Starke County, Indiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Center Township, Wayne Township and Knox
Starke County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Construction employs 171, up 94.3% since 2019. Starke County is home to Center Township, Wayne Township, Knox and Oregon Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “12-month hyperscale data center moratorium (Ordinance 2025-37)”. 891 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 891 MW of capacity, 94% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Starke County
Starke County is home to Center Township, Wayne Township, Knox and Oregon Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bass Lake, Koontz Lake, San Pierre.
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 Starke County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Indiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 23,397 | 23,425 | ▲ 0.1% | 66th of 92 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,188 | 4,102 | ▼ 2.1% | 62nd of 92 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $32,646 | $46,018 | ▲ 41.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 88 | 171 | ▲ 94.3% | 2nd of 68 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.6% | 4.1% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 891 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 4,102 jobs in 2025, down 2.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 4.6% in 2019. Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co is the largest utility serving Starke County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.09¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.63¢ median for Indiana utilities. 23,425 people live here, up 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Starke County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +891 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Starke 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% |
| Fulton 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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 835 MW | 94% |
| Battery storage | 56 MW | 6% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunns Bridge II Solar | Dunns Bridge II Solar and Storage Generation LLC | Battery storage | 491 MW | 2025 |
| Mammoth North Solar | Mammoth North, LLC | Solar | 400 MW | 2024 |
The Starke County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,102 | $46,018 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 171 | $63,194 | 0.79 |
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 Starke County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-month hyperscale data center moratorium (Ordinance 2025-37) | In force | 2026-01 |
Starke County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Starke 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starke County | 23,425 | ▼ 2.1% | 891 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Fulton County | 20,091 | ▼ 1.2% | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Jasper County | 33,894 | ▼ 3.0% | 1,637 MW | 448 MW | — | — |
| LaPorte County | 111,294 | ▼ 0.4% | 546 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Marshall County | 46,599 | ▲ 6.2% | 14 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Porter County | 176,049 | ▲ 3.5% | 240 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Pulaski County | 12,463 | ▲ 22.8% | 3 MW | 1,124 MW | — | 1 |
| St. Joseph County | 272,861 | ▼ 2.3% | 1,012 MW | — | 20 | 1 |
More of Indiana
Starke County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Starke County, Indiana?
5 utilities have service territory in Starke County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, Kankakee Valley Rural E M C, Jasper County Rural E M C, Fulton County Rural E M C. The largest, Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co, charged residential customers 19.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Starke County?
2 operating plants with 891 MW of capacity. The largest is Dunns Bridge II Solar (491 MW, battery storage).
Are there data centers in Starke County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Starke County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Pulaski County.
Is Starke County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,102 jobs in 2025 against 4,188 in 2019 (-2.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 88 to 171.
Does Starke County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Starke County, 1 in force.