# Pope County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

No data center or power plant project is on record in Pope County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Pope County is home to Golconda. Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 7.7% in 2019. Next door, Massac County has 1 data center. Employers here counted 432 jobs in 2025, down 9.1% from 2019. Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Pope County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.47¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.22¢ median for Illinois utilities.

-9.1%
total jobs since 2019, now 432

14.47¢
per kWh for Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc residential customers, 2024

3,672
residents, 2025

## Cities and towns in Pope County

Pope County is home to Golconda.

Golconda618 residents
Eddyville96 residents

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 Pope County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,755 | 3,672 | ▼ 2.2% | 101st of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 475 | 432 | ▼ 9.1% | 89th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $28,713 | $40,767 | ▲ 42.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 7.7% | 5.3% | ▼ 2.4pts | — |

3,672 people live here, down 2.2% since 2020.

## Who powers Pope County

### Utilities with service territory in Pope County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,731 | 14.47¢ | 12% |
| Southern Illinois Elec Coop | — | — | — | — | — |

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 Pope County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.

## The Pope County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 432 | $40,767 | 1.00 |

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 Pope County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pope County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide.

## Pope County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Pope County, Williamson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County | 3,672 | ▼ 9.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Hardin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/hardin-county) | 3,588 | ▲ 21.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Johnson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/johnson-county) | 13,363 | ▲ 17.2% | — | 36 MW | — | — |
| Livingston County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/livingston-county) KY | 8,863 | ▲ 35.9% | 76 MW | — | — | — |
| Massac County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/massac-county) | 13,502 | ▼ 7.3% | — | 2 MW | 1 | — |
| Saline County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/saline-county) | 22,772 | ▲ 7.0% | 270 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Williamson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/williamson-county) | 67,225 | ▲ 4.7% | 266 MW | 12 MW | — | — |

## More of Illinois

[All Illinois countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois)[Williamson County67,225 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/williamson-county)[Saline County22,772 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/saline-county)[Massac County13,502 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/massac-county)[Johnson County13,363 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/johnson-county)[Hardin County3,588 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/hardin-county)

## Pope County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Pope County, Illinois?

2 utilities have service territory in Pope County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc, Southern Illinois Elec Coop. The largest, Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 14.47¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### Are there data centers in Pope County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pope County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Massac County.

### Is Pope County adding jobs?

Employers counted 432 jobs in 2025 against 475 in 2019 (-9.1%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Pope County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Pope County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

---
Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/pope-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).