Elkhart County, Indiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Concord Township, Elkhart and Elkhart Township
Elkhart County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Elkhart County is home to Concord Township, Elkhart, Elkhart Township and Goshen. Next door, St. Joseph County has 20 data centers. Construction employs 4,557, up 11.2% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 450, up 10.8% since 2019 against up 34.8% statewide, at an average $75,273 a year. 101 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Elkhart County
Elkhart County is home to Concord Township, Elkhart, Elkhart Township and Goshen.
- Nappanee also extends into Kosciusko County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Dunlap, New Paris, Simonton Lake.
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 Elkhart County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Indiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 206,985 | 208,774 | ▲ 0.9% | 6th of 92 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 132,987 | 126,935 | ▼ 4.6% | 77th of 92 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,218 | $65,710 | ▲ 36.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,097 | 4,557 | ▲ 11.2% | 49th of 68 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 406 | 450 | ▲ 10.8% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 44 | 89 | ▲ 102.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 101 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Owners plan to retire 3 MW more by 2035, led by Elkhart in 2031. Employers here counted 126,935 jobs in 2025, down 4.6% from 2019. Its power plants have 114 MW of capacity, 89% of it solar. Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co is the largest utility serving Elkhart County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.09¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.63¢ median for Indiana utilities. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. 208,774 people live here, up 0.9% since 2020, 6th of 92 Indiana counties by population.
Who powers Elkhart County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +101 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Elkhart County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 430,648 | 19.09¢ | 25% |
| Indiana Michigan Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 422,062 | 16.31¢ | 28% |
| Noble County R E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,986 | 13.53¢ | 10% |
| Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI) | Cooperative | Bundled | 310 | 19.16¢ | 42% |
| Lagrange County Rural E M C | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marshall County Rural E M C | — | — | — | — | — |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 102 MW | 89% |
| Other technologies | 9 MW | 8% |
| Hydro | 3 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart County Solar Project | Elkhart County Solar Project, LLC | Solar | 100 MW | 2026 |
| Earthmovers LFGTE | Wabash Valley Power Assn, Inc | Other technologies | 5 MW | 2010 |
| Green Cow Power | Green Cow Power LLC | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2015 |
| Elkhart | Indiana Michigan Power Co | Hydro | 3 MW | 1913 |
| Middlebury Solar | Ecos Energy LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2012 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart | Hydro | 3 MW | 2031 |
The Elkhart County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 126,935 | $65,710 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,557 | $74,252 | 0.68 |
| Electrical contractors | 450 | $75,273 | 0.49 |
| Electric utilities | 89 | $145,929 | 0.26 |
| Data processing and hosting | 16 | $272,768 | 0.04 |
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 Elkhart County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Elkhart County. Indiana has 40 local measures on record statewide, and 4 neighboring counties have one: Cass County, LaGrange County, Marshall County, St. Joseph County.
Elkhart County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Elkhart County, St. Joseph 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart County | 208,774 | ▼ 4.6% | 114 MW | — | — | — |
| Cass County MI | 51,677 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,174 MW | 150 MW | 2 | 2 |
| Kosciusko County | 80,892 | ▼ 8.3% | — | — | — | — |
| LaGrange County | 41,305 | ▲ 4.3% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Marshall County | 46,599 | ▲ 6.2% | 14 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Noble County | 47,937 | ▼ 10.1% | — | — | — | — |
| St. Joseph County | 272,861 | ▼ 2.3% | 1,012 MW | — | 20 | 1 |
| St. Joseph County MI | 60,968 | ▼ 11.6% | 26 MW | — | — | — |
More of Indiana
Elkhart County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Elkhart County, Indiana?
6 utilities have service territory in Elkhart County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, Indiana Michigan Power Co, Noble County R E M C, Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI). The largest, Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, charged residential customers 19.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Concord Township, IN in?
Concord Township is in Elkhart County, Indiana. About 56,145 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Elkhart, IN in?
Elkhart is in Elkhart County, Indiana. About 54,092 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Elkhart Township, IN in?
Elkhart Township is in Elkhart County, Indiana. About 38,435 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Elkhart County?
5 operating plants with 114 MW of capacity. The largest is Elkhart County Solar Project (100 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Elkhart County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Elkhart County. The nearest activity on record is next door in St. Joseph County.
Is Elkhart County adding jobs?
Employers counted 126,935 jobs in 2025 against 132,987 in 2019 (-4.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 4,097 to 4,557.
Does Elkhart County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Elkhart County. Indiana has 40 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.