179 residents
Niles Township109,978 residents
Bremen Township104,303 residents
Hanover Township97,956 residents
Orland Township96,641 residents
Elk Grove Township93,072 residents
Leyden Township90,402 residents
Northfield Township89,835 residents
Bloom Township83,631 residents
Cicero81,858 residents
Schaumburg77,249 residents
Evanston76,380 residents
Arlington Heights76,216 residents
Rich Township74,003 residents
Skokie66,544 residents
Palatine65,842 residents

And 16 smaller places.

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.

Then and now

What changed in Cook County

Where Cook County ranks in Illinois
Population5,194,6251st of 102
Job growth since 2019-0.5%52nd of 102
Construction growth-1.5%45th of 56
Electrical contractor jobs10,9441st of 44
Operating power plants1,364 MW10th of 86
Planned generation35 MW24th of 57

1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.

MeasureThenNowChangeRank in Illinois
Population (2020 → 2025)5,263,6515,194,625▼ 1.3%1st of 102 by size
Total jobs (2019 → 2025)2,609,1542,594,810▼ 0.5%52nd of 102 by growth
Average annual pay (2019 → 2025)$69,171$90,477▲ 30.8%—
Construction jobs (2019 → 2025)76,57475,404▼ 1.5%45th of 56 by growth
Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025)11,59910,944▼ 5.6%—
Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025)526561▲ 6.7%—
Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025)2,8122,950▲ 4.9%—
Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025)6,9609,784▲ 40.6%—
Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026)3.9%5.9%▲ 2.0pts—
Generating capacity added since 2019—40 MW—
Generating capacity retired since 2019—419 MW—
Planned generation (Aug 2026)—35 MW3% of today's fleet24th of 57 by size

Its power plants have 1,364 MW of capacity, 76% of it natural gas, the 10th largest fleet in Illinois. 40 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Construction employs 75,404, down 1.5% since 2019. Commonwealth Edison Co is the largest utility serving Cook County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.22¢/kWh in 2024. Electrical contractors employ 10,944, down 5.6% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $107,246 a year. Employers here counted 2,594,810 jobs in 2025, down 0.5% from 2019. 5,194,625 people live here, down 1.3% since 2020, 1st of 102 Illinois counties by population.

Power

Who powers Cook County

Operating fleet by fuel 1,364 MW
Natural gas 1,034 MW 76%Solar 47 MW 3%Other 284 MW 21%
Added since 2019 40 MW
Retired since 2019 419 MW

Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −379 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.

Planned generation by fuel 35 MW
Natural gas 8 MW 23%Solar 27 MW 77%
Residential price per kWh, 2024
Commonwealth Edison CoInvestor Owned, 27% commercial15.22¢
Median for Illinois utilities: 15.22¢

Utilities with service territory in Cook County

UtilityOwnershipServiceResidential customers (systemwide)Residential price, 2024Commercial share of sales
Commonwealth Edison CoInvestor OwnedBundled3,727,67515.22¢27%
University of Illinois—————
Village of Winnetka - (IL)—————

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 43

TechnologyCapacityShare
Natural gas1,034 MW76%
Petroleum275 MW20%
Solar47 MW3%
Other technologies9 MW1%
Largest plantsOwnerTechnologyMWSince
MRP Elgin LLCLincoln Operating Services, LLCNatural gas540 MW2002
Calumet Energy Team LLCIPA Operations Inc - CalumetNatural gas313 MW2002
Fisk StreetMidwest Generations EME LLCPetroleum260 MW1968
University of Illinois Cogen FacilityUniversity of IllinoisNatural gas60 MW1993
Ingredion IncorporatedIngredion Inc - IllinoisNatural gas55 MW1991
WinnetkaVillage of Winnetka - (IL)Natural gas33 MW1948

