Medina County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Brunswick and Medina, and the communities of Valley City
Medina County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Medina County. Medina County is home to Brunswick, Medina, Wadsworth and Montville Township, plus the unincorporated community of Valley City. Unemployment was 1.5% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 368, up 12.5% since 2019 against up 37.0% statewide, at an average $76,083 a year. 30 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.
Cities and towns in Medina County
Medina County is home to Brunswick, Medina, Wadsworth and Montville Township, plus the unincorporated community of Valley City.
And 4 smaller places.
- Rittman also extends into Wayne County.
- Creston also extends into Wayne County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Valley City, Sharon Center.
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 Medina County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 182,636 | 185,025 | ▲ 1.3% | 17th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 61,330 | 63,249 | ▲ 3.1% | 29th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,572 | $60,308 | ▲ 35.3% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 327 | 368 | ▲ 12.5% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 33 | 14 | ▼ 57.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 1.5% | ▼ 2.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 30 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 36 MW of capacity, 75% of it petroleum. Employers here counted 63,249 jobs in 2025, up 3.1% from 2019. Ohio Edison Co is the largest utility serving Medina County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.18¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. 185,025 people live here, up 1.3% since 2020.
Who powers Medina County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +30 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Medina 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% |
| Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,234 | 17.26¢ | 14% |
| City of Wadsworth - (OH) | Municipal | Bundled | 12,180 | 11.99¢ | 32% |
| Village of Lodi - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seville Board of Public Affairs | — | — | — | — | — |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 27 MW | 75% |
| Solar | 9 MW | 25% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadsworth HBS RTO BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 11 MW | 2020 |
| Wadsworth IPS RTO BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 11 MW | 2023 |
| DG AMP 1048 Wadsworth | DG AMP Solar, LLC | Solar | 6 MW | 2019 |
| Seville | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2001 |
| DG AMP Rittman Rd | DG AMP Solar, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2020 |
The Medina County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 63,249 | $60,308 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 368 | $76,083 | 0.81 |
| Electric utilities | 56 | $123,385 | 0.33 |
| Data processing and hosting | 14 | $95,511 | 0.07 |
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 Medina County
2 data centers in Medina County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Medina County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Medina 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medina County | 185,025 | ▲ 3.1% | 36 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Ashland County | 52,523 | ▼ 3.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Cuyahoga County | 1,232,925 | ▼ 5.4% | 178 MW | 16 MW | 26 | — |
| Lorain County | 323,219 | ▲ 0.8% | 577 MW | — | — | — |
| Summit County | 538,376 | ▼ 2.8% | 20 MW | — | 7 | — |
| Wayne County | 116,758 | ▼ 2.4% | 95 MW | — | — | — |
More of Ohio
Medina County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Medina County, Ohio?
6 utilities have service territory in Medina County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Edison Co, Cleveland Electric Illum Co, Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc, City of Wadsworth - (OH). The largest, Ohio Edison Co, charged residential customers 16.18¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Brunswick, OH in?
Brunswick is in Medina County, Ohio. About 35,114 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Medina, OH in?
Medina is in Medina County, Ohio. About 25,692 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Wadsworth, OH in?
Wadsworth is in Medina County, Ohio. About 24,720 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Medina County?
5 operating plants with 36 MW of capacity. The largest is Wadsworth HBS RTO BTM (11 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Medina County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Medina County.
Is Medina County adding jobs?
Employers counted 63,249 jobs in 2025 against 61,330 in 2019 (+3.1%, BLS QCEW).
Does Medina County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Medina County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.