Henry County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Kewanee, Kewanee Township and Geneseo Township
Henry County supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Electrical contractors employ 416, up 105.9% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $101,599 a year. Henry County is home to Kewanee, Kewanee Township, Geneseo Township and Colona Township. Construction employs 1,242, up 23.1% since 2019, and construction is 1.7 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 8 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by HQCA Energy Solutions, LLC (solar). 1 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Mercer County has 1 data center.
Cities and towns in Henry County
Henry County is home to Kewanee, Kewanee Township, Geneseo Township and Colona Township.
And 15 smaller places.
- Coal Valley also extends into Rock Island County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lynn Center, Nekoma, Ophiem, Osco.
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 Henry County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 49,174 | 48,095 | ▼ 2.2% | 29th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14,209 | 13,972 | ▼ 1.7% | 58th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,104 | $52,235 | ▲ 33.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,009 | 1,242 | ▲ 23.1% | 16th of 56 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 202 | 416 | ▲ 105.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.7% | 3.7% | ▼ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 117 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 8 MW | 1% of today's fleet | 40th of 57 by size |
117 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 4.7% in 2019. Its power plants have 551 MW of capacity, 92% of it wind. Employers here counted 13,972 jobs in 2025, down 1.7% from 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Henry County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. 48,095 people live here, down 2.2% since 2020.
Who powers Henry County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +117 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Henry 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% |
| MidAmerican Energy Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 73,582 | 9.99¢ | 33% |
| Corn Belt Energy Corporation | Cooperative | Bundled | 34,710 | 15.76¢ | 28% |
| Jo-Carroll Energy, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,227 | 19.79¢ | 27% |
| City of Geneseo - (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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 508 MW | 92% |
| Natural gas | 25 MW | 4% |
| Solar | 13 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Hill Energy LLC | SunEdison LLC | Wind | 200 MW | 2012 |
| Bishop Hill III | Invenergy Services LLC | Wind | 119 MW | 2018 |
| Midland Wind | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 106 MW | 2023 |
| Bishop Hill II Wind Farm | Bishop Hill Energy II, LLC | Wind | 81 MW | 2012 |
| Geneseo | City of Geneseo - (IL) | Natural gas | 34 MW | 1957 |
| IL - Nexamp Kewanee | Kewanee Renewables, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2026 |
Planned generation 3
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E 1300 Street Solar LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | HQCA Energy Solutions, LLC |
| Galva School | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Navisun LLC |
| USS Swank Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | USS Swank Solar LLC |
The Henry County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,972 | $52,235 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,242 | $81,171 | 1.68 |
| Electrical contractors | 416 | $101,599 | 4.13 |
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 Henry County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Henry County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide.
Henry County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Henry County, Rock Island 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County | 48,095 | ▼ 1.7% | 551 MW | 8 MW | — | — |
| Bureau County | 32,510 | ▼ 13.9% | 752 MW | 16 MW | — | — |
| Knox County | 47,767 | ▼ 2.4% | 16 MW | 5 MW | 1 | — |
| Mercer County | 15,229 | ▲ 1.0% | 10 MW | 42 MW | 1 | — |
| Rock Island County | 141,869 | ▼ 6.2% | 2,705 MW | — | — | — |
| Stark County | 5,319 | ▲ 19.5% | 154 MW | — | — | — |
| Whiteside County | 54,121 | ▼ 5.0% | 64 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
More of Illinois
Henry County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Henry County, Illinois?
5 utilities have service territory in Henry County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, MidAmerican Energy Co, Corn Belt Energy Corporation, Jo-Carroll Energy, Inc. The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Kewanee, IL in?
Kewanee is in Henry County, Illinois. About 12,115 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Henry County?
8 operating plants with 551 MW of capacity. The largest is Bishop Hill Energy LLC (200 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Henry County?
8 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 1 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is HQCA Energy Solutions, LLC.
Are there data centers in Henry County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Henry County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Mercer County.
Is Henry County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,972 jobs in 2025 against 14,209 in 2019 (-1.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,009 to 1,242.
Does Henry County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Henry County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.