# Somerset County, Maine: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Skowhegan, Fairfield and Madison

No data center or power plant project is on record in Somerset County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Somerset County is home to Skowhegan, Fairfield, Madison and Pittsfield. Next door, Penobscot County has 3 data centers. 149 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 498 MW of capacity, 43% of it hydro, the 4th largest fleet in Maine. Central Maine Power Co is the largest utility serving Somerset County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 23.43¢/kWh in 2024, above the 17.06¢ median for Maine utilities.

498 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

23.43¢
per kWh for Central Maine Power Co residential customers, 2024

-0.4%
total jobs since 2019, now 15,847

## Cities and towns in Somerset County

Somerset County is home to Skowhegan, Fairfield, Madison and Pittsfield.

Skowhegan8,676 residents
Fairfield6,537 residents
Madison4,888 residents
Pittsfield3,935 residents
Norridgewock3,304 residents
Anson2,333 residents
Canaan2,219 residents
St. Albans2,176 residents
Palmyra2,077 residents
Hartland1,890 residents
Cornville1,378 residents
Solon1,008 residents
Embden958 residents
Athens955 residents
Smithfield953 residents
Detroit929 residents
Bingham833 residents
Harmony829 residents
Jackman799 residents
New Portland766 residents
Mercer713 residents
Starks632 residents
Moscow492 residents
Ripley487 residents

And 8 smaller places.

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Anson, Bingham, Fairfield, Hartland, Madison, Norridgewock, North Anson, Pittsfield, Skowhegan.

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 Somerset County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 50,469 | 51,620 | ▲ 2.3% | 9th of 16 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,905 | 15,847 | ▼ 0.4% | 10th of 16 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,075 | $58,195 | ▲ 41.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 4.1% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 149 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Employers here counted 15,847 jobs in 2025, down 0.4% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 16 Maine counties). Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. 51,620 people live here, up 2.3% since 2020, 9th of 16 Maine counties by population.

## Who powers Somerset County

### Utilities with service territory in Somerset County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Maine Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 577,955 | 23.43¢ | 22% |
| Town of Madison - (ME) | Municipal | Bundled | 2,413 | 15.16¢ | 12% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 216 MW | 43% |
| Other technologies | 119 MW | 24% |
| Solar | 98 MW | 20% |
| Wind | 59 MW | 12% |
| Battery storage | 6 MW | 1% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset Plant | Sappi Fine Paper North America-Somerset | Other technologies | 107 MW | 1976 |
| Harris Hydro | Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC | Hydro | 76 MW | 1954 |
| Wyman Hydro | Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC | Hydro | 72 MW | 1930 |
| Moscow | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Wind | 59 MW | 2025 |
| Anson Abenaki Hydros | Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC | Hydro | 29 MW | 1950 |
| Williams Hydro | Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC | Hydro | 13 MW | 1939 |

## The Somerset County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 15,847 | $58,195 | 1.00 |
| Power and communication line construction | 47 | $87,683 | 1.84 |

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 Somerset County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Somerset County. Maine has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Penobscot County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/penobscot-county).

## Somerset County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Somerset County, Penobscot 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset County | 51,620 | ▼ 0.4% | 498 MW | — | — | — |
| Aroostook County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/aroostook-county) | 66,609 | ▼ 3.6% | 293 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/franklin-county) | 30,824 | ▼ 2.1% | 336 MW | — | — | — |
| Kennebec County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/kennebec-county) | 129,067 | ▲ 2.8% | 136 MW | — | — | — |
| Penobscot County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/penobscot-county) | 157,967 | ▲ 1.7% | 1,038 MW | 68 MW | 3 | 1 |
| Piscataquis County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/piscataquis-county) | 17,409 | ▼ 5.4% | 210 MW | — | — | — |
| Waldo County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/waldo-county) | 40,693 | ▼ 2.3% | 149 MW | 1 MW | — | — |

## More of Maine

[All Maine countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine)[Penobscot County157,967 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/penobscot-county)[Kennebec County129,067 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/kennebec-county)[Aroostook County66,609 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/aroostook-county)[Waldo County40,693 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/waldo-county)[Franklin County30,824 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/franklin-county)

## Somerset County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Somerset County, Maine?

2 utilities have service territory in Somerset County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Central Maine Power Co, Town of Madison - (ME). The largest, Central Maine Power Co, charged residential customers 23.43¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Somerset County?

37 operating plants with 498 MW of capacity. The largest is Somerset Plant (107 MW, other technologies).

### Are there data centers in Somerset County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Somerset County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Penobscot County.

### Is Somerset County adding jobs?

Employers counted 15,847 jobs in 2025 against 15,905 in 2019 (-0.4%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Somerset County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Somerset County. Maine has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/maine/somerset-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).