Talbot County, Maryland: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Easton, Trappe and St. Michaels
Talbot County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Talbot County is home to Easton, Trappe, St. Michaels and Oxford. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Twelve-month moratorium on data center applications”. Construction employs 1,143, up 2.1% since 2019. 2 MW has retired here since 2019, including Easton (petroleum, 2 MW, 2023). Its power plants have 71 MW of capacity, 98% of it petroleum.
Cities and towns in Talbot County
Talbot County is home to Easton, Trappe, St. Michaels and Oxford.
- Queen Anne also extends into Queen Anne's County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cordova, Tilghman 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 Talbot County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 37,488 | 38,238 | ▲ 2.0% | 19th of 24 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,493 | 18,470 | ▼ 0.1% | 17th of 24 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,469 | $59,230 | ▲ 36.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,119 | 1,143 | ▲ 2.1% | 8th of 15 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 3.5% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 87, at an average $68,867 a year. Delmarva Power is the largest utility serving Talbot County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 20.22¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.84¢ median for Maryland utilities. Employers here counted 18,470 jobs in 2025, down 0.1% from 2019. 38,238 people live here, up 2.0% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019.
Who powers Talbot County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Talbot 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% |
| Easton Utilities Comm | Municipal | Bundled | 8,590 | 13.06¢ | 55% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 70 MW | 98% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easton 2 | Easton Utilities Comm | Petroleum | 39 MW | 1978 |
| Easton | Easton Utilities Comm | Petroleum | 31 MW | 1954 |
| MEBA | Altus Power America Management, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2014 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2023 |
The Talbot County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 18,470 | $59,230 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,143 | $65,355 | 1.17 |
| Electrical contractors | 87 | $68,867 | 0.65 |
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 Talbot County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve-month moratorium on data center applications | In force | 2026-09 |
Talbot County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border Talbot County, Dorchester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talbot County | 38,238 | ▼ 0.1% | 71 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Caroline County | 34,116 | ▼ 9.3% | 147 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Dorchester County | 33,628 | ▲ 3.0% | 310 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Queen Anne's County | 54,448 | ▲ 4.1% | 167 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Maryland
Talbot County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Talbot County, Maryland?
3 utilities have service territory in Talbot County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Delmarva Power, Choptank Electric Cooperative, Inc, Easton Utilities Comm. The largest, Delmarva Power, charged residential customers 20.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Easton, MD in?
Easton is in Talbot County, Maryland. About 17,293 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Talbot County?
3 operating plants with 71 MW of capacity. The largest is Easton 2 (39 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Talbot County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Talbot County.
Is Talbot County adding jobs?
Employers counted 18,470 jobs in 2025 against 18,493 in 2019 (-0.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,119 to 1,143.
Does Talbot County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Talbot County, 1 in force.