# Berkeley County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Martinsburg

Local rules on data centers are on the record in Berkeley County. Berkeley County is home to Martinsburg. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Penzance Bedington data center campus. 100 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Bedington Energy Facility, LLC (solar), the 3rd largest pipeline among West Virginia's counties. Employers here counted 38,558 jobs in 2025, up 7.5% from 2019. 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.

100 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

+7.5%
total jobs since 2019, now 38,558

7 MW
of operating power plants, mostly solar

## Cities and towns in Berkeley County

Berkeley County is home to Martinsburg.

Martinsburg19,211 residents
Hedgesville298 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Falling Waters, Inwood.

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 Berkeley County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 122,693 | 139,522 | ▲ 13.7% | 2nd of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 35,860 | 38,558 | ▲ 7.5% | 17th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,727 | $60,877 | ▲ 39.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 71 | 71 | ● 0.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.5% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 100 MW | 1471% of today's fleet | 3rd of 8 by size |

139,522 people live here, up 13.7% since 2020, 2nd of 55 West Virginia counties by population. Its power plants have 7 MW of capacity, 85% of it solar. Electrical contractors employ 112, at an average $64,901 a year. The Potomac Edison Company is the largest utility serving Berkeley County. Its residential customers paid an average 12.59¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019.

## Who powers Berkeley County

### Utilities with service territory in Berkeley County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Potomac Edison Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 135,266 | 12.59¢ | 22% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 6 MW | 85% |
| Hydro | 1 MW | 15% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlowe Solar | Monongahela Power Co | Solar | 6 MW | 2025 |
| Dam No. 5 Hydro Station | Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC | Hydro | 1 MW | 1919 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedington Energy Facility, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Bedington Energy Facility, LLC |

## The Berkeley County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 38,558 | $60,877 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 112 | $64,901 | 0.40 |
| Electric utilities | 117 | $121,618 | 1.12 |
| Data processing and hosting | 71 | $73,513 | 0.59 |

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 Berkeley County

### Delay Watchlist 

| Project | Status | Cause | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penzance Bedington data center campus | delayed | community opposition | — |

## Berkeley County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Berkeley County, Frederick 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County | 139,522 | ▲ 7.5% | 7 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Clarke County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/virginia/clarke-county) VA | 15,609 | ▲ 4.7% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Frederick County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/virginia/frederick-county) VA | 99,955 | ▲ 16.4% | 223 MW | 30 MW | 1 | — |
| Jefferson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/west-virginia/jefferson-county) | 63,102 | ▲ 9.4% | 101 MW | — | — | — |
| Morgan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/west-virginia/morgan-county) | 18,027 | ▲ 10.9% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Washington County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maryland/washington-county) MD | 157,731 | ▲ 1.8% | 74 MW | — | — | 1 |

## More of West Virginia

[All West Virginia countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/west-virginia)[Jefferson County63,102 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/west-virginia/jefferson-county)[Morgan County18,027 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/west-virginia/morgan-county)

## Berkeley County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Berkeley County, West Virginia?

1 utility has service territory in Berkeley County in the EIA-861 2024 report: The Potomac Edison Company. The largest, The Potomac Edison Company, charged residential customers 12.59¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Martinsburg, WV in?

Martinsburg is in Berkeley County, West Virginia. About 19,211 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Berkeley County?

2 operating plants with 7 MW of capacity. The largest is Marlowe Solar (6 MW, solar).

### How much new power is planned in Berkeley County?

100 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Bedington Energy Facility, LLC.

### Are there data centers in Berkeley County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Berkeley County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Frederick County.

### Is Berkeley County adding jobs?

Employers counted 38,558 jobs in 2025 against 35,860 in 2019 (+7.5%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Berkeley County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Berkeley County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/west-virginia/berkeley-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).