Wabash County, Illinois: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mount Carmel
No data center or power plant project is on record in Wabash County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Wabash County is home to Mount Carmel. Next door, White County has 303 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving Wabash County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 3,339 jobs in 2025, down 1.4% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Wabash County
Wabash County is home to Mount Carmel.
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 Wabash County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 11,319 | 10,907 | ▼ 3.6% | 86th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,386 | 3,339 | ▼ 1.4% | 56th of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,713 | $54,836 | ▲ 41.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
10,907 people live here, down 3.6% since 2020.
Who powers Wabash County
Utilities with service territory in Wabash 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% |
| Norris Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,074 | 15.08¢ | 26% |
| Wayne-White Counties Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,957 | 16.58¢ | 21% |
| Mt Carmel Public Utility Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 4,327 | 19.13¢ | 18% |
| City of Allendale- (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.
No operating power plant is located in Wabash County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Wabash County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,339 | $54,836 | 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 Wabash County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wabash County. Illinois has 28 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Lawrence County.
Wabash County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Wabash County, Gibson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabash County | 10,907 | ▼ 1.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Edwards County | 5,898 | ▼ 27.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Gibson County IN | 33,091 | ▲ 2.1% | 3,540 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Knox County IN | 35,652 | ▼ 3.0% | 1,463 MW | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County | 13,790 | ▼ 11.7% | 9 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Richland County | 15,219 | ▼ 1.7% | 2 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| White County | 13,250 | ▼ 4.0% | 312 MW | 303 MW | — | — |
More of Illinois
Wabash County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wabash County, Illinois?
5 utilities have service territory in Wabash County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, Norris Electric Coop, Wayne-White Counties Elec Coop, Mt Carmel Public Utility Co. The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Wabash County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wabash County. The nearest activity on record is next door in White County.
Is Wabash County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,339 jobs in 2025 against 3,386 in 2019 (-1.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wabash County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wabash County. Illinois has 28 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.