Garrett County, Maryland: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mountain Lake Park and Oakland
Garrett County has more of its workforce in data processing and hosting than the country as a whole. Garrett County is home to Mountain Lake Park, Oakland and Grantsville. Construction employs 1,143, up 17.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.8 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 203 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 414 MW of capacity, 49% of it solar, the 8th largest fleet in Maryland. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Garrett County
Garrett County is home to Mountain Lake Park, Oakland and Grantsville.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bloomington, Crellin, Finzel, Gorman, Hutton, Jennings, Swanton.
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 Garrett County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 28,798 | 28,370 | ▼ 1.5% | 22nd of 24 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,050 | 12,052 | ● 0.0% | 16th of 24 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,120 | $50,142 | ▲ 38.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 971 | 1,143 | ▲ 17.7% | 2nd of 15 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 203 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
The Potomac Edison Company is the largest utility serving Garrett County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.83¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.84¢ median for Maryland utilities. Employers here counted 12,052 jobs in 2025, unchanged from 2019. 28,370 people live here, down 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Garrett County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +203 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Garrett 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 22
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 204 MW | 49% |
| Wind | 190 MW | 46% |
| Hydro | 20 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPV Backbone Solar | CPV Backbone Solar, LLC | Solar | 175 MW | 2025 |
| Criterion | Criterion Power Partners LLC | Wind | 70 MW | 2010 |
| Fourmile Ridge | Fourmile Wind Energy, LLC | Wind | 40 MW | 2014 |
| Roth Rock Wind Farm LLC | Roth Rock Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 40 MW | 2011 |
| Fair Wind | Fair Wind Power Partners, LLC | Wind | 30 MW | 2015 |
| Deep Creek | BP Piney & Deep Creek LLC | Hydro | 20 MW | 1925 |
The Garrett County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,052 | $50,142 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,143 | $62,731 | 1.79 |
| Data processing and hosting | 76 | $53,290 | 2.03 |
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 Garrett County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Garrett County. Maryland has 31 local measures on record statewide.
Garrett County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Garrett County, Grant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett County | 28,370 | ● 0.0% | 414 MW | — | — | — |
| Allegany County | 66,848 | ▼ 8.2% | 75 MW | — | — | — |
| Fayette County PA | 123,021 | ▼ 4.7% | 932 MW | 17 MW | — | — |
| Grant County WV | 11,041 | ▲ 12.0% | 2,048 MW | — | — | — |
| Mineral County WV | 26,792 | ▲ 10.5% | 169 MW | — | — | — |
| Preston County WV | 34,004 | ▲ 1.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Somerset County PA | 72,004 | ▼ 4.3% | 443 MW | 15 MW | — | — |
More of Maryland
Garrett County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Garrett County, Maryland?
1 utility has service territory in Garrett 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 power plants are in Garrett County?
22 operating plants with 414 MW of capacity. The largest is CPV Backbone Solar (175 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Garrett County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Garrett County.
Is Garrett County adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,052 jobs in 2025 against 12,050 in 2019 (+0.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 971 to 1,143.
Does Garrett County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Garrett County. Maryland has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.