New Castle County, Delaware: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Wilmington and Newark, and the communities of Glasgow
The data center boom is not abstract in New Castle County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 7 data centers in New Castle County, 100% of Delaware's total. New Castle County is home to Wilmington, Newark, Middletown and Elsmere, plus the unincorporated community of Glasgow. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers with no end date”. 133 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by FPS Cedar Creek Solar LLC (solar), the largest pipeline among Delaware's counties. Its power plants have 2,313 MW of capacity, 87% of it natural gas, the largest fleet in Delaware.
Cities and towns in New Castle County
New Castle County is home to Wilmington, Newark, Middletown and Elsmere, plus the unincorporated community of Glasgow.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Glasgow, Bear, Brookside, Claymont, Edgemoor, Greenville, Hockessin, North Star, Pike Creek, Pike Creek Valley, Port Penn, St. Georges, Wilmington Manor.
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 New Castle County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Delaware |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 570,941 | 588,026 | ▲ 3.0% | 1st of 3 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 293,839 | 306,171 | ▲ 4.2% | 3rd of 3 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $65,574 | $83,959 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14,417 | 15,188 | ▲ 5.3% | 1st of 1 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,889 | 1,963 | ▲ 3.9% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,052 | 1,169 | ▲ 11.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 316 | 369 | ▲ 16.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 4.9% | ▲ 1.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 58 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 133 MW | 6% of today's fleet | 1st of 3 by size |
Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. Construction employs 15,188, up 5.3% since 2019. 58 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Owners plan to retire 4 MW more by 2035, led by Croda Atlas Point CHP in 2033. Electrical contractors employ 1,963, up 3.9% since 2019 against up 11.1% statewide, at an average $82,291 a year. Employers here counted 306,171 jobs in 2025, up 4.2% from 2019 (the 3rd fastest growth of 3 Delaware counties). Delmarva Power is the largest utility serving New Castle County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.23¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.32¢ median for Delaware utilities. 588,026 people live here, up 3.0% since 2020, 1st of 3 Delaware counties by population.
Who powers New Castle County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +58 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in New Castle County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delmarva Power | Investor Owned | Bundled | 301,950 | 17.23¢ | 23% |
| City of Newark - (DE) | Municipal | Bundled | 11,888 | 18.99¢ | 17% |
| Town of Middletown - (DE) | Municipal | Bundled | 9,071 | 17.12¢ | 3% |
| New Castle Municipal Serv Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Smyrna - (DE) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,009 MW | 87% |
| Other technologies | 144 MW | 6% |
| Petroleum | 102 MW | 4% |
| Solar | 58 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hay Road | Calpine Mid-Atlantic Generation LLC | Natural gas | 1,098 MW | 1989 |
| Edge Moor | Calpine Mid-Atlantic Generation LLC | Natural gas | 710 MW | 1954 |
| Delaware City Plant | Delaware City Refining Company LLC | Other technologies | 324 MW | 1956 |
| Christiana | Calpine Mid-Atlantic Generation LLC | Petroleum | 55 MW | 1973 |
| ENGIE Solidago Solar Project - Hybrid | ENGIE Solidago Solar LLC | Solar | 50 MW | 2022 |
| Red Lion Energy Center | Diamond State Generation Partners, LLC | Natural gas | 25 MW | 2012 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Creek Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 114 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | FPS Cedar Creek Solar LLC |
| ENGIE Solidago Solar Project - Hybrid | Batteries | 12 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | ENGIE Solidago Solar LLC |
| Grears Corner Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Grears Corner Solar, LLC |
| Maryland Line Road Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Maryland Line Road Solar, LLC |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croda Atlas Point CHP | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2033 |
The New Castle County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 306,171 | $83,959 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 15,188 | $84,581 | 0.94 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,963 | $82,291 | 0.89 |
| Electric utilities | 1,169 | $157,639 | 1.41 |
| Data processing and hosting | 369 | $144,119 | 0.39 |
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 New Castle County
7 data centers in New Castle County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers with no end date | In force | 2026-03 |
New Castle County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border New Castle County, Salem 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 588,026 | ▲ 4.2% | 2,313 MW | 133 MW | 7 | 1 |
| Cecil County MD | 107,131 | ▲ 10.1% | 1,923 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Chester County PA | 557,116 | ▲ 0.3% | 65 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Delaware County PA | 580,937 | ▼ 3.4% | 2,471 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Gloucester County NJ | 312,638 | ▲ 12.3% | 1,166 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Kent County | 194,786 | ▲ 4.6% | 663 MW | 61 MW | — | 1 |
| Kent County MD | 19,565 | ▼ 5.0% | 67 MW | — | — | — |
| Salem County NJ | 66,280 | ▲ 7.6% | 3,697 MW | 3 MW | — | — |
More of Delaware
New Castle County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in New Castle County, Delaware?
5 utilities have service territory in New Castle County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Delmarva Power, City of Newark - (DE), Town of Middletown - (DE), New Castle Municipal Serv Comm. The largest, Delmarva Power, charged residential customers 17.23¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Wilmington, DE in?
Wilmington is in New Castle County, Delaware. About 73,512 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Newark, DE in?
Newark is in New Castle County, Delaware. About 30,359 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Middletown, DE in?
Middletown is in New Castle County, Delaware. About 25,798 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in New Castle County?
15 operating plants with 2,313 MW of capacity. The largest is Hay Road (1,098 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in New Castle County?
133 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is FPS Cedar Creek Solar LLC.
Are there data centers in New Castle County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 7 data centers in New Castle County.
Is New Castle County adding jobs?
Employers counted 306,171 jobs in 2025 against 293,839 in 2019 (+4.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 14,417 to 15,188.
Does New Castle County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for New Castle County, 1 in force.