# Fairfield County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Violet Township, Lancaster and Pickerington

Fairfield County sits inside the data center build-out. Electrical contractors employ 836, up 108.0% since 2019 against up 37.0% statewide, at an average $111,847 a year. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Fairfield County. Construction employs 3,630, up 41.0% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Fairfield County is home to Violet Township, Lancaster, Pickerington and part of Columbus (11,742 of its 938,396 residents). 220 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by EDF Renewables Development, Inc. (solar), the 6th largest pipeline among Ohio's counties.

+108.0%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 836

3
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

220 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

## Cities and towns in Fairfield County

Fairfield County is home to Violet Township, Lancaster, Pickerington and part of Columbus (11,742 of its 938,396 residents).

Violet Township50,908 residents
Lancaster41,956 residents
Pickerington26,256 residents
Columbus11,742 residents · 1% of the city
Bloom Township11,490 residents
Liberty Township8,680 residents
Walnut Township7,051 residents
Pleasant Township6,441 residents
Greenfield Township5,954 residents
Berne Township5,177 residents
Hocking Township5,087 residents
Clearcreek Township4,165 residents
Rush Creek Township4,158 residents
Baltimore3,110 residents
Lithopolis2,920 residents
Amanda Township2,763 residents
Richland Township2,388 residents
Canal Winchester1,808 residents · 18% of the city
Madison Township1,803 residents
Bremen1,528 residents
Reynoldsburg1,226 residents · 3% of the city
Millersport1,008 residents
Pleasantville964 residents
Amanda680 residents

And 6 smaller places.
- Columbus also extends into [Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/franklin-county), [Delaware County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/delaware-county).
- Canal Winchester also extends into [Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/franklin-county).
- Reynoldsburg also extends into [Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/franklin-county), [Licking County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/licking-county).

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Fairfield Beach, Hamburg, Hide-A-Way Hills.

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 Fairfield County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 159,451 | 169,752 | ▲ 6.5% | 19th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 44,048 | 48,050 | ▲ 9.1% | 11th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,858 | $55,703 | ▲ 39.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,575 | 3,630 | ▲ 41.0% | 7th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 402 | 836 | ▲ 108.0% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4 | 12 | ▲ 200.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 220 MW | no fleet today | 6th of 22 by size |

Employers here counted 48,050 jobs in 2025, up 9.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Fairfield County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.33¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. 169,752 people live here, up 6.5% since 2020.

## Who powers Fairfield County

### Utilities with service territory in Fairfield County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,339,232 | 19.33¢ | 22% |
| Duke Energy Ohio Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 693,435 | 15.00¢ | 26% |
| South Central Power Company | Cooperative | Bundled | 117,469 | 14.87¢ | 14% |

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 Fairfield County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cottontail Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 220 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | EDF Renewables Development, Inc. |

## The Fairfield County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 48,050 | $55,703 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,630 | $85,880 | 1.43 |
| Electrical contractors | 836 | $111,847 | 2.41 |
| Power and communication line construction | 158 | $99,410 | 2.04 |
| Data processing and hosting | 12 | $103,778 | 0.08 |

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 Fairfield County

3 data centers in Fairfield County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Fairfield County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Fairfield County, Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield County | 169,752 | ▲ 9.1% | — | 220 MW | 3 | — |
| Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/franklin-county) | 1,361,536 | ▲ 3.4% | 15 MW | 400 MW | 56 | 1 |
| Hocking County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/hocking-county) | 27,512 | ▲ 14.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Licking County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/licking-county) | 185,564 | ▲ 18.7% | 3 MW | 350 MW | 32 | — |
| Perry County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/perry-county) | 35,918 | ▼ 5.1% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Pickaway County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/pickaway-county) | 62,978 | ▲ 18.5% | 764 MW | — | — | 1 |

## More of Ohio

[All Ohio countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio)[Franklin County1,361,536 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/franklin-county)[Licking County185,564 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/licking-county)[Pickaway County62,978 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/pickaway-county)[Perry County35,918 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/perry-county)[Hocking County27,512 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/hocking-county)

## Fairfield County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Fairfield County, Ohio?

3 utilities have service territory in Fairfield County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Power Co, Duke Energy Ohio Inc, South Central Power Company. The largest, Ohio Power Co, charged residential customers 19.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Violet Township, OH in?

Violet Township is in Fairfield County, Ohio. About 50,908 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Lancaster, OH in?

Lancaster is in Fairfield County, Ohio. About 41,956 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Pickerington, OH in?

Pickerington is in Fairfield County, Ohio. About 26,256 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

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

220 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is EDF Renewables Development, Inc..

### Are there data centers in Fairfield County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Fairfield County.

### Is Fairfield County adding jobs?

Employers counted 48,050 jobs in 2025 against 44,048 in 2019 (+9.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,575 to 3,630.

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

No county-level measure is on record for Fairfield County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/fairfield-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/).