Tazewell County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Pekin, Pekin Township and Washington Township
Tazewell County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Tazewell County is home to Pekin, Pekin Township, Washington Township and East Peoria. The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (1 in force); the latest is “Tazewell County Board, IL data center moratorium”. 20 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Dimension Energy LLC (solar). 20 MW of it is already under construction or built. Its power plants have 1,897 MW of capacity, 94% of it coal, the 7th largest fleet in Illinois. Electrical contractors employ 627, up 8.3% since 2019 against up 3.9% statewide, at an average $84,631 a year.
Cities and towns in Tazewell County
Tazewell County is home to Pekin, Pekin Township, Washington Township and East Peoria.
And 12 smaller places.
- Goodfield also extends into Woodford County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Heritage Lake.
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 Tazewell County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 131,300 | 130,049 | ▼ 1.0% | 16th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 47,931 | 46,709 | ▼ 2.5% | 63rd of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,993 | $57,455 | ▲ 27.7% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 579 | 627 | ▲ 8.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 9 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 20 MW | 1% of today's fleet | 26th of 57 by size |
9 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 46,709 jobs in 2025, down 2.5% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Tazewell County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. 130,049 people live here, down 1.0% since 2020.
Who powers Tazewell County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +9 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Tazewell 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% |
| Corn Belt Energy Corporation | Cooperative | Bundled | 34,710 | 15.76¢ | 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.
Operating power plants 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,786 MW | 94% |
| Wind | 100 MW | 5% |
| Solar | 9 MW | 0% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerton | Midwest Generations EME LLC | Coal | 1,786 MW | 1972 |
| Rail Splitter Wind Farm | Rail Splitter Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 100 MW | 2009 |
| Tazewell Gas Recovery | WM Illinois Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 1989 |
| Pearl St Solar 1, LLC | SREOG IL Partnership 1, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2023 |
| Sand Prairie Solar | DG Sand Prairie, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2024 |
| Tazewell County IL S1 | SolAmerica Energy, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon's Breath Solar LLC PV | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Dragon's Breath Solar LLC PV |
| Cincinnati CSG 1 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Dimension Energy LLC |
| Cincinnati CSG 2 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Dimension Energy LLC |
| Fast Ave Solar LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Dimension Energy LLC |
The Tazewell County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 46,709 | $57,455 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 627 | $84,631 | 1.86 |
| Data processing and hosting | 17 | $68,373 | 0.12 |
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 Tazewell County
Local measures 2
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tazewell County Board, IL data center moratorium | In force | 2026-05 | |
| Proposed county moratorium on data centers | Proposed | — |
Tazewell County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Tazewell County, Woodford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tazewell County | 130,049 | ▼ 2.5% | 1,897 MW | 20 MW | — | 2 |
| Fulton County | 32,901 | ▲ 4.6% | 156 MW | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 27,182 | ▼ 15.3% | 726 MW | 204 MW | — | 1 |
| Mason County | 12,411 | ▼ 6.2% | 412 MW | — | — | — |
| McLean County | 171,419 | ▲ 5.8% | 796 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
| Peoria County | 178,553 | ▼ 2.2% | 47 MW | 11 MW | 2 | — |
| Woodford County | 38,111 | ▲ 12.6% | 200 MW | 428 MW | — | 1 |
More of Illinois
Tazewell County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Tazewell County, Illinois?
3 utilities have service territory in Tazewell County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, Corn Belt Energy Corporation, Menard Electric Coop. The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Pekin, IL in?
Pekin is in Tazewell County, Illinois. About 31,277 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Pekin Township, IL in?
Pekin Township is in Tazewell County, Illinois. About 27,057 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Washington Township, IL in?
Washington Township is in Tazewell County, Illinois. About 24,235 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Tazewell County?
8 operating plants with 1,897 MW of capacity. The largest is Powerton (1,786 MW, coal).
How much new power is planned in Tazewell County?
20 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 20 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Dimension Energy LLC.
Are there data centers in Tazewell County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Tazewell County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Woodford County.
Is Tazewell County adding jobs?
Employers counted 46,709 jobs in 2025 against 47,931 in 2019 (-2.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Tazewell County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Tazewell County, 1 in force.