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

Home to Carmi Township, Carmi and Indian Creek Township

White County is where a large share of Illinois's next power plants are planned. White County is home to Carmi Township, Carmi, Indian Creek Township and Enfield Township. 303 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by Vesper Energy Development LLC (solar), the 8th largest pipeline among Illinois's counties. 299 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. 3 MW has retired here since 2019, including Carmi (petroleum, 3 MW, 2019). Its power plants have 312 MW of capacity, 96% of it solar.

303 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

3 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

312 MW
of operating power plants, mostly solar

## Cities and towns in White County

White County is home to Carmi Township, Carmi, Indian Creek Township and Enfield Township.

Carmi Township6,003 residents
Carmi4,623 residents
Indian Creek Township2,055 residents
Enfield Township1,120 residents
Norris City1,083 residents
Phillips Township1,049 residents
Gray Township1,018 residents
Grayville835 residents · 56% of the city
Enfield771 residents
Crossville605 residents
Heralds Prairie Township595 residents
Mill Shoals Township592 residents
Burnt Prairie Township302 residents
Emma Township278 residents
Hawthorne Township238 residents
Mill Shoals167 residents
Springerton114 residents
Maunie91 residents
- Grayville also extends into [Edwards County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/edwards-county).

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 White County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,807 | 13,250 | ▼ 4.0% | 78th of 102 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,245 | 4,075 | ▼ 4.0% | 72nd of 102 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,929 | $49,505 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 299 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 3 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 303 MW | 97% of today's fleet | 8th of 57 by size |

Employers here counted 4,075 jobs in 2025, down 4.0% from 2019. Ameren Illinois Company is the largest utility serving White County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.26¢/kWh in 2024. 13,250 people live here, down 4.0% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019.

## Who powers White County

### Utilities with service territory in White 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% |
| Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,731 | 14.47¢ | 12% |
| Wayne-White Counties Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,957 | 16.58¢ | 21% |
| City of Carmi - (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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 299 MW | 96% |
| Petroleum | 13 MW | 4% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boomtown Renewable Energy Center | Union Electric Co - (MO) | Solar | 150 MW | 2024 |
| Big River Solar | Big River Solar, LLC | Solar | 149 MW | 2022 |
| Carmi | City of Carmi - (IL) | Petroleum | 13 MW | 1948 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Springs Renewable Energy (Hybrid) | Batteries | 150 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Meadow Springs Renewable Energy (Hybrid) | Solar Photovoltaic | 150 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Norris City 2 | Solar Photovoltaic | 3 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | Navisun LLC |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmi | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2019 |

## The White County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,075 | $49,505 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 136 | $75,678 | 0.63 |

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 White County

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

## White County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border White 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White County | 13,250 | ▼ 4.0% | 312 MW | 303 MW | — | — |
| Edwards County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/edwards-county) | 5,898 | ▼ 27.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Gallatin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/gallatin-county) | 4,616 | ▼ 22.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Gibson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/indiana/gibson-county) IN | 33,091 | ▲ 2.1% | 3,540 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Hamilton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/hamilton-county) | 7,859 | ▲ 3.0% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Posey County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/indiana/posey-county) IN | 24,988 | ▼ 2.5% | 946 MW | 250 MW | — | — |
| Wabash County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/wabash-county) | 10,907 | ▼ 1.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Wayne County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/wayne-county) | 15,882 | ▲ 2.4% | — | — | — | — |

## More of Illinois

[All Illinois countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois)[Wayne County15,882 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/wayne-county)[Wabash County10,907 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/wabash-county)[Hamilton County7,859 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/hamilton-county)[Edwards County5,898 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/edwards-county)[Gallatin County4,616 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/gallatin-county)

## White County, answered from the record

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

4 utilities have service territory in White County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ameren Illinois Company, Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc, Wayne-White Counties Elec Coop, City of Carmi - (IL). The largest, Ameren Illinois Company, charged residential customers 15.26¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in White County?

3 operating plants with 312 MW of capacity. The largest is Boomtown Renewable Energy Center (150 MW, solar).

### How much new power is planned in White County?

303 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Vesper Energy Development LLC.

### Are there data centers in White County?

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

### Is White County adding jobs?

Employers counted 4,075 jobs in 2025 against 4,245 in 2019 (-4.0%, BLS QCEW).

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

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

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/illinois/white-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/).