Shelby County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sidney, Clinton Township and McLean Township
The data center boom is not abstract in Shelby County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Shelby County. Shelby County is home to Sidney, Clinton Township, McLean Township and Franklin Township. Employers here counted 26,404 jobs in 2025, down 4.4% from 2019. Its power plants have 17 MW of capacity, 91% of it petroleum. Dayton Power & Light Co is the largest utility serving Shelby County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.32¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Shelby County
Shelby County is home to Sidney, Clinton Township, McLean Township and Franklin Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Newport.
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 Shelby County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 48,158 | 48,065 | ▼ 0.2% | 50th of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 27,624 | 26,404 | ▼ 4.4% | 71st of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $51,302 | $63,522 | ▲ 23.8% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 775 | 669 | ▼ 13.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.0% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 669, down 13.7% since 2019 against up 37.0% statewide, at an average $89,169 a year. 48,065 people live here, down 0.2% since 2020.
Who powers Shelby County
Utilities with service territory in Shelby County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Power & Light Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 478,741 | 15.32¢ | 20% |
| Pioneer Rural Elec Coop, Inc - (OH) | Cooperative | Bundled | 16,310 | 16.18¢ | 6% |
| Midwest Electric, Inc - (OH) | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,836 | 15.27¢ | 34% |
| Village of Jackson Center - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Logan County Coop Power & Light | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Minster - (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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 15 MW | 91% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 9% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney (OH) | Kimura Power LLC | Petroleum | 14 MW | 1968 |
| Jackson Cntr Peaking | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 2 MW | 1999 |
| DG AMP Solar Jackson Center | DG AMP Solar, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2018 |
The Shelby County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,404 | $63,522 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 669 | $89,169 | 3.51 |
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 Shelby County
1 data center in Shelby County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Shelby County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Shelby County, Logan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County | 48,065 | ▼ 4.4% | 17 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Auglaize County | 45,909 | ▲ 0.6% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
| Champaign County | 38,820 | ▲ 4.5% | 144 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Darke County | 51,520 | ▲ 0.3% | 248 MW | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 46,302 | ▲ 1.5% | 253 MW | — | — | — |
| Mercer County | 42,737 | ▼ 0.3% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Miami County | 112,634 | ▲ 2.1% | 51 MW | — | — | — |
More of Ohio
Shelby County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Shelby County, Ohio?
6 utilities have service territory in Shelby County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Dayton Power & Light Co, Pioneer Rural Elec Coop, Inc - (OH), Midwest Electric, Inc - (OH), Village of Jackson Center - (OH). The largest, Dayton Power & Light Co, charged residential customers 15.32¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Sidney, OH in?
Sidney is in Shelby County, Ohio. About 20,124 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Clinton Township, OH in?
Clinton Township is in Shelby County, Ohio. About 19,781 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Shelby County?
3 operating plants with 17 MW of capacity. The largest is Sidney (OH) (14 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Shelby County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Shelby County.
Is Shelby County adding jobs?
Employers counted 26,404 jobs in 2025 against 27,624 in 2019 (-4.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Shelby County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Shelby County. Ohio has 105 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.