Rockingham County, Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Bridgewater, Broadway and Timberville
Rockingham 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. Rockingham County is home to Bridgewater, Broadway, Timberville and Elkton. 50 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Sun Ridge Solar, LLC (solar). 50 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 3,131, up 10.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.7 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Harrisonburg (city) has 2 data centers. 188 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage.
Cities and towns in Rockingham County
Rockingham County is home to Bridgewater, Broadway, Timberville and Elkton.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Belmont Estates, Keezletown, Linville, Massanetta Springs, Massanutten, McGaheysville, Port Republic, Singers Glen.
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 Rockingham County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 83,780 | 89,316 | ▲ 6.6% | 24th of 133 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 33,839 | 34,938 | ▲ 3.2% | 53rd of 133 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,658 | $59,443 | ▲ 33.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,828 | 3,131 | ▲ 10.7% | 43rd of 83 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.3% | 3.0% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 188 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 50 MW | 21% of today's fleet | 19th of 29 by size |
2 MW has retired here since 2019, including Elkton (natural gas, 1 MW, 2023). Its power plants have 243 MW of capacity, 62% of it battery storage. Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 2.3% in 2019. Employers here counted 34,938 jobs in 2025, up 3.2% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 330, at an average $78,245 a year. Virginia Electric & Power Co is the largest utility serving Rockingham County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.09¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.39¢ median for Virginia utilities. 89,316 people live here, up 6.6% since 2020.
Who powers Rockingham County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +186 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Rockingham 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% |
| Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 85,281 | 13.81¢ | 22% |
| City of Harrisonburg - (VA) | Municipal | Bundled | 18,089 | 11.36¢ | 54% |
| Town of Elkton | — | — | — | — | — |
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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Battery storage | 150 MW | 62% |
| Petroleum | 44 MW | 18% |
| Solar | 34 MW | 14% |
| Natural gas | 14 MW | 6% |
| Other technologies | 1 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect Power BESS | Elevate Renewables, LLC | Battery storage | 150 MW | 2026 |
| Caden Energix Endless Caverns, LLC | Caden Energix Endless Caverns, LLC | Solar | 31 MW | 2023 |
| Mount Clinton | City of Harrisonburg - (VA) | Petroleum | 24 MW | 1999 |
| Pleasant Valley (VA) | City of Harrisonburg - (VA) | Petroleum | 20 MW | 1997 |
| Elkton | Merck & Co Inc | Natural gas | 14 MW | 1982 |
| Merck | Virginia Electric & Power Co | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Ridge Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 50 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Sun Ridge Solar, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkton | Natural gas | 1 MW | 2023 |
| Elkton | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2021 |
The Rockingham County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 34,938 | $59,443 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,131 | $67,174 | 1.69 |
| Electrical contractors | 330 | $78,245 | 1.31 |
| Data processing and hosting | 8 | $63,421 | 0.07 |
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 Rockingham County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rockingham County. Virginia has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Rockingham County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Rockingham County, Harrisonburg (city) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County | 89,316 | ▲ 3.2% | 243 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Albemarle County | 118,356 | ▲ 12.5% | 13 MW | — | — | — |
| Augusta County | 78,940 | ▲ 9.6% | 8 MW | 11 MW | — | — |
| Greene County | 21,958 | ▲ 6.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Hardy County WV | 14,337 | ▲ 5.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Harrisonburg (city) | 50,839 | ▼ 1.4% | — | — | 2 | — |
| Page County | 23,762 | ▲ 0.7% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Pendleton County WV | 5,826 | ▲ 1.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Shenandoah County | 45,839 | ▼ 7.8% | 19 MW | — | — | — |
More of Virginia
Rockingham County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rockingham County, Virginia?
5 utilities have service territory in Rockingham County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Virginia Electric & Power Co, Rappahannock Electric Coop, Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop, City of Harrisonburg - (VA). The largest, Virginia Electric & Power Co, charged residential customers 14.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Rockingham County?
7 operating plants with 243 MW of capacity. The largest is Prospect Power BESS (150 MW, battery storage).
How much new power is planned in Rockingham County?
50 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 50 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Sun Ridge Solar, LLC.
Are there data centers in Rockingham County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rockingham County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Harrisonburg (city).
Is Rockingham County adding jobs?
Employers counted 34,938 jobs in 2025 against 33,839 in 2019 (+3.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,828 to 3,131.
Does Rockingham County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rockingham County. Virginia has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.