Wood County, West Virginia: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Parkersburg, Vienna and Williamstown
No data center or power plant project is on record in Wood County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Wood County is home to Parkersburg, Vienna, Williamstown and North Hills. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 5.0% in 2019. Its power plants have 42 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Monongahela Power Co is the largest utility serving Wood County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.97¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.35¢ median for West Virginia utilities. Employers here counted 35,119 jobs in 2025, down 0.8% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Wood County
Wood County is home to Parkersburg, Vienna, Williamstown and North Hills.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Blennerhassett, Boaz, Kanawha, Lubeck, Mineralwells, Washington, Waverly.
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 Wood County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 84,153 | 82,385 | ▼ 2.1% | 5th of 55 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 35,410 | 35,119 | ▼ 0.8% | 34th of 55 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,751 | $56,805 | ▲ 32.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.0% | 4.1% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
82,385 people live here, down 2.1% since 2020, 5th of 55 West Virginia counties by population.
Who powers Wood County
Utilities with service territory in Wood 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 42 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville Dam | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Hydro | 42 MW | 1999 |
The Wood County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 35,119 | $56,805 | 1.00 |
| Electric utilities | 77 | $127,011 | 0.81 |
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 Wood County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wood County. West Virginia has 0 local measures on record statewide.
Wood County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Wood County, Pleasants 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County | 82,385 | ▼ 0.8% | 42 MW | — | — | — |
| Athens County OH | 63,197 | ▲ 2.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 27,450 | ▼ 13.1% | 192 MW | — | — | — |
| Meigs County OH | 21,587 | ▼ 6.2% | 95 MW | — | — | — |
| Pleasants County | 7,338 | ▼ 18.6% | 1,795 MW | — | — | — |
| Ritchie County | 8,034 | ▼ 5.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Washington County OH | 58,389 | ▲ 0.1% | 1,636 MW | — | — | — |
| Wirt County | 4,879 | ▲ 24.7% | — | — | — | — |
More of West Virginia
Wood County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wood County, West Virginia?
1 utility has service territory in Wood 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 county is Parkersburg, WV in?
Parkersburg is in Wood County, West Virginia. About 28,593 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Vienna, WV in?
Vienna is in Wood County, West Virginia. About 10,321 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Wood County?
1 operating plant with 42 MW of capacity. The largest is Belleville Dam (42 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Wood County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wood County.
Is Wood County adding jobs?
Employers counted 35,119 jobs in 2025 against 35,410 in 2019 (-0.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wood County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wood County. West Virginia has 0 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.