Fayette County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Oak Hill, Fayetteville and Ansted
Fayette 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. Fayette County is home to Oak Hill, Fayetteville, Ansted and Mount Hope. Next door, Kanawha County has 3 data centers. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 5.4% in 2019. Construction employs 279, up 5.7% since 2019. Its power plants have 108 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro.
Cities and towns in Fayette County
Fayette County is home to Oak Hill, Fayetteville, Ansted and Mount Hope.
- Montgomery also extends into Kanawha County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Beards Fork, Boomer, Charlton Heights, Cunard, Deep Water, Dixie, Falls View, Garten, Gatewood, Glen Ferris, Glen Jean, Hico, Hilltop, Kimberly, Kincaid, Mount Carbon, Page, Powellton, Prince, Scarbro.
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 Fayette County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 40,442 | 38,165 | ▼ 5.6% | 13th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,294 | 10,398 | ▲ 1.0% | 28th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,244 | $48,379 | ▲ 23.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 264 | 279 | ▲ 5.7% | 14th of 26 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 75 | 66 | ▼ 12.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.4% | 4.3% | ▼ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Appalachian Power Co is the largest utility serving Fayette County. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. Employers here counted 10,398 jobs in 2025, up 1.0% from 2019. 38,165 people live here, down 5.6% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 66, down 12.0% since 2019 against up 37.1% statewide, at an average $54,186 a year.
Who powers Fayette County
Utilities with service territory in Fayette 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.
Operating power plants 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 108 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawks Nest Hydro | Hawks Nest Hydro LLC | Hydro | 102 MW | 1936 |
| Glen Ferris Hydro | Hawks Nest Hydro LLC | Hydro | 6 MW | 1912 |
The Fayette County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 10,398 | $48,379 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 279 | $45,878 | 0.51 |
| Electrical contractors | 66 | $54,186 | 0.88 |
| Data processing and hosting | 4 | $80,485 | 0.12 |
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 Fayette County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Fayette County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide.
Fayette County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Fayette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County | 38,165 | ▲ 1.0% | 108 MW | — | — | — |
| Clay County | 7,538 | ▲ 23.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Greenbrier County | 31,578 | ▼ 6.9% | 188 MW | — | — | — |
| Kanawha County | 172,381 | ▼ 0.6% | 29 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Nicholas County | 23,848 | ▼ 2.6% | 80 MW | — | — | — |
| Raleigh County | 71,775 | ▲ 0.3% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Summers County | 11,532 | ▼ 0.4% | — | — | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Fayette County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fayette County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Fayette 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 power plants are in Fayette County?
2 operating plants with 108 MW of capacity. The largest is Hawks Nest Hydro (102 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Fayette County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Fayette County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Kanawha County.
Is Fayette County adding jobs?
Employers counted 10,398 jobs in 2025 against 10,294 in 2019 (+1.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 264 to 279.
Does Fayette County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Fayette County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.