Shelby County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Shelbyville, Shelbyville Township and Moweaqua Township
Shelby County hosts some of the generating capacity Illinois runs on. Electrical contractors employ 15, up 114.3% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $54,603 a year. Shelby County is home to Shelbyville, Shelbyville Township, Moweaqua Township and Rose Township. 250 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Strata Clean Energy (solar), the 10th largest pipeline among Illinois's counties. Next door, Coles County has 300 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 200, up 13.6% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Shelby County
Shelby County is home to Shelbyville, Shelbyville Township, Moweaqua Township and Rose Township.
And 12 smaller places.
- Pana also extends into Christian County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lakewood, Westervelt.
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 Shelby County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 20,921 | 20,576 | ▼ 1.6% | 56th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,119 | 4,919 | ▼ 3.9% | 70th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,113 | $50,258 | ▲ 35.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 176 | 200 | ▲ 13.6% | 25th of 56 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7 | 15 | ▲ 114.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 3.1% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 250 MW | 21% of today's fleet | 10th of 57 by size |
Its power plants have 1,185 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 4,919 jobs in 2025, down 3.9% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Shelby County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. 20,576 people live here, down 1.6% since 2020.
Who powers Shelby County
Utilities with service territory in Shelby 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% |
| Southwestern Electric Coop Inc - (IL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 24,822 | 13.68¢ | 17% |
| Norris Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,074 | 15.08¢ | 26% |
| Shelby Electric Coop, Inc - (IL) | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,871 | 18.63¢ | 11% |
| Coles-Moultrie Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 8,456 | 17.14¢ | 25% |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,185 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland Energy Facility | NAES Corporation - (WA) | Natural gas | 702 MW | 2002 |
| Shelby Energy County | Shelby County Energy Center, LLC | Natural gas | 483 MW | 2000 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Oak Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 250 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Strata Clean Energy |
The Shelby County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,919 | $50,258 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 200 | $52,485 | 0.77 |
| Electrical contractors | 15 | $54,603 | 0.42 |
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 Shelby County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Shelby County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Macon County.
Shelby County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Shelby County, Coles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County | 20,576 | ▼ 3.9% | 1,185 MW | 250 MW | — | — |
| Christian County | 33,443 | ▼ 8.3% | 1,330 MW | — | — | — |
| Coles County | 46,607 | ▲ 0.2% | 301 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Cumberland County | 10,208 | ▲ 1.3% | 274 MW | — | — | — |
| Effingham County | 34,519 | ▲ 5.3% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Fayette County | 20,790 | ▼ 9.7% | 101 MW | 119 MW | — | — |
| Macon County | 99,300 | ▼ 6.4% | 422 MW | 2 MW | 2 | 1 |
| Montgomery County | 28,076 | ▲ 0.8% | 56 MW | 10 MW | — | — |
| Moultrie County | 14,371 | ▼ 1.0% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
More of Illinois
Shelby County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Shelby County, Illinois?
5 utilities have service territory in Shelby County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, Southwestern Electric Coop Inc - (IL), Norris Electric Coop, Shelby Electric Coop, Inc - (IL). The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Shelby County?
2 operating plants with 1,185 MW of capacity. The largest is Holland Energy Facility (702 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Shelby County?
250 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Strata Clean Energy.
Are there data centers in Shelby County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Shelby County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Coles County.
Is Shelby County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,919 jobs in 2025 against 5,119 in 2019 (-3.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 176 to 200.
Does Shelby County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Shelby County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.