Rappahannock County, Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Chester Gap and Flint Hill
Rappahannock 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. Rappahannock County is home to Washington. Next door, Culpeper County has 5 data centers. Employers here counted 1,570 jobs in 2025, up 10.5% from 2019. Construction employs 114, unchanged since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Virginia Electric & Power Co is the largest utility serving Rappahannock 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.
Cities and towns in Rappahannock County
Rappahannock County is home to Washington.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Chester Gap, Flint Hill, Sperryville.
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 Rappahannock County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 7,322 | 7,439 | ▲ 1.6% | 121st of 133 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,421 | 1,570 | ▲ 10.5% | 20th of 133 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,930 | $50,839 | ▲ 30.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 114 | 114 | ● 0.0% | 63rd of 83 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 2.9% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. 7,439 people live here, up 1.6% since 2020.
Who powers Rappahannock County
Utilities with service territory in Rappahannock 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% |
| Rappahannock Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 169,489 | 14.89¢ | 11% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Rappahannock County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Rappahannock County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,570 | $50,839 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 114 | $57,262 | 1.37 |
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 Rappahannock County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rappahannock County. Virginia has 13 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Culpeper County.
Rappahannock County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Rappahannock County, Fauquier 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rappahannock County | 7,439 | ▲ 10.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Culpeper County | 57,666 | ▲ 2.2% | 7 MW | 100 MW | 5 | 1 |
| Fauquier County | 76,503 | ▲ 7.5% | 1,322 MW | 14 MW | 4 | — |
| Madison County | 14,237 | ▼ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Page County | 23,762 | ▲ 0.7% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Warren County | 42,740 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,475 MW | — | — | — |
More of Virginia
Rappahannock County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rappahannock County, Virginia?
2 utilities have service territory in Rappahannock County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Virginia Electric & Power Co, Rappahannock Electric Coop. The largest, Virginia Electric & Power Co, charged residential customers 14.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Rappahannock County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rappahannock County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Culpeper County.
Is Rappahannock County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,570 jobs in 2025 against 1,421 in 2019 (+10.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 114 to 114.
Does Rappahannock County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rappahannock County. Virginia has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.