Ohio County, Kentucky: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Beaver Dam and Hartford
Ohio County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Ohio County is home to Beaver Dam and Hartford. Next door, Breckinridge County has 300 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 197, up 9.4% since 2019. Its power plants have 509 MW of capacity, 100% of it coal. Employers here counted 7,304 jobs in 2025, down 5.3% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Ohio County
Ohio County is home to Beaver Dam and Hartford.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Pleasant Ridge, Rosine.
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 Ohio County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kentucky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 23,747 | 23,934 | ▲ 0.8% | 49th of 120 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,715 | 7,304 | ▼ 5.3% | 106th of 120 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,141 | $47,997 | ▲ 29.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 180 | 197 | ▲ 9.4% | 39th of 55 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Kentucky Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Ohio County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.85¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.21¢ median for Kentucky utilities. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. 23,934 people live here, up 0.8% since 2020.
Who powers Ohio County
Utilities with service territory in Ohio County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Utilities Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 450,673 | 11.85¢ | 32% |
| Warren Rural Elec Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 60,701 | 11.98¢ | 20% |
| Kenergy Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 47,292 | 15.15¢ | 6% |
| Meade County Rural E C C | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,248 | 14.27¢ | 10% |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 509 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D B Wilson | Big Rivers Electric Corp | Coal | 509 MW | 1984 |
The Ohio County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,304 | $47,997 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 197 | $57,066 | 0.51 |
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 Ohio County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ohio County. Kentucky has 44 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Breckinridge County, Butler County, Daviess County.
Ohio County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Ohio County, Muhlenberg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio County | 23,934 | ▼ 5.3% | 509 MW | — | — | — |
| Breckinridge County | 21,503 | ▲ 8.8% | — | 300 MW | — | 1 |
| Butler County | 12,520 | ▲ 2.9% | — | — | — | 2 |
| Daviess County | 104,898 | ▲ 3.7% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Grayson County | 27,406 | ▼ 8.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Hancock County | 9,050 | ▼ 11.5% | 176 MW | — | 1 | — |
| McLean County | 9,064 | ▼ 14.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Muhlenberg County | 30,634 | ▼ 3.8% | 1,854 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kentucky
Ohio County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ohio County, Kentucky?
4 utilities have service territory in Ohio County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Kentucky Utilities Co, Warren Rural Elec Coop Corp, Kenergy Corp, Meade County Rural E C C. The largest, Kentucky Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.85¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Ohio County?
1 operating plant with 509 MW of capacity. The largest is D B Wilson (509 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Ohio County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ohio County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Breckinridge County.
Is Ohio County adding jobs?
Employers counted 7,304 jobs in 2025 against 7,715 in 2019 (-5.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 180 to 197.
Does Ohio County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ohio County. Kentucky has 44 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.