Menard County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Petersburg and Athens
Menard County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Menard County is home to Petersburg, Athens and Greenview. 3 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by ENGIE Distributed Renewables Development LLC (solar). 3 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Sangamon County has 1,279 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 1,858 jobs in 2025, up 9.9% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 102 Illinois counties). Construction employs 109, up 3.8% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Menard County
Menard County is home to Petersburg, Athens and Greenview.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lake Petersburg.
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 Menard County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 12,273 | 11,863 | ▼ 3.3% | 83rd of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,690 | 1,858 | ▲ 9.9% | 10th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $32,487 | $42,977 | ▲ 32.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 105 | 109 | ▲ 3.8% | 39th of 56 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 3 MW | no fleet today | 50th of 57 by size |
Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Menard County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. 11,863 people live here, down 3.3% since 2020.
Who powers Menard County
Utilities with service territory in Menard 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% |
| Menard Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,048 | 18.05¢ | 18% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Menard County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menard 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | ENGIE Distributed Renewables Development LLC |
The Menard County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,858 | $42,977 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 109 | $55,824 | 1.11 |
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 Menard County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Menard County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Logan County.
Menard County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Menard County, Sangamon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menard County | 11,863 | ▲ 9.9% | — | 3 MW | — | — |
| Cass County | 12,463 | ▼ 17.8% | 156 MW | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 27,182 | ▼ 15.3% | 726 MW | 204 MW | — | 1 |
| Mason County | 12,411 | ▼ 6.2% | 412 MW | — | — | — |
| Sangamon County | 194,170 | ▲ 0.2% | 1,313 MW | 1,279 MW | — | — |
More of Illinois
Menard County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Menard County, Illinois?
2 utilities have service territory in Menard County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, Menard Electric Coop. The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
How much new power is planned in Menard County?
3 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 3 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is ENGIE Distributed Renewables Development LLC.
Are there data centers in Menard County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Menard County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Sangamon County.
Is Menard County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,858 jobs in 2025 against 1,690 in 2019 (+9.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 105 to 109.
Does Menard County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Menard County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.