St. Joseph County, Indiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to South Bend, Portage Township and Penn Township
St. Joseph County sits inside the data center build-out. Electrical contractors employ 1,491, up 92.4% since 2019 against up 34.8% statewide, at an average $107,785 a year. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 20 data centers in St. Joseph County, 24% of Indiana's total. St. Joseph County is home to South Bend, Portage Township, Penn Township and Mishawaka. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Proposed prohibition on new hyperscale data centers”. 3 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including New Carlisle $13B Data Center (St. Joseph County).
Cities and towns in St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County is home to South Bend, Portage Township, Penn Township and Mishawaka.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Granger, Notre Dame.
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 St. Joseph County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Indiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 272,686 | 272,861 | ▲ 0.1% | 5th of 92 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 124,850 | 121,917 | ▼ 2.3% | 66th of 92 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,176 | $62,097 | ▲ 34.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,414 | 6,392 | ▲ 18.1% | 39th of 68 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 775 | 1,491 | ▲ 92.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 130 | 930 | ▲ 615.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 184 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Construction employs 6,392, up 18.1% since 2019. Its power plants have 1,012 MW of capacity, 81% of it natural gas. 184 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 121,917 jobs in 2025, down 2.3% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co is the largest utility serving St. Joseph County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.09¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.63¢ median for Indiana utilities. 272,861 people live here, up 0.1% since 2020, 5th of 92 Indiana counties by population.
Who powers St. Joseph County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +184 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in St. Joseph 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% |
| City of Mishawaka | Municipal | Bundled | 25,071 | 10.32¢ | 66% |
| Kankakee Valley Rural E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,994 | 15.20¢ | 18% |
| Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI) | Cooperative | Bundled | 310 | 19.16¢ | 42% |
| Marshall County Rural E M C | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of New Carlisle- (IN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Walkerton - (IN) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 10
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 818 MW | 81% |
| Solar | 179 MW | 18% |
| Petroleum | 8 MW | 1% |
| Hydro | 7 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph Energy Center | St Joseph Energy Center LLC | Natural gas | 780 MW | 2018 |
| Honeysuckle Solar Farm | Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC | Solar | 150 MW | 2024 |
| University of Notre Dame | University of Notre Dame | Natural gas | 40 MW | 1952 |
| St. Joseph Solar | Indiana Michigan Power Co | Solar | 20 MW | 2021 |
| Prairie View I & II LFGTE | Wabash Valley Power Assn, Inc | Natural gas | 6 MW | 1994 |
| OlivePV | Indiana Michigan Power Co | Solar | 5 MW | 2016 |
The St. Joseph County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 121,917 | $62,097 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 6,392 | $85,900 | 0.99 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,491 | $107,785 | 1.70 |
| Data processing and hosting | 930 | $99,999 | 2.45 |
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 St. Joseph County
20 data centers in St. Joseph County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed prohibition on new hyperscale data centers | Proposed | 2026-09 |
Delay Watchlist 3
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Carlisle $13B Data Center (St. Joseph County) | rezoning denied | — | ||
| New Carlisle $13B Data Center (St. Joseph County) | rezoning denied | — | ||
| Microsoft Granger Data Center | approved amid opposition | — |
St. Joseph County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border St. Joseph County, Cass 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County | 272,861 | ▼ 2.3% | 1,012 MW | — | 20 | 1 |
| Berrien County MI | 152,444 | ▼ 0.9% | 2,312 MW | — | — | — |
| Cass County MI | 51,677 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,174 MW | 150 MW | 2 | 2 |
| Elkhart County | 208,774 | ▼ 4.6% | 114 MW | — | — | — |
| LaPorte County | 111,294 | ▼ 0.4% | 546 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Marshall County | 46,599 | ▲ 6.2% | 14 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Starke County | 23,425 | ▼ 2.1% | 891 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Indiana
St. Joseph County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in St. Joseph County, Indiana?
8 utilities have service territory in St. Joseph County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, Indiana Michigan Power Co, City of Mishawaka, Kankakee Valley Rural E M C. The largest, Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, charged residential customers 19.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is South Bend, IN in?
South Bend is in St. Joseph County, Indiana. About 103,201 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Portage Township, IN in?
Portage Township is in St. Joseph County, Indiana. About 94,293 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Penn Township, IN in?
Penn Township is in St. Joseph County, Indiana. About 68,726 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in St. Joseph County?
10 operating plants with 1,012 MW of capacity. The largest is St Joseph Energy Center (780 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in St. Joseph County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 20 data centers in St. Joseph County.
Is St. Joseph County adding jobs?
Employers counted 121,917 jobs in 2025 against 124,850 in 2019 (-2.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 5,414 to 6,392.
Does St. Joseph County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for St. Joseph County, 0 in force.