Allegany County, Maryland: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Cumberland, Frostburg and Westernport
The power plants that defined Allegany County are changing. Allegany County is home to Cumberland, Frostburg, Westernport and Lonaconing. Next door, Morgan County, West Virginia, has 1 data center. 305 MW has retired here since 2019, including AES Warrior Run Cogeneration Facility (coal, 229 MW, 2024). Employers here counted 26,493 jobs in 2025, down 8.2% from 2019. 75 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind.
Cities and towns in Allegany County
Allegany County is home to Cumberland, Frostburg, Westernport and Lonaconing.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Barrelville, Bel Air, Bier, Bowling Green, Bowmans Addition, Carlos, Clarysville, Corriganville, Cresaptown, Danville, Dawson, Detmold, Eckhart Mines, Ellerslie, Flintstone, Franklin, Gilmore, Grahamtown, Klondike, La Vale, Little Orleans, McCoole, Midlothian, Moscow, Mount Savage, National, Nikep, Ocean, Oldtown, Pleasant Grove, Potomac Park, Rawlings, Shaft, Spring Gap, Vale Summit, Woodland, Zihlman.
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 Allegany County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 67,967 | 66,848 | ▼ 1.6% | 16th of 24 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 28,872 | 26,493 | ▼ 8.2% | 23rd of 24 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,335 | $53,825 | ▲ 33.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.3% | 5.1% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 75 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 305 MW | — |
Its power plants have 75 MW of capacity, 73% of it wind. The Potomac Edison Company is the largest utility serving Allegany County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.83¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.84¢ median for Maryland utilities. Unemployment was 5.1% in August 2026, against 5.3% in 2019. 66,848 people live here, down 1.6% since 2020.
Who powers Allegany County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −230 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Allegany County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Potomac Edison Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 256,568 | 13.83¢ | 15% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 55 MW | 73% |
| Solar | 20 MW | 27% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dans Mountain | Dans Mountain Wind Force, LLC | Wind | 55 MW | 2025 |
| Jade Meadow LLC | Jade Meadow LLC | Solar | 20 MW | 2024 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| AES Warrior Run Cogeneration Facility | Coal | 229 MW | 2024 |
| Luke Mill | Coal | 65 MW | 2019 |
| AES Warrior Run Energy Storage Project | Battery storage | 11 MW | 2024 |
The Allegany County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,493 | $53,825 | 1.00 |
| Electric utilities | 73 | $118,183 | 1.02 |
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 Allegany County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Allegany County. Maryland has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Washington County.
Allegany County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Allegany County, Hampshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County | 66,848 | ▼ 8.2% | 75 MW | — | — | — |
| Bedford County PA | 47,480 | ▲ 5.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Fulton County PA | 14,483 | ▼ 9.2% | 70 MW | — | — | — |
| Garrett County | 28,370 | ● 0.0% | 414 MW | — | — | — |
| Hampshire County WV | 24,105 | ▲ 13.8% | 20 MW | 150 MW | — | — |
| Mineral County WV | 26,792 | ▲ 10.5% | 169 MW | — | — | — |
| Morgan County WV | 18,027 | ▲ 10.9% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Somerset County PA | 72,004 | ▼ 4.3% | 443 MW | 15 MW | — | — |
| Washington County | 157,731 | ▲ 1.8% | 74 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Maryland
Allegany County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Allegany County, Maryland?
1 utility has service territory in Allegany County in the EIA-861 2024 report: The Potomac Edison Company. The largest, The Potomac Edison Company, charged residential customers 13.83¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Cumberland, MD in?
Cumberland is in Allegany County, Maryland. About 18,799 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Allegany County?
2 operating plants with 75 MW of capacity. The largest is Dans Mountain (55 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Allegany County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Allegany County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Morgan County.
Is Allegany County adding jobs?
Employers counted 26,493 jobs in 2025 against 28,872 in 2019 (-8.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Allegany County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Allegany County. Maryland has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.