Pleasants County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to St. Marys
Pleasants County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Pleasants County is home to St. Marys and Belmont. Employers here counted 2,296 jobs in 2025, down 18.6% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 5.7% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,795 MW of capacity, 76% of it coal, the 5th largest fleet in West Virginia. Monongahela Power Co is the largest utility serving Pleasants County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.97¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities.
Cities and towns in Pleasants County
Pleasants County is home to St. Marys and Belmont.
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 Pleasants County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 7,655 | 7,338 | ▼ 4.1% | 50th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,820 | 2,296 | ▼ 18.6% | 55th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $52,123 | $62,416 | ▲ 19.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.7% | 3.9% | ▼ 1.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
7,338 people live here, down 4.1% since 2020.
Who powers Pleasants County
Utilities with service territory in Pleasants 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% |
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 | 1,368 MW | 76% |
| Natural gas | 383 MW | 21% |
| Hydro | 44 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasants Power Station | Omnis Pleasants, LLC | Coal | 1,368 MW | 1979 |
| Pleasants Energy LLC | Pleasants Energy LLC | Natural gas | 383 MW | 2002 |
| Willow Island Hydroelectric Plant | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Hydro | 44 MW | 2016 |
The Pleasants County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,296 | $62,416 | 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 Pleasants County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pleasants County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide.
Pleasants County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Pleasants County, Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasants County | 7,338 | ▼ 18.6% | 1,795 MW | — | — | — |
| Ritchie County | 8,034 | ▼ 5.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Tyler County | 7,881 | ▼ 6.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Washington County OH | 58,389 | ▲ 0.1% | 1,636 MW | — | — | — |
| Wood County | 82,385 | ▼ 0.8% | 42 MW | — | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Pleasants County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pleasants County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Pleasants County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Monongahela Power Co. The largest, Monongahela Power Co, charged residential customers 13.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Pleasants County?
3 operating plants with 1,795 MW of capacity. The largest is Pleasants Power Station (1,368 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Pleasants County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pleasants County.
Is Pleasants County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,296 jobs in 2025 against 2,820 in 2019 (-18.6%, BLS QCEW).
Does Pleasants County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pleasants County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.