Porter County, Indiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Portage Township, Center Township and Portage
Porter County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Porter County. Porter County is home to Portage Township, Center Township, Portage and Valparaiso. 38 MW has retired here since 2019, including Bailly (natural gas, 38 MW, 2020). Electrical contractors employ 281, up 6.8% since 2019 against up 34.8% statewide, at an average $84,422 a year. Its power plants have 240 MW of capacity, 74% of it other technologies.
Cities and towns in Porter County
Porter County is home to Portage Township, Center Township, Portage and Valparaiso.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Aberdeen, Lakes of the Four Seasons, Salt Creek Commons, Shorewood Forest, South Haven, Wheeler.
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 Porter County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Indiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 173,319 | 176,049 | ▲ 1.6% | 10th of 92 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 61,712 | 63,898 | ▲ 3.5% | 33rd of 92 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,189 | $62,520 | ▲ 35.4% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 263 | 281 | ▲ 6.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 3.8% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 38 MW | — |
Employers here counted 63,898 jobs in 2025, up 3.5% from 2019. Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co is the largest utility serving Porter County, one of 3 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 3.8% in 2019. 176,049 people live here, up 1.6% since 2020, 10th of 92 Indiana counties by population.
Who powers Porter County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −38 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Porter 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% |
| Kankakee Valley Rural E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,994 | 15.20¢ | 18% |
| Jasper County Rural E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,745 | 15.34¢ | 46% |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other technologies | 176 MW | 74% |
| Natural gas | 61 MW | 25% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor | Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor LLC | Other technologies | 176 MW | 1969 |
| Portside Energy | Primary Energy Recycling Holdings, LLC | Natural gas | 61 MW | 1997 |
| Portage Solar | Ecos Energy LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2012 |
| Valparaiso Solar, LLC | AES Distributed Energy | Solar | 1 MW | 2012 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailly | Natural gas | 38 MW | 2020 |
The Porter County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 63,898 | $62,520 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 281 | $84,422 | 0.61 |
| Data processing and hosting | 182 | $79,400 | 0.92 |
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 Porter County
1 data center in Porter County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Porter County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Porter County, Jasper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter County | 176,049 | ▲ 3.5% | 240 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Jasper County | 33,894 | ▼ 3.0% | 1,637 MW | 448 MW | — | — |
| LaPorte County | 111,294 | ▼ 0.4% | 546 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Lake County | 504,612 | ▲ 1.4% | 1,160 MW | 100 MW | 7 | — |
| Starke County | 23,425 | ▼ 2.1% | 891 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Indiana
Porter County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Porter County, Indiana?
3 utilities have service territory in Porter County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, Kankakee Valley Rural E M C, Jasper County Rural E M C. The largest, Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, charged residential customers 19.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Portage Township, IN in?
Portage Township is in Porter County, Indiana. About 48,733 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Center Township, IN in?
Center Township is in Porter County, Indiana. About 47,315 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Portage, IN in?
Portage is in Porter County, Indiana. About 38,634 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Porter County?
4 operating plants with 240 MW of capacity. The largest is ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor (176 MW, other technologies).
Are there data centers in Porter County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Porter County.
Is Porter County adding jobs?
Employers counted 63,898 jobs in 2025 against 61,712 in 2019 (+3.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Porter County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Porter County. Indiana has 40 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.