# Erie County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Sandusky, Perkins Township and Huron Township The data center boom is not abstract in Erie County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Erie County. Erie County is home to Sandusky, Perkins Township, Huron Township and Huron. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 4.9% in 2019. 125 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 127 MW of capacity, 98% of it solar. 3 data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map 127 MW of operating power plants, mostly solar 16.18¢ per kWh for Ohio Edison Co residential customers, 2024 ## Cities and towns in Erie County Erie County is home to Sandusky, Perkins Township, Huron Township and Huron. Sandusky24,001 residents Perkins Township12,302 residents Huron Township10,438 residents Huron6,585 residents Margaretta Township5,385 residents Vermilion Township4,741 residents Vermilion4,541 residents · 42% of the city Milan Township3,473 residents Berlin Township3,390 residents Florence Township2,362 residents Groton Township1,298 residents Oxford Township1,100 residents Milan978 residents · 73% of the city Castalia744 residents Berlin Heights679 residents Bay View588 residents Kelleys Island263 residents - Vermilion also extends into [Lorain County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/lorain-county). - Milan also extends into [Huron County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/huron-county). Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Beulah Beach, Birmingham, Bloomingville, Crystal Rock, Mitiwanga, Whites Landing. 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 Erie County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 75,471 | 73,296 | ▼ 2.9% | 35th of 88 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 36,615 | 36,374 | ▼ 0.7% | 53rd of 88 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,949 | $52,123 | ▲ 30.5% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.9% | 3.5% | ▼ 1.4pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 125 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Electrical contractors employ 311, at an average $93,180 a year. Ohio Edison Co is the largest utility serving Erie County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.18¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. Employers here counted 36,374 jobs in 2025, down 0.7% from 2019. 73,296 people live here, down 2.9% since 2020. ## Who powers Erie County ### Utilities with service territory in Erie 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% | | Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,234 | 17.26¢ | 14% | | Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,307 | 17.05¢ | 29% | | Village of Milan - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — | 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 | 125 MW | 98% | | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Wheatsborough Solar | Wheatsborough Solar, LLC | Solar | 125 MW | 2025 | | North American - Erie Generating Station | North American -- Erie, LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2010 | ## The Erie County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 36,374 | $52,123 | 1.00 | | Electrical contractors | 311 | $93,180 | 1.19 | 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 Erie County 3 data centers in Erie County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map. ## Erie County and its neighbors Of the 4 counties that border Erie County, Huron 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Erie County | 73,296 | ▼ 0.7% | 127 MW | — | 3 | — | | Huron County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/huron-county) | 58,250 | ▲ 0.1% | 6 MW | 297 MW | 1 | — | | Lorain County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/lorain-county) | 323,219 | ▲ 0.8% | 577 MW | — | — | — | | Ottawa County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/ottawa-county) | 39,481 | ▲ 3.1% | 931 MW | — | — | — | | Sandusky County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/sandusky-county) | 58,655 | ▼ 4.4% | 760 MW | — | — | — | ## More of Ohio [All Ohio countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio)[Lorain County323,219 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/lorain-county)[Sandusky County58,655 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/sandusky-county)[Huron County58,250 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/huron-county)[Ottawa County39,481 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/ottawa-county) ## Erie County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Erie County, Ohio? 4 utilities have service territory in Erie County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Edison Co, Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc, Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc, Village of Milan - (OH). The largest, Ohio Edison Co, charged residential customers 16.18¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What county is Sandusky, OH in? Sandusky is in Erie County, Ohio. About 24,001 people live there (2025 Census estimate). ### What county is Perkins Township, OH in? Perkins Township is in Erie County, Ohio. About 12,302 people live there (2025 Census estimate). ### What county is Huron Township, OH in? Huron Township is in Erie County, Ohio. About 10,438 people live there (2025 Census estimate). ### What power plants are in Erie County? 2 operating plants with 127 MW of capacity. The largest is Wheatsborough Solar (125 MW, solar). ### Are there data centers in Erie County? Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Erie County. ### Is Erie County adding jobs? Employers counted 36,374 jobs in 2025 against 36,615 in 2019 (-0.7%, BLS QCEW). ### Does Erie County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Erie County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/erie-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/).