Lake County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mentor, Willoughby and Painesville
Lake County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Lake County. Lake County is home to Mentor, Willoughby, Painesville and Painesville Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (2 in force); the latest is “12-month data center moratorium”. Unemployment was 1.6% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,367 MW of capacity, 96% of it nuclear, the 8th largest fleet in Ohio.
Cities and towns in Lake County
Lake County is home to Mentor, Willoughby, Painesville and Painesville Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): North Madison.
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 Lake County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 232,517 | 232,217 | ▼ 0.1% | 12th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 97,465 | 99,690 | ▲ 2.3% | 36th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,724 | $61,587 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22 | 52 | ▲ 136.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 1.6% | ▼ 2.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 32 MW | — |
32 MW has retired here since 2019, including FirstEnergy Eastlake (petroleum, 32 MW, 2020). Employers here counted 99,690 jobs in 2025, up 2.3% from 2019. Cleveland Electric Illum Co is the largest utility serving Lake County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.76¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. 232,217 people live here, down 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Lake County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −32 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lake County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Electric Illum Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 676,098 | 16.76¢ | 24% |
| City of Painesville | Municipal | Bundled | 10,832 | 12.75¢ | 39% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 1,312 MW | 96% |
| Coal | 54 MW | 4% |
| Petroleum | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry | Energy Harbor Nuclear Generation LLC | Nuclear | 1,312 MW | 1987 |
| Painesville | City of Painesville - (OH) | Coal | 56 MW | 1949 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| FirstEnergy Eastlake | Petroleum | 32 MW | 2020 |
The Lake County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 99,690 | $61,587 | 1.00 |
| Data processing and hosting | 52 | $110,021 | 0.17 |
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 Lake County
1 data center in Lake County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 2
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-month data center moratorium | In force | 2026-05 | |
| Painesville Township Trustees (Lake County), OH data center moratorium | In force | 2026-05 |
Lake County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border Lake County, Cuyahoga 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 232,217 | ▲ 2.3% | 1,367 MW | — | 1 | 2 |
| Ashtabula County | 96,713 | ▼ 5.2% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Cuyahoga County | 1,232,925 | ▼ 5.4% | 178 MW | 16 MW | 26 | — |
| Geauga County | 95,676 | ▲ 2.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Ohio
Lake County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lake County, Ohio?
2 utilities have service territory in Lake County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Cleveland Electric Illum Co, City of Painesville. The largest, Cleveland Electric Illum Co, charged residential customers 16.76¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Mentor, OH in?
Mentor is in Lake County, Ohio. About 47,010 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Willoughby, OH in?
Willoughby is in Lake County, Ohio. About 24,234 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Painesville, OH in?
Painesville is in Lake County, Ohio. About 20,660 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lake County?
2 operating plants with 1,367 MW of capacity. The largest is Perry (1,312 MW, nuclear).
Are there data centers in Lake County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Lake County.
Is Lake County adding jobs?
Employers counted 99,690 jobs in 2025 against 97,465 in 2019 (+2.3%, BLS QCEW).
Does Lake County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Lake County, 2 in force.