Warren County, Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Front Royal
Warren County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Warren County is home to Front Royal. Next door, Fauquier County has 4 data centers. Its power plants have 1,475 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas, the 6th largest fleet in Virginia. Employers here counted 12,966 jobs in 2025, up 2.0% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Warren County
Warren County is home to Front Royal.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Apple Mountain Lake, Chester Gap, Shenandoah Farms, Shenandoah Shores, Skyland Estates.
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 Warren County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 40,796 | 42,740 | ▲ 4.8% | 43rd of 133 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,711 | 12,966 | ▲ 2.0% | 63rd of 133 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,806 | $55,103 | ▲ 35.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 3.3% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Virginia Electric & Power Co is the largest utility serving Warren County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.09¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.39¢ median for Virginia utilities. 42,740 people live here, up 4.8% since 2020.
Who powers Warren County
Utilities with service territory in Warren 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% |
| Town of Front Royal | — | — | — | — | — |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,472 MW | 100% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County | Virginia Electric & Power Co | Natural gas | 1,472 MW | 2014 |
| DG AMP Solar Front Royal | DG AMP Solar, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
The Warren County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,966 | $55,103 | 1.00 |
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 Warren County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Warren County. Virginia has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Warren County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Warren 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County | 42,740 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,475 MW | — | — | — |
| Clarke County | 15,609 | ▲ 4.7% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Fauquier County | 76,503 | ▲ 7.5% | 1,322 MW | 14 MW | 4 | — |
| Frederick County | 99,955 | ▲ 16.4% | 223 MW | 30 MW | 1 | — |
| Page County | 23,762 | ▲ 0.7% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Rappahannock County | 7,439 | ▲ 10.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Shenandoah County | 45,839 | ▼ 7.8% | 19 MW | — | — | — |
More of Virginia
Warren County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Warren County, Virginia?
4 utilities have service territory in Warren County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Virginia Electric & Power Co, Rappahannock Electric Coop, Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop, Town of Front Royal. The largest, Virginia Electric & Power Co, charged residential customers 14.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Front Royal, VA in?
Front Royal is in Warren County, Virginia. About 15,722 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Warren County?
2 operating plants with 1,475 MW of capacity. The largest is Warren County (1,472 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Warren County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Warren County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Fauquier County.
Is Warren County adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,966 jobs in 2025 against 12,711 in 2019 (+2.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Warren County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Warren County. Virginia has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.