Ford County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Patton Township, Paxton and Drummer Township
Ford County hosts some of the generating capacity Illinois runs on. Ford County is home to Patton Township, Paxton, Drummer Township and Gibson City. Electrical contractors employ 14, up 40.0% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $45,647 a year. Employers here counted 5,525 jobs in 2025, up 16.9% from 2019 (the 4th fastest growth of 102 Illinois counties). Next door, Livingston County has 1,096 MW of planned generation. 413 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Ford County
Ford County is home to Patton Township, Paxton, Drummer Township and Gibson City.
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 Ford County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,519 | 13,216 | ▼ 2.2% | 79th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,725 | 5,525 | ▲ 16.9% | 4th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,355 | $58,289 | ▲ 34.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 144 | 149 | ▲ 3.5% | 40th of 56 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10 | 14 | ▲ 40.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.6% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 413 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 867 MW of capacity, 35% of it wind. Construction employs 149, up 3.5% since 2019. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. Commonwealth Edison Co is the largest utility serving Ford County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.22¢/kWh in 2024. 13,216 people live here, down 2.2% since 2020.
Who powers Ford County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +413 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Ford 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% |
| Ameren Illinois Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,060,894 | 15.26¢ | 28% |
| Corn Belt Energy Corporation | Cooperative | Bundled | 34,710 | 15.76¢ | 28% |
| Eastern Illinois Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,115 | 17.10¢ | 22% |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 305 MW | 35% |
| Solar | 292 MW | 34% |
| Natural gas | 270 MW | 31% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archtop Solar | Archtop Property Management LLC | Solar | 287 MW | 2026 |
| Gibson City Energy Center LLC | Gibson City Energy Center LLC | Natural gas | 270 MW | 2000 |
| Kelly Creek Wind Project | EDF Renewable Asset Holdings, Inc. | Wind | 184 MW | 2016 |
| Ford County Wind Farm LLC | Ford Ridge | Wind | 121 MW | 2022 |
| Drummer Creek I Solar LLC | Dimension Energy LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2025 |
The Ford County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,525 | $58,289 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 149 | $67,594 | 0.51 |
| Electrical contractors | 14 | $45,647 | 0.35 |
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 Ford County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ford County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Champaign County.
Ford County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Ford County, Livingston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford County | 13,216 | ▲ 16.9% | 867 MW | — | — | — |
| Champaign County | 209,972 | ▲ 3.9% | 272 MW | 8 MW | 5 | 1 |
| Iroquois County | 26,150 | ▼ 9.8% | 303 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Kankakee County | 105,525 | ▼ 7.0% | 248 MW | 320 MW | — | — |
| Livingston County | 35,057 | ▲ 0.3% | 915 MW | 1,096 MW | — | — |
| McLean County | 171,419 | ▲ 5.8% | 796 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
| Vermilion County | 71,259 | ▼ 3.9% | 521 MW | — | — | — |
More of Illinois
Ford County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ford County, Illinois?
4 utilities have service territory in Ford County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Commonwealth Edison Co, Ameren Illinois Company, Corn Belt Energy Corporation, Eastern Illinois Elec Coop. The largest, Commonwealth Edison Co, charged residential customers 15.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Ford County?
5 operating plants with 867 MW of capacity. The largest is Archtop Solar (287 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Ford County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ford County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Livingston County.
Is Ford County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,525 jobs in 2025 against 4,725 in 2019 (+16.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 144 to 149.
Does Ford County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ford County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.