Cabell County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Huntington, Barboursville and Milton
Cabell County supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Electrical contractors employ 548, up 211.4% since 2019 against up 37.1% statewide, at an average $100,129 a year. Cabell County is home to most of Huntington (41,314 of its 44,815 residents), Barboursville and Milton. Next door, Lawrence County, Ohio, has 1 data center. 2 MW has retired here since 2019, including AEP Milton NaS (battery storage, 2 MW, 2021). Appalachian Power Co is the largest utility serving Cabell County. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities.
Cities and towns in Cabell County
Cabell County is home to most of Huntington (41,314 of its 44,815 residents), Barboursville and Milton.
- Huntington also extends into Wayne County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Culloden, Lesage, Pea Ridge, Salt Rock.
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 Cabell County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 94,245 | 91,183 | ▼ 3.2% | 4th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 52,169 | 51,765 | ▼ 0.8% | 33rd of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,662 | $59,358 | ▲ 32.9% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 176 | 548 | ▲ 211.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17 | 30 | ▲ 76.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. Employers here counted 51,765 jobs in 2025, down 0.8% from 2019. 91,183 people live here, down 3.2% since 2020, 4th of 55 West Virginia counties by population.
Who powers Cabell County
Utilities with service territory in Cabell 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 Cabell County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Milton NaS | Battery storage | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Cabell County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 51,765 | $59,358 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 548 | $100,129 | 1.47 |
| Power and communication line construction | 46 | $132,132 | 0.55 |
| Data processing and hosting | 30 | $92,551 | 0.19 |
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 Cabell County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cabell County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide.
Cabell County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Cabell County, Gallia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabell County | 91,183 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Gallia County OH | 29,072 | ▲ 2.5% | 3,686 MW | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County OH | 55,710 | ▲ 6.1% | 1,430 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lincoln County | 19,177 | ▲ 14.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Mason County | 24,707 | ▲ 27.7% | 1,300 MW | 29 MW | — | — |
| Putnam County | 56,885 | ▲ 11.5% | 2,957 MW | — | — | — |
| Wayne County | 37,309 | ▲ 2.6% | 872 MW | — | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Cabell County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cabell County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Cabell 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.
What county is Huntington, WV in?
Most of Huntington is in Cabell County: 41,314 of its 44,815 residents, or 92%. The rest of the city lies in Wayne County.
Are there data centers in Cabell County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cabell County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lawrence County.
Is Cabell County adding jobs?
Employers counted 51,765 jobs in 2025 against 52,169 in 2019 (-0.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Cabell County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cabell County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.