Sandusky County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Fremont, Clyde and Ballville Township
Sandusky County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Sandusky County is home to Fremont, Clyde, Ballville Township and most of Bellevue (4,587 of its 8,154 residents). Construction employs 1,079, up 18.6% since 2019. Next door, Huron County has 1 data center and 297 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 760 MW of capacity, 99% of it natural gas. 17 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Sandusky County
Sandusky County is home to Fremont, Clyde, Ballville Township and most of Bellevue (4,587 of its 8,154 residents).
- Bellevue also extends into Huron County.
- Green Springs also extends into Seneca County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ballville, Hessville, Stony Prairie, Vickery, Whites Landing, Wightmans Grove.
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 Sandusky County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 58,880 | 58,655 | ▼ 0.4% | 43rd of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25,564 | 24,435 | ▼ 4.4% | 70th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,898 | $54,648 | ▲ 30.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 910 | 1,079 | ▲ 18.6% | 18th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.6% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 17 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 4.6% in 2019. Employers here counted 24,435 jobs in 2025, down 4.4% from 2019. Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Sandusky 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. 58,655 people live here, down 0.4% since 2020.
Who powers Sandusky County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +17 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Sandusky 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% |
| Ohio Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 957,780 | 16.18¢ | 18% |
| The Toledo Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 278,814 | 16.64¢ | 16% |
| Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,307 | 17.05¢ | 29% |
| North Central Elec Coop, Inc - (OH) | Cooperative | Bundled | 8,433 | 17.09¢ | 14% |
| Clyde Light & Power | Municipal | Bundled | 2,776 | 12.10¢ | 9% |
| Village of Woodville - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 750 MW | 99% |
| Wind | 4 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 0% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont Energy Center | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Natural gas | 740 MW | 2012 |
| Clyde Peaking Engine | Onsite Partners, LLC | Natural gas | 10 MW | 2020 |
| Martin Marietta Wind Project | Sandusky Wind 33, LLC | Wind | 4 MW | 2023 |
| Clyde Solar Array | Onsite Partners, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2016 |
| Woodville RTO BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2020 |
The Sandusky County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 24,435 | $54,648 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,079 | $76,518 | 0.83 |
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 Sandusky County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sandusky County. Ohio has 105 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Wood County.
Sandusky County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Sandusky County, Wood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandusky County | 58,655 | ▼ 4.4% | 760 MW | — | — | — |
| Erie County | 73,296 | ▼ 0.7% | 127 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Huron County | 58,250 | ▲ 0.1% | 6 MW | 297 MW | 1 | — |
| Ottawa County | 39,481 | ▲ 3.1% | 931 MW | — | — | — |
| Seneca County | 54,522 | ▼ 4.5% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Wood County | 134,176 | ▲ 10.3% | 915 MW | 50 MW | 3 | 1 |
More of Ohio
Sandusky County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sandusky County, Ohio?
7 utilities have service territory in Sandusky County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Power Co, Ohio Edison Co, The Toledo Edison Co, Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc. The largest, Ohio Power Co, charged residential customers 19.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Fremont, OH in?
Fremont is in Sandusky County, Ohio. About 15,765 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sandusky County?
5 operating plants with 760 MW of capacity. The largest is Fremont Energy Center (740 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Sandusky County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sandusky County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Huron County.
Is Sandusky County adding jobs?
Employers counted 24,435 jobs in 2025 against 25,564 in 2019 (-4.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 910 to 1,079.
Does Sandusky County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sandusky County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.