Barnstable County, Massachusetts: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Barnstable Town, Falmouth and Yarmouth
Barnstable County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Barnstable County is home to Barnstable Town, Falmouth, Yarmouth and Bourne. Construction employs 7,141, up 11.0% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Plymouth County has 3 data centers. Its power plants have 1,597 MW of capacity, 73% of it petroleum, the 3rd largest fleet in Massachusetts. 398 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Barnstable County
Barnstable County is home to Barnstable Town, Falmouth, Yarmouth and Bourne.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bourne, Brewster, Buzzards Bay, Chatham, Dennis, Dennis Port, East Dennis, East Falmouth, East Harwich, East Sandwich, Falmouth, Forestdale, Harwich Center, Harwich Port, Mashpee Neck, Monomoscoy Island, Monument Beach, New Seabury, North Eastham, North Falmouth, Northwest Harwich, Orleans, Pocasset, Popponesset, Popponesset Island, Provincetown, Sagamore, Sandwich, Seabrook, Seconsett Island, South Dennis, South Yarmouth, Teaticket, West Chatham, West Dennis, West Falmouth, West Yarmouth, Woods Hole, Yarmouth Port.
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 Barnstable County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 228,055 | 233,539 | ▲ 2.4% | 9th of 14 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 97,631 | 96,491 | ▼ 1.2% | 7th of 14 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $50,002 | $67,176 | ▲ 34.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,435 | 7,141 | ▲ 11.0% | 1st of 8 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 259 | 379 | ▲ 46.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 398 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Owners plan to retire 2 MW more by 2035, led by Notus Wind 1 in 2035. NSTAR Electric Company is the largest utility serving Barnstable County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 29.91¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.18¢ median for Massachusetts utilities. Employers here counted 96,491 jobs in 2025, down 1.2% from 2019 (the 7th fastest growth of 14 Massachusetts counties). Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 233,539 people live here, up 2.4% since 2020, 9th of 14 Massachusetts counties by population.
Who powers Barnstable County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +398 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Barnstable County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSTAR Electric Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,303,076 | 29.91¢ | 27% |
| Massachusetts Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,210,113 | 33.60¢ | 24% |
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 24
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 1,165 MW | 73% |
| Natural gas | 330 MW | 21% |
| Solar | 55 MW | 3% |
| Battery storage | 38 MW | 2% |
| Wind | 10 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canal | Canal Generating LLC | Petroleum | 1,495 MW | 1968 |
| Outer Cape Community Battery | Eversource | Battery storage | 25 MW | 2022 |
| Marston Mills Solar | SoCore Energy LLC | Battery storage | 8 MW | 2021 |
| Blacksmith Road Solar 1 | Blacksmith Road Solar 1, LLC | Solar | 7 MW | 2021 |
| 665 Scenic Highway | Madison Energy Investments LLC | Battery storage | 6 MW | 2022 |
| ASD Cotuit MA Solar LLC | ASD Cotuit MA Solar LLC | Solar | 6 MW | 2023 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notus Wind 1 | Wind | 2 MW | 2035 |
The Barnstable County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 96,491 | $67,176 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 7,141 | $84,750 | 1.40 |
| Electric utilities | 379 | $135,472 | 1.45 |
| Data processing and hosting | 122 | $84,665 | 0.41 |
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 Barnstable County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Barnstable County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures on record statewide.
Barnstable County and its neighbors
Of the 2 counties that border Barnstable County, Plymouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County | 233,539 | ▼ 1.2% | 1,597 MW | — | — | — |
| Dukes County | 21,219 | ▲ 0.2% | 803 MW | — | — | — |
| Plymouth County | 546,829 | ▲ 0.2% | 473 MW | 52 MW | 3 | — |
More of Massachusetts
Barnstable County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
2 utilities have service territory in Barnstable County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NSTAR Electric Company, Massachusetts Electric Co. The largest, NSTAR Electric Company, charged residential customers 29.91¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Barnstable Town, MA in?
Barnstable Town is in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. About 50,101 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Falmouth, MA in?
Falmouth is in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. About 33,361 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Yarmouth, MA in?
Yarmouth is in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. About 25,225 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Barnstable County?
24 operating plants with 1,597 MW of capacity. The largest is Canal (1,495 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Barnstable County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Barnstable County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Plymouth County.
Is Barnstable County adding jobs?
Employers counted 96,491 jobs in 2025 against 97,631 in 2019 (-1.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 6,435 to 7,141.
Does Barnstable County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Barnstable County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.