Wayne County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Huntington, Kenova and Wayne
Wayne County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Wayne County is home to part of Huntington (3,501 of its 44,815 residents), Kenova, Wayne and Ceredo. Construction employs 432, up 37.6% since 2019. Next door, Lawrence County, Ohio, has 1 data center. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 5.6% in 2019. Its power plants have 872 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in West Virginia.
Cities and towns in Wayne County
Wayne County is home to part of Huntington (3,501 of its 44,815 residents), Kenova, Wayne and Ceredo.
- Huntington also extends into Cabell County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Crum, Lavalette, Prichard.
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 Wayne County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 38,873 | 37,309 | ▼ 4.0% | 14th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,198 | 8,412 | ▲ 2.6% | 24th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,458 | $61,428 | ▲ 35.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 314 | 432 | ▲ 37.6% | 5th of 26 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.6% | 4.4% | ▼ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 8,412 jobs in 2025, up 2.6% from 2019. Appalachian Power Co is the largest utility serving Wayne County. Its residential customers paid an average 16.77¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. 37,309 people live here, down 4.0% since 2020.
Who powers Wayne County
Utilities with service territory in Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 872 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceredo Generating Station | Appalachian Power Co | Natural gas | 519 MW | 2001 |
| Big Sandy Peaker Plant | Middle River Power II, LLC | Natural gas | 353 MW | 2001 |
The Wayne County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8,412 | $61,428 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 432 | $68,869 | 0.97 |
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 Wayne County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wayne County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Boyd County.
Wayne County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Wayne County, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 37,309 | ▲ 2.6% | 872 MW | — | — | — |
| Boyd County KY | 47,751 | ▲ 9.3% | — | — | — | 2 |
| Cabell County | 91,183 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County KY | 15,765 | ▲ 8.4% | 1,430 MW | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County OH | 55,710 | ▲ 6.1% | 1,430 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lincoln County | 19,177 | ▲ 14.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Martin County KY | 10,697 | ▼ 22.2% | 111 MW | — | — | — |
| Mingo County | 21,455 | ▼ 12.4% | — | — | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Wayne County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wayne County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Wayne 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 Wayne County?
2 operating plants with 872 MW of capacity. The largest is Ceredo Generating Station (519 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Wayne County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wayne County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lawrence County.
Is Wayne County adding jobs?
Employers counted 8,412 jobs in 2025 against 8,198 in 2019 (+2.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 314 to 432.
Does Wayne County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wayne County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.