Paulding County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Paulding Township, Paulding and Carryall Township
No data center or power plant project is on record in Paulding County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Paulding County is home to Paulding Township, Paulding, Carryall Township and Brown Township. Next door, Allen County, Indiana, has 6 data centers. 325 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Employers here counted 5,160 jobs in 2025, up 9.0% from 2019. Its power plants have 634 MW of capacity, 91% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Paulding County
Paulding County is home to Paulding Township, Paulding, Carryall Township and Brown Township.
- Scott also extends into Van Wert County.
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 Paulding County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 18,809 | 18,727 | ▼ 0.4% | 83rd of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,733 | 5,160 | ▲ 9.0% | 12th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,254 | $55,220 | ▲ 44.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.0% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 325 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Paulding 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. 18,727 people live here, down 0.4% since 2020.
Who powers Paulding County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +325 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Paulding 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% |
| Paulding-Putman Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,176 | 17.67¢ | 21% |
| North Western Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 579 MW | 91% |
| Solar | 54 MW | 9% |
| Battery storage | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Hill Wind, LLC | Lotus Infrastructure Global Operations, LLC | Wind | 140 MW | 2026 |
| Timber Road IV | Paulding Wind Farm IV LLC | Wind | 125 MW | 2020 |
| Northwest Ohio Wind | Northwest Ohio Wind, LLC | Battery storage | 110 MW | 2018 |
| Paulding Wind Farm III | Paulding Wind Farm III LLC | Wind | 101 MW | 2016 |
| Paulding Wind Farm II | Paulding Wind Farm II LLC | Wind | 99 MW | 2011 |
| Timber Road Solar Park | Timber Road Solar Park | Solar | 50 MW | 2023 |
The Paulding County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,160 | $55,220 | 1.00 |
| Electric utilities | 88 | $106,423 | 6.30 |
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 Paulding County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Paulding County. Ohio has 105 local measures on record statewide.
Paulding County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Paulding County, Allen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paulding County | 18,727 | ▲ 9.0% | 634 MW | — | — | — |
| Allen County IN | 402,329 | ▲ 4.3% | — | — | 6 | — |
| Defiance County | 38,292 | ▲ 0.3% | 454 MW | 90 MW | — | — |
| Putnam County | 34,380 | ▲ 4.4% | 205 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Van Wert County | 29,013 | ▼ 6.3% | 903 MW | 46 MW | — | — |
More of Ohio
Paulding County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Paulding County, Ohio?
3 utilities have service territory in Paulding County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Power Co, Paulding-Putman Elec Coop, Inc, North Western Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Ohio Power Co, charged residential customers 19.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Paulding County?
8 operating plants with 634 MW of capacity. The largest is Grover Hill Wind, LLC (140 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Paulding County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Paulding County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Allen County.
Is Paulding County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,160 jobs in 2025 against 4,733 in 2019 (+9.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Paulding County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Paulding County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.