Grant County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Petersburg
Grant County hosts some of the generating capacity West Virginia runs on. Construction employs 440, up 60.6% since 2019, and construction is 2.2 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Grant County is home to Petersburg. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 6.0% in 2019. Its power plants have 2,048 MW of capacity, 81% of it coal, the 3rd largest fleet in West Virginia. Employers here counted 3,742 jobs in 2025, up 12.0% from 2019 (the 8th fastest growth of 55 West Virginia counties).
Cities and towns in Grant County
Grant County is home to Petersburg.
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 Grant County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,993 | 11,041 | ▲ 0.4% | 43rd of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,342 | 3,742 | ▲ 12.0% | 8th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,215 | $54,048 | ▲ 31.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 274 | 440 | ▲ 60.6% | 3rd of 26 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.0% | 4.2% | ▼ 1.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Monongahela Power Co is the largest utility serving Grant County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.97¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. 11,041 people live here, up 0.4% since 2020.
Who powers Grant County
Utilities with service territory in Grant County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monongahela Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 334,588 | 13.97¢ | 26% |
| 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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,662 MW | 81% |
| Wind | 367 MW | 18% |
| Petroleum | 18 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mt Storm | Virginia Electric & Power Co | Coal | 1,681 MW | 1965 |
| NedPower Mount Storm | Clearway Energy Operating LLC | Wind | 264 MW | 2008 |
| New Creek Wind | New Creek Wind, LLC | Wind | 103 MW | 2016 |
The Grant County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,742 | $54,048 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 440 | $72,951 | 2.22 |
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 Grant County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Grant County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide.
Grant County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Grant County, Hampshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County | 11,041 | ▲ 12.0% | 2,048 MW | — | — | — |
| Garrett County MD | 28,370 | ● 0.0% | 414 MW | — | — | — |
| Hampshire County | 24,105 | ▲ 13.8% | 20 MW | 150 MW | — | — |
| Hardy County | 14,337 | ▲ 5.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Mineral County | 26,792 | ▲ 10.5% | 169 MW | — | — | — |
| Pendleton County | 5,826 | ▲ 1.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Preston County | 34,004 | ▲ 1.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Randolph County | 26,882 | ▼ 7.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Tucker County | 6,540 | ▲ 7.6% | 66 MW | 12 MW | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Grant County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Grant County, West Virginia?
2 utilities have service territory in Grant County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Monongahela Power Co, The Potomac Edison Company. The largest, Monongahela Power Co, charged residential customers 13.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Grant County?
3 operating plants with 2,048 MW of capacity. The largest is Mt Storm (1,681 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Grant County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Grant County.
Is Grant County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,742 jobs in 2025 against 3,342 in 2019 (+12.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 274 to 440.
Does Grant County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Grant County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.