Fairfax County, Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Herndon and Vienna, and the communities of Chantilly and Reston
Fairfax County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 45 data centers in Fairfax County, 5% of Virginia's total. Fairfax County is home to Herndon and Vienna, plus the unincorporated communities of Chantilly, Reston and Tysons. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Local moratorium on data centers with no end date”. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Plaza 500 data center campus / Edsall Data Center Substation 2232. Construction employs 26,585, up 6.1% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Fairfax County
Fairfax County is home to Herndon and Vienna, plus the unincorporated communities of Chantilly, Reston and Tysons.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Chantilly, Reston, Tysons, Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Belle Haven, Braddock, Bull Run, Burke, Burke Centre, Centreville, Crosspointe, Difficult Run, Dranesville, Dunn Loring, Fair Lakes, Fair Oaks, Fairfax Station, Floris, Fort Belvoir, Fort Hunt, Franconia, Franklin Farm, George Mason, Great Falls, Great Falls Crossing, Greenbriar, Groveton, Hayfield, Huntington, Hutchison, Hybla Valley, Idylwood, Kings Park, Kings Park West, Kingstowne, Lake Barcroft, Laurel Hill, Lincolnia, Long Branch and 26 more.
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 Fairfax County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,148,598 | 1,167,873 | ▲ 1.7% | 1st of 133 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 622,226 | 634,638 | ▲ 2.0% | 64th of 133 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $89,381 | $115,004 | ▲ 28.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25,061 | 26,585 | ▲ 6.1% | 49th of 83 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,106 | 3,232 | ▲ 4.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,343 | 10,789 | ▲ 70.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.3% | 3.3% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 3 MW | — |
3 MW has retired here since 2019, including I 95 Municipal Landfill Phase I (other technologies, 3 MW, 2019). Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 2.3% in 2019. 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Electrical contractors employ 3,232, up 4.1% since 2019 against up 33.4% statewide, at an average $97,767 a year. Its power plants have 133 MW of capacity, 95% of it other technologies. Employers here counted 634,638 jobs in 2025, up 2.0% from 2019. Virginia Electric & Power Co is the largest utility serving Fairfax 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. 1,167,873 people live here, up 1.7% since 2020, 1st of 133 Virginia counties by population.
Who powers Fairfax County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +3 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Fairfax 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% |
| Northern Virginia Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 167,274 | 11.57¢ | 81% |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other technologies | 127 MW | 95% |
| Solar | 6 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covanta Fairfax Energy | Covanta Fairfax Inc | Other technologies | 124 MW | 1990 |
| Fairfax Landfill | Madison Energy Investments LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2025 |
| I 95 Landfill Phase II | NextEra Renewable Fuels, LLC | Other technologies | 3 MW | 1993 |
| Reston Town Center Solar 1 | Reston Town Center Solar 1 LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2025 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 95 Municipal Landfill Phase I | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2019 |
The Fairfax County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 634,638 | $115,004 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 26,585 | $102,670 | 0.79 |
| Electrical contractors | 3,232 | $97,767 | 0.71 |
| Electric utilities | 476 | $139,502 | 0.28 |
| Data processing and hosting | 10,789 | $194,898 | 5.47 |
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 Fairfax County
45 data centers in Fairfax County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local moratorium on data centers with no end date | In force | 2024-09 |
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza 500 data center campus / Edsall Data Center Substation 2232 | pending review | — |
Fairfax County and its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Fairfax County, Loudoun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County | 1,167,873 | ▲ 2.0% | 133 MW | — | 45 | 1 |
| Alexandria (city) | 160,662 | ▼ 11.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Arlington County | 243,931 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Charles County MD | 176,593 | ▲ 4.9% | 1,079 MW | — | 1 | — |
| District of Columbia DC | 693,645 | ▼ 4.4% | 72 MW | 6 MW | 9 | — |
| Fairfax (city) | 26,772 | ▲ 28.3% | — | — | 2 | — |
| Falls Church (city) | 15,159 | ▲ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Loudoun County | 449,749 | ▲ 16.8% | 812 MW | 170 MW | 342 | 1 |
| Montgomery County MD | 1,074,582 | ▼ 3.4% | 500 MW | — | 10 | 3 |
| Prince George's County MD | 970,374 | ▲ 1.9% | 3,100 MW | 12 MW | 5 | 3 |
| Prince William County | 502,966 | ▲ 9.7% | 786 MW | 60 MW | 260 | 1 |
More of Virginia
Fairfax County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fairfax County, Virginia?
2 utilities have service territory in Fairfax County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Virginia Electric & Power Co, Northern Virginia Elec Coop. The largest, Virginia Electric & Power Co, charged residential customers 14.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Herndon, VA in?
Herndon is in Fairfax County, Virginia. About 25,506 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Vienna, VA in?
Vienna is in Fairfax County, Virginia. About 16,691 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Fairfax County?
4 operating plants with 133 MW of capacity. The largest is Covanta Fairfax Energy (124 MW, other technologies).
Are there data centers in Fairfax County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 45 data centers in Fairfax County.
Is Fairfax County adding jobs?
Employers counted 634,638 jobs in 2025 against 622,226 in 2019 (+2.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 25,061 to 26,585.
Does Fairfax County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Fairfax County, 1 in force.