Accomack County, Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Chincoteague and Onancock
Accomack 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. Accomack County is home to Chincoteague, Onancock, Parksley and Onley. Construction employs 352, down 10.0% since 2019. 4 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 540 MW of capacity, 84% of it petroleum. Employers here counted 12,942 jobs in 2025, down 2.1% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Accomack County
Accomack County is home to Chincoteague, Onancock, Parksley and Onley.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Atlantic, Bayside, Bobtown, Boston, Captains Cove, Cats Bridge, Chase Crossing, Deep Creek, Gargatha, Greenbackville, Greenbush, Harborton, Horntown, Lee Mont, Locust Mount, Makemie Park, Mappsburg, Mappsville, Metompkin, Modest Town, Nelsonia, New Church, Oak Hall, Pastoria, Pungoteague, Quinby, Sanford, Savage Town, Savageville, Schooner Bay, Southside Chesconessex, Tasley, Temperanceville, Wattsville, Whitesville.
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 Accomack County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 33,400 | 33,859 | ▲ 1.4% | 52nd of 133 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,214 | 12,942 | ▼ 2.1% | 88th of 133 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,776 | $55,543 | ▲ 39.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 391 | 352 | ▼ 10.0% | 74th of 83 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 4.2% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 4 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Virginia Electric & Power Co is the largest utility serving Accomack County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.09¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.39¢ median for Virginia utilities. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. 33,859 people live here, up 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Accomack County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +4 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Accomack County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 2,383,548 | 14.09¢ | 63% |
| A & N Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 33,096 | 13.02¢ | 24% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 456 MW | 84% |
| Solar | 84 MW | 16% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Chesapeake | Commonwealth Chesapeake Co LLC | Petroleum | 414 MW | 2000 |
| Eastern Shore Solar, LLC | Dominion Renewable Energy | Solar | 80 MW | 2016 |
| Tasley | Calpine Mid-Atlantic Generation LLC | Petroleum | 27 MW | 1972 |
| NASA Wallops Flight Facility Solar | Ameresco Federal Solutions | Solar | 4 MW | 2020 |
| Belle Haven Diesel Generation Facility | Old Dominion Electric Coop | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2002 |
| Onancock Diesel Generation Facility | Old Dominion Electric Coop | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2002 |
The Accomack County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,942 | $55,543 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 352 | $57,684 | 0.51 |
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 Accomack County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Accomack County. Virginia has 13 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Somerset County, Worcester County.
Accomack County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border Accomack County, Somerset 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accomack County | 33,859 | ▼ 2.1% | 540 MW | — | — | — |
| Northampton County | 11,879 | ▲ 3.1% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Somerset County MD | 24,973 | ▲ 4.7% | 142 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Worcester County MD | 54,459 | ▲ 4.9% | 24 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Virginia
Accomack County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Accomack County, Virginia?
2 utilities have service territory in Accomack County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Virginia Electric & Power Co, A & N Electric Coop. The largest, Virginia Electric & Power Co, charged residential customers 14.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Accomack County?
8 operating plants with 540 MW of capacity. The largest is Commonwealth Chesapeake (414 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Accomack County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Accomack County.
Is Accomack County adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,942 jobs in 2025 against 13,214 in 2019 (-2.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 391 to 352.
Does Accomack County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Accomack County. Virginia has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.