Seneca County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Tiffin, Fostoria and Clinton Township
Seneca 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. Seneca County is home to Tiffin, most of Fostoria (8,976 of its 12,920 residents), Clinton Township and Hopewell Township. Next door, Huron County has 1 data center and 297 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 18,700 jobs in 2025, down 4.5% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 158, up 3.3% since 2019 against up 37.0% statewide, at an average $81,598 a year. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Seneca County
Seneca County is home to Tiffin, most of Fostoria (8,976 of its 12,920 residents), Clinton Township and Hopewell Township.
- Fostoria also extends into Hancock County, Wood County.
- Green Springs also extends into Sandusky County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bascom, Flat Rock, Fort Seneca, Kansas, McCutchenville, Melmore, Old Fort.
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 Seneca County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 55,061 | 54,522 | ▼ 1.0% | 47th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,581 | 18,700 | ▼ 4.5% | 73rd of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,129 | $51,007 | ▲ 33.8% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 153 | 158 | ▲ 3.3% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 98 | 91 | ▼ 7.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Seneca 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. 54,522 people live here, down 1.0% since 2020.
Who powers Seneca County
Utilities with service territory in Seneca 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% |
| Firelands Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Republic - (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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 4 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POET Biorefining - Fostoria | Fostoria Ethanol | Natural gas | 4 MW | 2017 |
The Seneca County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 18,700 | $51,007 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 158 | $81,598 | 1.17 |
| Electric utilities | 91 | $123,499 | 1.80 |
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 Seneca County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Seneca County. Ohio has 105 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Wood County.
Seneca County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Seneca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca County | 54,522 | ▼ 4.5% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Crawford County | 41,896 | ▼ 1.6% | 172 MW | — | — | — |
| Hancock County | 75,034 | ▼ 4.9% | 20 MW | 235 MW | — | — |
| Huron County | 58,250 | ▲ 0.1% | 6 MW | 297 MW | 1 | — |
| Sandusky County | 58,655 | ▼ 4.4% | 760 MW | — | — | — |
| Wood County | 134,176 | ▲ 10.3% | 915 MW | 50 MW | 3 | 1 |
| Wyandot County | 21,567 | ▲ 2.7% | 13 MW | — | — | — |
More of Ohio
Seneca County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Seneca County, Ohio?
7 utilities have service territory in Seneca 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 Tiffin, OH in?
Tiffin is in Seneca County, Ohio. About 17,803 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Seneca County?
1 operating plant with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is POET Biorefining - Fostoria (4 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Seneca County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Seneca County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Huron County.
Is Seneca County adding jobs?
Employers counted 18,700 jobs in 2025 against 19,581 in 2019 (-4.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Seneca County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Seneca County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.