Boone County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Madison
No data center or power plant project is on record in Boone County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Boone County is home to Madison and Danville. Next door, Kanawha County has 3 data centers. Unemployment was 4.8% in August 2026, against 5.4% in 2019. Appalachian Power Co is the largest utility serving Boone County. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. Employers here counted 4,598 jobs in 2025, down 1.3% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Boone County
Boone County is home to Madison and Danville.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Comfort, Greenview, Racine, Twilight, Van.
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 Boone County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 21,746 | 20,251 | ▼ 6.9% | 29th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,659 | 4,598 | ▼ 1.3% | 35th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,506 | $58,100 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.4% | 4.8% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
20,251 people live here, down 6.9% since 2020.
Who powers Boone County
Utilities with service territory in Boone County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 348,946 | 16.77¢ | 27% |
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 Boone County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Boone County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,598 | $58,100 | 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 Boone County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Boone County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide.
Boone County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Boone County, Kanawha 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | 20,251 | ▼ 1.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Kanawha County | 172,381 | ▼ 0.6% | 29 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Lincoln County | 19,177 | ▲ 14.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 30,375 | ▲ 14.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Raleigh County | 71,775 | ▲ 0.3% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Wyoming County | 19,801 | ▲ 6.4% | — | — | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Boone County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Boone County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Boone County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Appalachian Power Co. The largest, Appalachian Power Co, charged residential customers 16.77¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Boone County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Boone County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Kanawha County.
Is Boone County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,598 jobs in 2025 against 4,659 in 2019 (-1.3%, BLS QCEW).
Does Boone County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Boone County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.