Planned generation 16

PlantTechnologyMWStatusYearOwner
ITT Cogen FacilityNatural Gas Internal Combustion Engine4 MWApprovals received2027ITT Energy Tech Partners, LLC
ITT Cogen FacilityNatural Gas Internal Combustion Engine4 MWApprovals received2027ITT Energy Tech Partners, LLC
Copenhagen CtSolar Photovoltaic4 MWUnder construction (>50%)202611601 Copenhagen Ct, LLC
Melrose Park 2-SLCHI547Solar Photovoltaic3 MWUnder construction (≤50%)2027Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Northlake 5-SLCHI305Solar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (>50%)2027Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
StegerSolar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (>50%)2026Steger Road Solar 1 LLC
McCook 2-SLCHI102Solar Photovoltaic2 MWBuilt, not yet operating2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Cicero 3-SLCHI603Solar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (≤50%)2027Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Elk Grove 1-SLCHI701Solar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (>50%)2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Bensenville Ind Park 4-SLCHI424Solar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (>50%)2027Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Northlake 3-SLCHI303Solar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (≤50%)2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Des Plaines 11-SLCHI211Solar Photovoltaic2 MWBuilt, not yet operating2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Northlake 2-SLCHI302Solar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (≤50%)2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
W 167th StSolar Photovoltaic2 MWUnder construction (>50%)2026555 W 167th St Solar, LLC
Northlake 4-SLCHI304Solar Photovoltaic1 MWUnder construction (≤50%)2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated
Franklin Park 2-SLCHI802Solar Photovoltaic1 MWUnder construction (>50%)2026Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated

Retired since 2019

PlantTechnologyMWYear
Southeast Chicago Energy ProjectNatural gas407 MW2024
ITT Cogen FacilityNatural gas7 MW2024
Presence Saint Mary of Nazareth HospitalPetroleum3 MW2025
Saint Francis HospitalNatural gas2 MW2022
Jobs

The Cook County labor market

Industry (2025)JobsAverage payConcentration vs U.S.
All industries2,594,810$90,4771.00
Construction75,404$102,8010.55
Electrical contractors10,944$107,2460.58
Power and communication line construction561$126,0810.13
Electric utilities2,950$163,9970.42
Data processing and hosting9,784$225,1991.21

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

Data centers and local rules in Cook County

122 data centers in Cook County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

Next door

Cook County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Cook County, DuPage County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.

Cook CountyDuPage CountyKane CountyLake CountyLake CountyMcHenry CountyWill CountyCookDuPageKaneLakeLakeMcHenryWill
CountyPopulationJobs since 2019Operating MWPlanned MWData centersLocal measures
Cook County5,194,625▼ 0.5%1,364 MW35 MW122—
DuPage County934,298▲ 1.8%1,107 MW14 MW57—
Kane County525,757▲ 0.3%496 MW17 MW——
Lake County719,339▼ 4.3%733 MW5 MW41
Lake County IN504,612▲ 1.4%1,160 MW100 MW7—
McHenry County317,751▲ 0.8%89 MW17 MW—1
Will County712,253▲ 7.8%6,936 MW17 MW1—
Keep going

More of Illinois

All Illinois countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →DuPage County934,298 peopleOpen →Lake County719,339 peopleOpen →Will County712,253 peopleOpen →Kane County525,757 peopleOpen →McHenry County317,751 peopleOpen →
Questions

Cook County, answered from the record

Who provides electricity in Cook County, Illinois?

3 utilities have service territory in Cook County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Commonwealth Edison Co, University of Illinois, Village of Winnetka - (IL). The largest, Commonwealth Edison Co, charged residential customers 15.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.

What county is Chicago, IL in?

Chicago is in Cook County, Illinois. About 2,731,585 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

What county is Wheeling Township, IL in?

Wheeling Township is in Cook County, Illinois. About 154,050 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

What county is Thornton Township, IL in?

Thornton Township is in Cook County, Illinois. About 152,667 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

What power plants are in Cook County?

43 operating plants with 1,364 MW of capacity. The largest is MRP Elgin LLC (540 MW, natural gas).

How much new power is planned in Cook County?

35 MW across 16 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 27 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated.

Are there data centers in Cook County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 122 data centers in Cook County.

Is Cook County adding jobs?

Employers counted 2,594,810 jobs in 2025 against 2,609,154 in 2019 (-0.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 76,574 to 75,404.

Does Cook County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Cook County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.