Montgomery County, Maryland: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Gaithersburg and Rockville, and the communities of Calverton and Silver Spring
Montgomery County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 10 data centers in Montgomery County, 21% of Maryland's total. Montgomery County is home to Gaithersburg, Rockville, Takoma Park and Poolesville, plus the unincorporated communities of Calverton, Silver Spring and Bethesda. The Moratorium Tracker holds 3 local measures here (3 in force); the latest is “18-month data center moratorium”. 609 MW has retired here since 2019, including Dickerson (coal, 588 MW, 2020). Construction employs 21,290, down 10.3% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Montgomery County
Montgomery County is home to Gaithersburg, Rockville, Takoma Park and Poolesville, plus the unincorporated communities of Calverton, Silver Spring and Bethesda.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Calverton, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Ashton-Sandy Spring, Aspen Hill, Brookmont, Burnt Mills, Burtonsville, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, Clarksburg, Cloverly, Colesville, Damascus, Darnestown, Derwood, Fairland, Flower Hill, Forest Glen, Four Corners, Friendship Heights Village, Germantown, Glenmont, Hillandale, Kemp Mill, Layhill, Leisure World, Montgomery Village, North Bethesda, North Kensington, North Potomac, Olney, Potomac, Redland, South Kensington, Spencerville, Ten Mile Creek, Travilah, Wheaton, White Oak.
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 Montgomery County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,060,926 | 1,074,582 | ▲ 1.3% | 1st of 24 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 472,495 | 456,358 | ▼ 3.4% | 21st of 24 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $77,040 | $96,368 | ▲ 25.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 23,733 | 21,290 | ▼ 10.3% | 13th of 15 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,102 | 1,963 | ▼ 6.6% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 421 | 313 | ▼ 25.7% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 984 | 1,357 | ▲ 37.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 3.5% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 16 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 609 MW | — |
16 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 500 MW of capacity, 81% of it natural gas, the 7th largest fleet in Maryland. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 456,358 jobs in 2025, down 3.4% from 2019. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Montgomery County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.91¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.84¢ median for Maryland utilities. Electrical contractors employ 1,963, down 6.6% since 2019 against up 0.7% statewide, at an average $86,454 a year. 1,074,582 people live here, up 1.3% since 2020, 1st of 24 Maryland counties by population.
Who powers Montgomery County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −593 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Montgomery County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Gas & Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,214,100 | 17.91¢ | 21% |
| Potomac Electric Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 553,607 | 20.08¢ | 23% |
| 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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 403 MW | 81% |
| Other technologies | 68 MW | 14% |
| Solar | 21 MW | 4% |
| Petroleum | 7 MW | 1% |
| Battery storage | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickerson Power | Dickerson Power, LLC | Natural gas | 326 MW | 1992 |
| Montgomery County Resource Recovery | Covanta Montgomery, Inc. | Other technologies | 68 MW | 1995 |
| Central Utility Plant at White Oak | GSA Metropolitan Service Center | Natural gas | 54 MW | 2003 |
| NIH Cogeneration Facility | National Institutes of Health | Natural gas | 28 MW | 2018 |
| Brookville Smart Bus Depot Microgrid | AlphaStruxure Service Co LP | Natural gas | 5 MW | 2022 |
| NIST Solar | Luminace Solar MC, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2018 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickerson | Coal | 588 MW | 2020 |
| Dickerson Power | Petroleum | 19 MW | 2022 |
| Montgomery County Oaks LFGE Plant | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Montgomery County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 456,358 | $96,368 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 21,290 | $89,087 | 0.88 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,963 | $86,454 | 0.60 |
| Electric utilities | 313 | $152,398 | 0.25 |
| Data processing and hosting | 1,357 | $216,633 | 0.96 |
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 Montgomery County
10 data centers in Montgomery County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 3
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-month data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 | |
| Montgomery County (Executive Elrich 6-month data center moratorium EO), MD data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 | |
| Dickerson (Montgomery County) data center moratorium | In force | 2026-02 |
Montgomery County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Montgomery County, Loudoun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 1,074,582 | ▼ 3.4% | 500 MW | — | 10 | 3 |
| Arlington County VA | 243,931 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Carroll County | 176,677 | ▲ 1.3% | 16 MW | — | — | 1 |
| District of Columbia DC | 693,645 | ▼ 4.4% | 72 MW | 6 MW | 9 | — |
| Fairfax County VA | 1,167,873 | ▲ 2.0% | 133 MW | — | 45 | 1 |
| Frederick County | 302,883 | ▲ 1.7% | 87 MW | — | 4 | 1 |
| Howard County | 339,183 | ▼ 0.9% | 47 MW | — | 5 | 2 |
| Loudoun County VA | 449,749 | ▲ 16.8% | 812 MW | 170 MW | 342 | 1 |
| Prince George's County | 970,374 | ▲ 1.9% | 3,100 MW | 12 MW | 5 | 3 |
More of Maryland
Montgomery County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Montgomery County, Maryland?
3 utilities have service territory in Montgomery County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Baltimore Gas & Electric Co, Potomac Electric Power Co, The Potomac Edison Company. The largest, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.91¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Gaithersburg, MD in?
Gaithersburg is in Montgomery County, Maryland. About 71,113 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Rockville, MD in?
Rockville is in Montgomery County, Maryland. About 67,563 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Takoma Park, MD in?
Takoma Park is in Montgomery County, Maryland. About 17,260 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Montgomery County?
15 operating plants with 500 MW of capacity. The largest is Dickerson Power (326 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Montgomery County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 10 data centers in Montgomery County.
Is Montgomery County adding jobs?
Employers counted 456,358 jobs in 2025 against 472,495 in 2019 (-3.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 23,733 to 21,290.
Does Montgomery County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 3 local measures for Montgomery County, 3 in force.