Tippecanoe County, Indiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lafayette, Wabash Township and Fairfield Township
Tippecanoe County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Tippecanoe County, 5% of Indiana's total. Tippecanoe County is home to Lafayette, Wabash Township, Fairfield Township and West Lafayette. Construction employs 4,061, up 24.0% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 754, up 28.2% since 2019 against up 34.8% statewide, at an average $78,865 a year. 6 MW has retired here since 2019, including Caterpillar (natural gas, 4 MW, 2025).
Cities and towns in Tippecanoe County
Tippecanoe County is home to Lafayette, Wabash Township, Fairfield Township and West Lafayette.
- Otterbein also extends into Benton County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Americus, Buck Creek, Colburn, Montmorenci, Romney, Stockwell, West Point.
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 Tippecanoe County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Indiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 186,383 | 190,456 | ▲ 2.2% | 8th of 92 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 86,288 | 91,936 | ▲ 6.5% | 18th of 92 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,593 | $62,087 | ▲ 25.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,275 | 4,061 | ▲ 24.0% | 26th of 68 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 588 | 754 | ▲ 28.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 3.6% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 82 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — |
82 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Employers here counted 91,936 jobs in 2025, up 6.5% from 2019. Its power plants have 138 MW of capacity, 95% of it natural gas. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019. Duke Energy Indiana, LLC is the largest utility serving Tippecanoe County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.75¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.63¢ median for Indiana utilities. 190,456 people live here, up 2.2% since 2020, 8th of 92 Indiana counties by population.
Who powers Tippecanoe County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +75 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Tippecanoe County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Indiana, LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 796,265 | 12.75¢ | 31% |
| Tipmont Rural Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 28,885 | 16.07¢ | 22% |
| Carroll-White REMC | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,807 | 14.93¢ | 28% |
| Warren 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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 131 MW | 95% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 4% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primient | Primary Products Ingredients Americas, LLC d/b/a Primient | Natural gas | 62 MW | 2021 |
| Purdue University | Purdue University | Natural gas | 43 MW | 1969 |
| Purdue CHP | Duke Energy Indiana, LLC | Natural gas | 13 MW | 2022 |
| Caterpillar | Caterpillar Inc | Natural gas | 10 MW | 1996 |
| Sagamore Plant Cogeneration | Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas Inc | Natural gas | 7 MW | 1984 |
| Tippecanoe Solar Power Plant | Duke Energy Indiana, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2019 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterpillar | Natural gas | 4 MW | 2025 |
| Caterpillar | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2024 |
The Tippecanoe County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 91,936 | $62,087 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,061 | $76,819 | 0.83 |
| Electrical contractors | 754 | $78,865 | 1.14 |
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 Tippecanoe County
4 data centers in Tippecanoe County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Tippecanoe County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Tippecanoe County, White 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tippecanoe County | 190,456 | ▲ 6.5% | 138 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Benton County | 8,883 | ▼ 13.4% | 1,175 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Carroll County | 20,655 | ▲ 2.7% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Clinton County | 33,322 | ▲ 4.3% | 195 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Fountain County | 17,013 | ▼ 1.9% | 201 MW | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 38,954 | ▲ 5.9% | 28 MW | 16 MW | — | — |
| Warren County | 8,474 | ▲ 4.2% | 399 MW | — | — | — |
| White County | 25,164 | ▼ 4.8% | 1,838 MW | 400 MW | — | 1 |
More of Indiana
Tippecanoe County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Tippecanoe County, Indiana?
4 utilities have service territory in Tippecanoe County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Indiana, LLC, Tipmont Rural Elec Member Corp, Carroll-White REMC, Warren County Rural E M C. The largest, Duke Energy Indiana, LLC, charged residential customers 12.75¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lafayette, IN in?
Lafayette is in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. About 71,238 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Wabash Township, IN in?
Wabash Township is in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. About 66,098 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Fairfield Township, IN in?
Fairfield Township is in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. About 53,541 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Tippecanoe County?
7 operating plants with 138 MW of capacity. The largest is Primient (62 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Tippecanoe County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Tippecanoe County.
Is Tippecanoe County adding jobs?
Employers counted 91,936 jobs in 2025 against 86,288 in 2019 (+6.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,275 to 4,061.
Does Tippecanoe County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Tippecanoe County. Indiana has 40 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.