Dorchester County, Maryland: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Cambridge and Hurlock
Dorchester County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Dorchester County is home to Cambridge and Hurlock. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Local moratorium on data centers for a stated term”. 125 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 310 MW of capacity, 58% of it petroleum, the 9th largest fleet in Maryland. Employers here counted 11,861 jobs in 2025, up 3.0% from 2019 (the 8th fastest growth of 24 Maryland counties).
Cities and towns in Dorchester County
Dorchester County is home to Cambridge and Hurlock.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Algonquin, Elliott, Fishing Creek, Madison, Taylors Island.
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 Dorchester County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 32,523 | 33,628 | ▲ 3.4% | 21st of 24 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,514 | 11,861 | ▲ 3.0% | 8th of 24 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,291 | $55,133 | ▲ 33.5% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 133 | 85 | ▼ 36.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 4.5% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 125 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Delmarva Power is the largest utility serving Dorchester County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 20.22¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.84¢ median for Maryland utilities. 33,628 people live here, up 3.4% since 2020. Unemployment was 4.5% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 85, down 36.1% since 2019 against up 0.7% statewide, at an average $65,622 a year.
Who powers Dorchester County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +125 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Dorchester County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delmarva Power | Investor Owned | Bundled | 186,368 | 20.22¢ | 17% |
| Choptank Electric Cooperative, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 50,697 | 16.46¢ | 23% |
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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 181 MW | 58% |
| Solar | 130 MW | 42% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna Operations | NRG Vienna Operations Inc | Petroleum | 181 MW | 1968 |
| Egypt Road Solar | Urban Grid Solar | Solar | 51 MW | 2025 |
| Richfield Solar Energy LLC | Invenergy Services LLC | Solar | 50 MW | 2024 |
| Todd Solar | Invenergy Services LLC | Solar | 20 MW | 2021 |
| CNE at Cambridge MD | Luminace Solar Maryland II, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2015 |
| Cabin Creek MD | AES Clean Energy | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
The Dorchester County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 11,861 | $55,133 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 85 | $65,622 | 0.99 |
| Electric utilities | 45 | $138,194 | 1.40 |
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 Dorchester County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local moratorium on data centers for a stated term | In force | 2026-06 |
Dorchester County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Dorchester County, Caroline 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County | 33,628 | ▲ 3.0% | 310 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Caroline County | 34,116 | ▼ 9.3% | 147 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Somerset County | 24,973 | ▲ 4.7% | 142 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Sussex County DE | 277,140 | ▲ 15.0% | 65 MW | 6 MW | — | — |
| Talbot County | 38,238 | ▼ 0.1% | 71 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Wicomico County | 106,899 | ▲ 2.3% | 32 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Maryland
Dorchester County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Dorchester County, Maryland?
2 utilities have service territory in Dorchester County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Delmarva Power, Choptank Electric Cooperative, Inc. The largest, Delmarva Power, charged residential customers 20.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Cambridge, MD in?
Cambridge is in Dorchester County, Maryland. About 13,457 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Dorchester County?
8 operating plants with 310 MW of capacity. The largest is Vienna Operations (181 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Dorchester County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Dorchester County.
Is Dorchester County adding jobs?
Employers counted 11,861 jobs in 2025 against 11,514 in 2019 (+3.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Dorchester County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Dorchester County, 1 in force.