Kane County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Aurora Township, Aurora and Elgin Township
Kane County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Kane County is home to Aurora Township, most of Aurora (110,937 of its 181,505 residents), Elgin Township and most of Elgin (90,821 of its 115,476 residents). 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including South Elgin Data Center (Whiterose Partners / Kenyon Brothers) (48 MW). 17 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by SV CSG Sun Trust Solar, LLC (solar). 12 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 12,492, up 11.3% since 2019. 28 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Kane County
Kane County is home to Aurora Township, most of Aurora (110,937 of its 181,505 residents), Elgin Township and most of Elgin (90,821 of its 115,476 residents).
And 16 smaller places.
- Aurora also extends into DuPage County, Will County, Kendall County.
- Elgin also extends into Cook County.
- St. Charles also extends into DuPage County.
- Montgomery also extends into Kendall County.
- Algonquin also extends into McHenry County.
- Huntley also extends into McHenry County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Prestbury.
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 Kane County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 516,364 | 525,757 | ▲ 1.8% | 5th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 212,839 | 213,552 | ▲ 0.3% | 44th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $50,416 | $65,029 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,228 | 12,492 | ▲ 11.3% | 28th of 56 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,466 | 1,482 | ▲ 1.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 28 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 17 MW | 3% of today's fleet | 31st of 57 by size |
Its power plants have 496 MW of capacity, 92% of it natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 1,482, up 1.1% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $91,284 a year. Commonwealth Edison Co is the largest utility serving Kane County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.22¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. Employers here counted 213,552 jobs in 2025, up 0.3% from 2019. 525,757 people live here, up 1.8% since 2020, 5th of 102 Illinois counties by population.
Who powers Kane County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +28 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Kane 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% |
| City of St Charles - (IL) | Municipal | Bundled | 14,181 | 15.37¢ | 36% |
| City of Batavia - (IL) | Municipal | Bundled | 10,020 | 14.08¢ | 32% |
| City of Geneva- (IL) | Municipal | Bundled | 8,691 | 11.03¢ | 35% |
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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 457 MW | 92% |
| Solar | 28 MW | 6% |
| Other technologies | 11 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRP Rocky Road LLC | Lincoln Operating Services, LLC | Natural gas | 416 MW | 1999 |
| Geneva Generation Facility | City of Geneva - (IL) | Natural gas | 30 MW | 2005 |
| Hoffer Plastics | Hoffer Plastics | Natural gas | 7 MW | 1992 |
| Settlers Hill Gas Recovery | WM Illinois Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 6 MW | 1988 |
| ILSOLAR05 LLC | Dimension Energy LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2025 |
| KN07 | Generate Capital | Solar | 5 MW | 2026 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SV CSG Sun Trust Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | SV CSG Sun Trust Solar, LLC |
| SV CSG Wilson School Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | SV CSG Wilson School Solar, LLC |
| KN216 | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Generate Capital |
| Aurora 7-SLCHI307 | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Prologis Logistics Services Incorporated |
The Kane County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 213,552 | $65,029 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 12,492 | $93,514 | 1.10 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,482 | $91,284 | 0.96 |
| Data processing and hosting | 40 | $107,891 | 0.06 |
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 Kane County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Elgin Data Center (Whiterose Partners / Kenyon Brothers) | opposed effectively stalled | 48 MW |
Kane County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Kane County, Cook 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kane County | 525,757 | ▲ 0.3% | 496 MW | 17 MW | — | — |
| Cook County | 5,194,625 | ▼ 0.5% | 1,364 MW | 35 MW | 122 | — |
| DeKalb County | 101,835 | ▼ 1.4% | 306 MW | 100 MW | 5 | — |
| DuPage County | 934,298 | ▲ 1.8% | 1,107 MW | 14 MW | 57 | — |
| Kendall County | 145,470 | ▲ 6.3% | 1,266 MW | — | 3 | — |
| McHenry County | 317,751 | ▲ 0.8% | 89 MW | 17 MW | — | 1 |
| Will County | 712,253 | ▲ 7.8% | 6,936 MW | 17 MW | 1 | — |
More of Illinois
Kane County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Kane County, Illinois?
4 utilities have service territory in Kane County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Commonwealth Edison Co, City of St Charles - (IL), City of Batavia - (IL), City of Geneva- (IL). The largest, Commonwealth Edison Co, charged residential customers 15.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Aurora Township, IL in?
Aurora Township is in Kane County, Illinois. About 127,446 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Aurora, IL in?
Most of Aurora is in Kane County: 110,937 of its 181,505 residents, or 61%. The rest of the city lies in DuPage County, Will County, Kendall County.
What county is Elgin Township, IL in?
Elgin Township is in Kane County, Illinois. About 106,210 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Kane County?
15 operating plants with 496 MW of capacity. The largest is MRP Rocky Road LLC (416 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Kane County?
17 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 12 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is SV CSG Sun Trust Solar, LLC.
Are there data centers in Kane County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Kane County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cook County.
Is Kane County adding jobs?
Employers counted 213,552 jobs in 2025 against 212,839 in 2019 (+0.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 11,228 to 12,492.
Does Kane County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Kane County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.