Sangamon County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Springfield, Capital Township and Chatham
Sangamon County is where a large share of Illinois's next power plants are planned. Sangamon County is home to Springfield, Capital Township, Chatham and Woodside Township. 1,279 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by Lincoln Land Energy Center LLC (natural gas), the largest pipeline among Illinois's counties. 2 MW of it is already under construction or built. 895 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. 388 MW has retired here since 2019, including Dallman (coal, 388 MW, 2024). Its power plants have 1,313 MW of capacity, 45% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Sangamon County
Sangamon County is home to Springfield, Capital Township, Chatham and Woodside Township.
And 16 smaller places.
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 Sangamon County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 196,202 | 194,170 | ▼ 1.0% | 11th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 130,712 | 130,936 | ▲ 0.2% | 46th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $56,516 | $72,668 | ▲ 28.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,185 | 3,420 | ▲ 7.4% | 31st of 56 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 400 | 444 | ▲ 11.0% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 183 | 114 | ▼ 37.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 895 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 388 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,279 MW | 97% of today's fleet | 1st of 57 by size |
Construction employs 3,420, up 7.4% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 444, up 11.0% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $79,115 a year. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Sangamon County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 130,936 jobs in 2025, up 0.2% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 194,170 people live here, down 1.0% since 2020.
Who powers Sangamon County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +507 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Sangamon 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% |
| City of Springfield - (IL) | Municipal | Bundled | 59,621 | 11.95¢ | 60% |
| Shelby Electric Coop, Inc - (IL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,871 | 18.63¢ | 11% |
| Menard Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,048 | 18.05¢ | 18% |
| Village of Chatham - (IL) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Riverton - (IL) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rural Electric Conven Coop - (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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 593 MW | 45% |
| Wind | 302 MW | 23% |
| Coal | 230 MW | 18% |
| Natural gas | 139 MW | 11% |
| Petroleum | 50 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Back Diamond | Double Back Diamond Solar Power, LLC | Solar | 593 MW | 2024 |
| Lincoln Land Wind | Lincoln Land Wind, LLC | Wind | 302 MW | 2021 |
| Dallman | City of Springfield - (IL) | Coal | 230 MW | 2009 |
| Interstate | City of Springfield - (IL) | Natural gas | 139 MW | 1997 |
| Factory | City of Springfield - (IL) | Petroleum | 27 MW | 1973 |
| Reynolds | City of Springfield - (IL) | Petroleum | 18 MW | 1970 |
Planned generation 3
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Land Energy Center | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 638 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Lincoln Land Energy Center LLC |
| Lincoln Land Energy Center | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 638 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Lincoln Land Energy Center LLC |
| ILL060-Sangamon-Atchison | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pivot Energy |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallman | Coal | 388 MW | 2024 |
The Sangamon County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 130,936 | $72,668 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,420 | $76,675 | 0.49 |
| Electrical contractors | 444 | $79,115 | 0.47 |
| Electric utilities | 364 | $121,977 | 1.03 |
| Data processing and hosting | 114 | $85,124 | 0.28 |
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 Sangamon County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sangamon County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Logan County, Macon County.
Sangamon County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Sangamon County, Logan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sangamon County | 194,170 | ▲ 0.2% | 1,313 MW | 1,279 MW | — | — |
| Cass County | 12,463 | ▼ 17.8% | 156 MW | — | — | — |
| Christian County | 33,443 | ▼ 8.3% | 1,330 MW | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 27,182 | ▼ 15.3% | 726 MW | 204 MW | — | 1 |
| Macon County | 99,300 | ▼ 6.4% | 422 MW | 2 MW | 2 | 1 |
| Macoupin County | 43,748 | ▼ 3.6% | 226 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Menard County | 11,863 | ▲ 9.9% | — | 3 MW | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 28,076 | ▲ 0.8% | 56 MW | 10 MW | — | — |
| Morgan County | 32,515 | ▲ 0.1% | 183 MW | — | — | — |
More of Illinois
Sangamon County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sangamon County, Illinois?
7 utilities have service territory in Sangamon County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, City of Springfield - (IL), Shelby Electric Coop, Inc - (IL), Menard Electric Coop. The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Springfield, IL in?
Springfield is in Sangamon County, Illinois. About 112,989 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Capital Township, IL in?
Capital Township is in Sangamon County, Illinois. About 111,143 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Chatham, IL in?
Chatham is in Sangamon County, Illinois. About 14,579 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sangamon County?
7 operating plants with 1,313 MW of capacity. The largest is Double Back Diamond (593 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Sangamon County?
1,279 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 2 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Lincoln Land Energy Center LLC.
Are there data centers in Sangamon County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sangamon County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Logan County.
Is Sangamon County adding jobs?
Employers counted 130,936 jobs in 2025 against 130,712 in 2019 (+0.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,185 to 3,420.
Does Sangamon County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sangamon County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.