Ashtabula County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Ashtabula Township, Ashtabula and Conneaut
Ashtabula 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. Ashtabula County is home to Ashtabula Township, Ashtabula, Conneaut and Geneva Township. Unemployment was 1.7% in August 2026, against 4.6% in 2019. Next door, Lake County has 1 data center. Construction employs 1,088, down 5.7% since 2019. Employers here counted 29,106 jobs in 2025, down 5.2% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Ashtabula County
Ashtabula County is home to Ashtabula Township, Ashtabula, Conneaut and Geneva Township.
And 13 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Austinburg, Edgewood, Kingsville, Saybrook-on-the-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 Ashtabula County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 97,497 | 96,713 | ▼ 0.8% | 28th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 30,716 | 29,106 | ▼ 5.2% | 78th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,158 | $49,585 | ▲ 29.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,154 | 1,088 | ▼ 5.7% | 45th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.6% | 1.7% | ▼ 2.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 30 MW of capacity, 87% of it natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 110, at an average $56,870 a year. Ohio Edison Co is the largest utility serving Ashtabula County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.18¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. 96,713 people live here, down 0.8% since 2020.
Who powers Ashtabula County
Utilities with service territory in Ashtabula County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 957,780 | 16.18¢ | 18% |
| Cleveland Electric Illum Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 676,098 | 16.76¢ | 24% |
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 | 26 MW | 87% |
| Other technologies | 4 MW | 13% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula | DTE Ashtabula, LLC | Natural gas | 26 MW | 2001 |
| Geneva | WM Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2013 |
The Ashtabula County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 29,106 | $49,585 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,088 | $66,169 | 0.71 |
| Electrical contractors | 110 | $56,870 | 0.52 |
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 Ashtabula County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ashtabula County. Ohio has 105 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Lake County, Trumbull County.
Ashtabula County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Ashtabula County, Trumbull 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula County | 96,713 | ▼ 5.2% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Crawford County PA | 81,792 | ▼ 3.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Erie County PA | 265,832 | ▼ 1.6% | 41 MW | — | — | — |
| Geauga County | 95,676 | ▲ 2.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Lake County | 232,217 | ▲ 2.3% | 1,367 MW | — | 1 | 2 |
| Trumbull County | 198,972 | ▲ 1.9% | 1,991 MW | — | — | 4 |
More of Ohio
Ashtabula County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ashtabula County, Ohio?
2 utilities have service territory in Ashtabula County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Edison Co, Cleveland Electric Illum Co. The largest, Ohio Edison Co, charged residential customers 16.18¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Ashtabula Township, OH in?
Ashtabula Township is in Ashtabula County, Ohio. About 19,109 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Ashtabula, OH in?
Ashtabula is in Ashtabula County, Ohio. About 17,474 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Conneaut, OH in?
Conneaut is in Ashtabula County, Ohio. About 12,247 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Ashtabula County?
2 operating plants with 30 MW of capacity. The largest is Ashtabula (26 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Ashtabula County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ashtabula County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lake County.
Is Ashtabula County adding jobs?
Employers counted 29,106 jobs in 2025 against 30,716 in 2019 (-5.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,154 to 1,088.
Does Ashtabula County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ashtabula County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.