Fayette County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Vandalia, Vandalia Township and Sharon Township
Fayette County is a generation frontier for Illinois. Fayette County is home to Vandalia, Vandalia Township, Sharon Township and Avena Township. 119 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by Switchgrass Plains Solar, LLC (solar). 119 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 276, up 19.5% since 2019. Employers here counted 4,954 jobs in 2025, down 9.7% from 2019. 71 MW has retired here since 2019, including Freedom Power Project (natural gas, 71 MW, 2024).
Cities and towns in Fayette County
Fayette County is home to Vandalia, Vandalia Township, Sharon Township and Avena Township.
And 3 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): La Clede.
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 Fayette County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 21,483 | 20,790 | ▼ 3.2% | 55th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,486 | 4,954 | ▼ 9.7% | 91st of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,736 | $46,761 | ▲ 30.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 231 | 276 | ▲ 19.5% | 19th of 56 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 101 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 71 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 119 MW | 118% of today's fleet | 18th of 57 by size |
101 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 101 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Fayette County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. 20,790 people live here, down 3.2% since 2020.
Who powers Fayette County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +30 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Fayette County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ameren Illinois Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,060,894 | 15.26¢ | 28% |
| Southwestern Electric Coop Inc - (IL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 24,822 | 13.68¢ | 17% |
| Shelby Electric Coop, Inc - (IL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,871 | 18.63¢ | 11% |
| Clay Electric Coop Inc - (IL) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clinton County Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| M J M Electric Cooperative Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 101 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dressor Plains Solar, LLC | Dressor Plains Solar, LLC | Solar | 99 MW | 2021 |
| Conagra Foods at St. Elmo | Luminace Solar Illinois 2, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2021 |
Planned generation 3
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switchgrass Plains Solar, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Switchgrass Plains Solar, LLC |
| PIKE Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 18 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pike Solar, LLC |
| SV CSG Brownstown 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | SV CSG Brownstown 1, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Power Project | Natural gas | 71 MW | 2024 |
The Fayette County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,954 | $46,761 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 276 | $53,344 | 1.05 |
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 Fayette County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Fayette County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide.
Fayette County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Fayette County, Shelby 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County | 20,790 | ▼ 9.7% | 101 MW | 119 MW | — | — |
| Bond County | 16,959 | ▲ 0.1% | — | 5 MW | — | — |
| Clay County | 12,793 | ▼ 9.9% | 726 MW | 127 MW | — | — |
| Clinton County | 37,128 | ▲ 2.6% | 47 MW | 53 MW | — | — |
| Effingham County | 34,519 | ▲ 5.3% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Marion County | 36,382 | ▼ 4.3% | 372 MW | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 28,076 | ▲ 0.8% | 56 MW | 10 MW | — | — |
| Shelby County | 20,576 | ▼ 3.9% | 1,185 MW | 250 MW | — | — |
More of Illinois
Fayette County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fayette County, Illinois?
6 utilities have service territory in Fayette County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, Southwestern Electric Coop Inc - (IL), Shelby Electric Coop, Inc - (IL), Clay Electric Coop Inc - (IL). The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Fayette County?
2 operating plants with 101 MW of capacity. The largest is Dressor Plains Solar, LLC (99 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Fayette County?
119 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 119 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Switchgrass Plains Solar, LLC.
Are there data centers in Fayette County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Fayette County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Shelby County.
Is Fayette County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,954 jobs in 2025 against 5,486 in 2019 (-9.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 231 to 276.
Does Fayette County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Fayette County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.