# Scioto County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Portsmouth, Porter Township and Washington Township

Scioto 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. Scioto County is home to Portsmouth, Porter Township, Washington Township and Harrison Township. Next door, Greenup County, Kentucky, has 3 data centers. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 6.4% in 2019. Employers here counted 25,000 jobs in 2025, up 7.1% from 2019. Its power plants have 137 MW of capacity, 51% of it hydro.

+7.1%
total jobs since 2019, now 25,000

137 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

19.33¢
per kWh for Ohio Power Co residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Scioto County

Scioto County is home to Portsmouth, Porter Township, Washington Township and Harrison Township.

Portsmouth17,282 residents
Porter Township9,437 residents
Washington Township5,091 residents
Harrison Township4,151 residents
Green Township4,019 residents
Madison Township3,775 residents
Valley Township3,580 residents
Clay Township3,418 residents
Rush Township2,801 residents
Bloom Township2,620 residents
Jefferson Township2,501 residents
Nile Township2,265 residents
Morgan Township2,247 residents
New Boston2,206 residents
Union Township1,999 residents
Vernon Township1,884 residents
Brush Creek Township1,065 residents
Rarden Township1,024 residents
South Webster635 residents
Rarden138 residents
Otway88 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Clarktown, Franklin Furnace, Friendship, Lucasville, McDermott, Minford, Rosemount, Sciotodale, West Portsmouth, Wheelersburg.

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 Scioto County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 73,849 | 71,365 | ▼ 3.4% | 36th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 23,338 | 25,000 | ▲ 7.1% | 16th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,316 | $52,311 | ▲ 33.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.4% | 5.0% | ▼ 1.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Scioto County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.33¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. 71,365 people live here, down 3.4% since 2020.

## Who powers Scioto County

### Utilities with service territory in Scioto 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% |
| Buckeye Rural Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 16,349 | 19.90¢ | 8% |
| Adams Rural Electric 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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 70 MW | 51% |
| Other technologies | 67 MW | 49% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenup Hydro | City of Hamilton - (OH) | Hydro | 70 MW | 1982 |
| Haverhill North Cogeneration Facility | SunCoke Energy, Inc. | Other technologies | 67 MW | 2008 |

## The Scioto County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 25,000 | $52,311 | 1.00 |

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 Scioto County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Scioto County. Ohio has 105 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Adams County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/adams-county).

## Scioto County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Scioto County, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto County | 71,365 | ▲ 7.1% | 137 MW | — | — | — |
| Adams County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/adams-county) | 27,865 | ▲ 17.4% | — | — | — | 2 |
| Greenup County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/greenup-county) KY | 35,213 | ▼ 9.0% | 2 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Jackson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/jackson-county) | 32,817 | ▲ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/lawrence-county) | 55,710 | ▲ 6.1% | 1,430 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lewis County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kentucky/lewis-county) KY | 12,901 | ▲ 1.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Pike County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/pike-county) | 27,061 | ▲ 9.8% | — | — | — | — |

## More of Ohio

[All Ohio countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio)[Lawrence County55,710 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/lawrence-county)[Jackson County32,817 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/jackson-county)[Adams County27,865 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/adams-county)[Pike County27,061 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/pike-county)

## Scioto County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Scioto County, Ohio?

5 utilities have service territory in Scioto County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Power Co, Duke Energy Ohio Inc, South Central Power Company, Buckeye Rural Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Ohio Power Co, charged residential customers 19.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Portsmouth, OH in?

Portsmouth is in Scioto County, Ohio. About 17,282 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Scioto County?

2 operating plants with 137 MW of capacity. The largest is Greenup Hydro (70 MW, hydro).

### Are there data centers in Scioto County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Scioto County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Greenup County.

### Is Scioto County adding jobs?

Employers counted 25,000 jobs in 2025 against 23,338 in 2019 (+7.1%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Scioto County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Scioto County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/ohio/scioto-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).