Licking County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Newark, Etna Township and Pataskala
Licking County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. Construction employs 5,764, up 98.6% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 32 data centers in Licking County, 17% of Ohio's total. Licking County is home to Newark, Etna Township, Pataskala and part of Reynoldsburg (11,108 of its 43,350 residents). 4 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including Meta New Albany Data Center (Socrates South / AEP substation dispute) (250 MW). 350 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Leeward Asset Management, LLC (solar), the 2nd largest pipeline among Ohio's counties.
Cities and towns in Licking County
Licking County is home to Newark, Etna Township, Pataskala and part of Reynoldsburg (11,108 of its 43,350 residents).
And 16 smaller places.
- Reynoldsburg also extends into Franklin County, Fairfield County.
- New Albany also extends into Franklin County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Beechwood Trails, Brownsville, Etna, Granville South, Harbor Hills, Jacksontown, Jersey, Marne.
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 Licking County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 178,786 | 185,564 | ▲ 3.8% | 16th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 63,633 | 75,544 | ▲ 18.7% | 2nd of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,440 | $61,481 | ▲ 41.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,903 | 5,764 | ▲ 98.6% | 3rd of 51 by growth |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 369 | 645 | ▲ 74.8% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 173 | 202 | ▲ 16.8% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11 | 145 | ▲ 1218.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 350 MW | 10294% of today's fleet | 2nd of 22 by size |
Employers here counted 75,544 jobs in 2025, up 18.7% from 2019 (the 2nd fastest growth of 88 Ohio counties). 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Its power plants have 3 MW of capacity, 56% of it solar. Electrical contractors employ 1,143, at an average $79,245 a year. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Licking County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.33¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. 185,564 people live here, up 3.8% since 2020.
Who powers Licking County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Licking 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% |
| Licking Rural Electric Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 25,820 | 16.88¢ | 7% |
| Consolidated Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 16,897 | 16.11¢ | 24% |
| Guernsey-Muskingum El Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,289 | 18.00¢ | 19% |
| Frontier Power Company | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 2 MW | 56% |
| Natural gas | 2 MW | 44% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denison Solar Array | Onsite Partners, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
| Kroger | Onsite Partners Projectco, LLC | Natural gas | 2 MW | 2022 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 350 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Leeward Asset Management, LLC |
The Licking County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 75,544 | $61,481 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 5,764 | $89,895 | 1.44 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,143 | $79,245 | 2.10 |
| Power and communication line construction | 645 | $112,313 | 5.29 |
| Electric utilities | 202 | $107,710 | 0.99 |
| Data processing and hosting | 145 | $228,932 | 0.62 |
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 Licking County
32 data centers in Licking County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 4
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta New Albany Data Center (Socrates South / AEP substation dispute) | regulatory approval pending | 250 MW | ||
| Aligned Data Centers Pataskala facility | delayed | 200 MW | ||
| Microsoft New Albany / Heath / Hebron Licking County data center campuses | delayed | — | ||
| Microsoft Licking County Data Center (construction paused) | construction paused | — |
Licking County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Licking 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licking County | 185,564 | ▲ 18.7% | 3 MW | 350 MW | 32 | — |
| Coshocton County | 37,188 | ▼ 3.4% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Delaware County | 242,032 | ▲ 11.4% | 1 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Fairfield County | 169,752 | ▲ 9.1% | — | 220 MW | 3 | — |
| Franklin County | 1,361,536 | ▲ 3.4% | 15 MW | 400 MW | 56 | 1 |
| Knox County | 64,002 | ● 0.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Muskingum County | 87,014 | ▲ 7.6% | 678 MW | — | — | — |
| Perry County | 35,918 | ▼ 5.1% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
More of Ohio
Licking County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Licking County, Ohio?
7 utilities have service territory in Licking County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Power Co, Duke Energy Ohio Inc, South Central Power Company, Licking Rural Electric Inc. The largest, Ohio Power Co, charged residential customers 19.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Newark, OH in?
Newark is in Licking County, Ohio. About 51,473 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Etna Township, OH in?
Etna Township is in Licking County, Ohio. About 20,136 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Pataskala, OH in?
Pataskala is in Licking County, Ohio. About 18,529 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Licking County?
2 operating plants with 3 MW of capacity. The largest is Denison Solar Array (2 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Licking County?
350 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Leeward Asset Management, LLC.
Are there data centers in Licking County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 32 data centers in Licking County.
Is Licking County adding jobs?
Employers counted 75,544 jobs in 2025 against 63,633 in 2019 (+18.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,903 to 5,764.
Does Licking County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Licking County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.