Jefferson County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Charles Town, Ranson and Shepherdstown
Jefferson County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Jefferson County is home to Charles Town, Ranson, Shepherdstown and Bolivar. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Jefferson County (WV) data center moratorium. Employers here counted 17,136 jobs in 2025, up 9.4% from 2019. 96 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 101 MW of capacity, 95% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Jefferson County
Jefferson County is home to Charles Town, Ranson, Shepherdstown and Bolivar.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Middleway, Shannondale, Shenandoah Junction.
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 Jefferson County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 57,790 | 63,102 | ▲ 9.2% | 8th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,660 | 17,136 | ▲ 9.4% | 14th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,952 | $63,562 | ▲ 35.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 3.1% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 96 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
63,102 people live here, up 9.2% since 2020, 8th of 55 West Virginia counties by population. The Potomac Edison Company is the largest utility serving Jefferson County. Its residential customers paid an average 12.59¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019.
Who powers Jefferson County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +96 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Jefferson 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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 96 MW | 95% |
| Hydro | 5 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Solar Plant | Horus West Virginia 1, LLC | Solar | 96 MW | 2024 |
| Millville Hydro Station | Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC | Hydro | 3 MW | 1913 |
| Dam No. 4 Hydro Station | Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC | Hydro | 2 MW | 1909 |
The Jefferson County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 17,136 | $63,562 | 1.00 |
| Data processing and hosting | 26 | $129,058 | 0.49 |
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 Jefferson County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County (WV) data center moratorium | pending review | — |
Jefferson County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Jefferson County, Loudoun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 63,102 | ▲ 9.4% | 101 MW | — | — | — |
| Berkeley County | 139,522 | ▲ 7.5% | 7 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Clarke County VA | 15,609 | ▲ 4.7% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Frederick County VA | 99,955 | ▲ 16.4% | 223 MW | 30 MW | 1 | — |
| Loudoun County VA | 449,749 | ▲ 16.8% | 812 MW | 170 MW | 342 | 1 |
| Washington County MD | 157,731 | ▲ 1.8% | 74 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of West Virginia
Jefferson County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Jefferson County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Jefferson 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 power plants are in Jefferson County?
3 operating plants with 101 MW of capacity. The largest is Blake Solar Plant (96 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Jefferson County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Jefferson County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Loudoun County.
Is Jefferson County adding jobs?
Employers counted 17,136 jobs in 2025 against 15,660 in 2019 (+9.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Jefferson County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Jefferson County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.