Worcester County, Maryland: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Ocean City, Berlin and Pocomoke City
Worcester County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 6.8% in 2019. Worcester County is home to Ocean City, Berlin, Pocomoke City and Snow Hill. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers through July 21, 2027”. 4 MW has retired here since 2019, including Berlin (petroleum, 4 MW, 2020). Construction employs 1,232, up 0.7% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Worcester County
Worcester County is home to Ocean City, Berlin, Pocomoke City and Snow Hill.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bishopville, Girdletree, Newark, Ocean Pines, Stockton, West Ocean City, Whaleyville.
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 Worcester County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 52,524 | 54,459 | ▲ 3.7% | 17th of 24 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25,017 | 26,246 | ▲ 4.9% | 4th of 24 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,321 | $47,233 | ▲ 33.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,223 | 1,232 | ▲ 0.7% | 10th of 15 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.8% | 3.4% | ▼ 3.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 20 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 4 MW | — |
20 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 26,246 jobs in 2025, up 4.9% from 2019 (the 4th fastest growth of 24 Maryland counties). Its power plants have 24 MW of capacity, 77% of it solar. Delmarva Power is the largest utility serving Worcester 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. 54,459 people live here, up 3.7% since 2020.
Who powers Worcester County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +17 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Worcester 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% |
| Town of Berlin - (MD) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 18 MW | 77% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 15% |
| Natural gas | 2 MW | 8% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costen Solar | Costen Solar LLC | Solar | 9 MW | 2024 |
| Gateway Solar | Luminace Solar MC, LLC | Solar | 8 MW | 2019 |
| Berlin | Town of Berlin - (MD) | Petroleum | 6 MW | 1961 |
| Gibbons CSG | Nautilus Solar Solutions | Solar | 2 MW | 2019 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2020 |
The Worcester County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,246 | $47,233 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,232 | $54,822 | 0.89 |
| Data processing and hosting | 14 | $53,403 | 0.17 |
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 Worcester County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers through July 21, 2027 | In force | 2026-01 |
Worcester County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Worcester County, Accomack 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester County | 54,459 | ▲ 4.9% | 24 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Accomack County VA | 33,859 | ▼ 2.1% | 540 MW | — | — | — |
| Somerset County | 24,973 | ▲ 4.7% | 142 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Sussex County DE | 277,140 | ▲ 15.0% | 65 MW | 6 MW | — | — |
| Wicomico County | 106,899 | ▲ 2.3% | 32 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Maryland
Worcester County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Worcester County, Maryland?
3 utilities have service territory in Worcester County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Delmarva Power, Choptank Electric Cooperative, Inc, Town of Berlin - (MD). The largest, Delmarva Power, charged residential customers 20.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Worcester County?
4 operating plants with 24 MW of capacity. The largest is Costen Solar (9 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Worcester County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Worcester County.
Is Worcester County adding jobs?
Employers counted 26,246 jobs in 2025 against 25,017 in 2019 (+4.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,223 to 1,232.
Does Worcester County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Worcester County, 1 in force.