Berkshire County, Massachusetts: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Pittsfield, North Adams and Williamstown
Berkshire County hosts some of the generating capacity Massachusetts runs on. Berkshire County is home to Pittsfield, North Adams, Williamstown and Adams. Next door, Hampden County has 7 data centers. 42 MW has retired here since 2019, including Doreen (petroleum, 21 MW, 2022). Its power plants have 1,024 MW of capacity, 68% of it hydro, the 7th largest fleet in Massachusetts. 59 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Berkshire County
Berkshire County is home to Pittsfield, North Adams, Williamstown and Adams.
And 8 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Adams, Cheshire, Great Barrington, Housatonic, Lee, Lenox, Lenox Dale, Williamstown.
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 Berkshire County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 129,816 | 128,224 | ▼ 1.2% | 11th of 14 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 61,098 | 57,806 | ▼ 5.4% | 13th of 14 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,142 | $67,487 | ▲ 40.2% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 456 | 477 | ▲ 4.6% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 122 | 136 | ▲ 11.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 59 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 42 MW | — |
Employers here counted 57,806 jobs in 2025, down 5.4% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 477, up 4.6% since 2019 against up 3.4% statewide, at an average $83,170 a year. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. NSTAR Electric Company is the largest utility serving Berkshire County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 29.91¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.18¢ median for Massachusetts utilities. 128,224 people live here, down 1.2% since 2020.
Who powers Berkshire County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +18 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Berkshire 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% |
| Town of Chester | — | — | — | — | — |
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 42
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 696 MW | 68% |
| Natural gas | 178 MW | 17% |
| Solar | 80 MW | 8% |
| Wind | 51 MW | 5% |
| Battery storage | 14 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Swamp | Bear Swamp Power Company LLC | Hydro | 666 MW | 1974 |
| Pittsfield Generating LP | Pittsfield Generating Company, LP | Natural gas | 176 MW | 1990 |
| New England Wind LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 28 MW | 2012 |
| Berkshire Wind Power Project | Massachusetts Mun Wholes Electric Co | Wind | 20 MW | 2011 |
| Deerfield 5 | Great River Hydro, LLC | Hydro | 18 MW | 1974 |
| Fife Brook | Bear Swamp Power Company LLC | Hydro | 11 MW | 1974 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doreen | Petroleum | 21 MW | 2022 |
| Woodland Road | Petroleum | 20 MW | 2022 |
The Berkshire County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 57,806 | $67,487 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 477 | $83,170 | 1.14 |
| Electric utilities | 136 | $148,789 | 0.87 |
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 Berkshire County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Berkshire County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures on record statewide.
Berkshire County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Berkshire County, Hampden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire County | 128,224 | ▼ 5.4% | 1,024 MW | — | — | — |
| Bennington County VT | 36,630 | ▼ 4.3% | 44 MW | 22 MW | — | — |
| Columbia County NY | 60,168 | ▼ 4.8% | 43 MW | 47 MW | — | — |
| Dutchess County NY | 300,708 | ▲ 2.7% | 1,380 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Franklin County | 70,698 | ▼ 6.8% | 1,334 MW | — | — | — |
| Hampden County | 464,338 | ▼ 5.3% | 1,420 MW | 10 MW | 7 | — |
| Hampshire County | 164,065 | ▼ 2.3% | 160 MW | — | — | — |
| Litchfield County CT | — | — | 171 MW | — | — | — |
| Rensselaer County NY | 160,510 | ▲ 3.4% | 949 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Massachusetts
Berkshire County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Berkshire County, Massachusetts?
3 utilities have service territory in Berkshire County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NSTAR Electric Company, Massachusetts Electric Co, Town of Chester. The largest, NSTAR Electric Company, charged residential customers 29.91¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Pittsfield, MA in?
Pittsfield is in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. About 42,909 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is North Adams, MA in?
North Adams is in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. About 12,368 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Berkshire County?
42 operating plants with 1,024 MW of capacity. The largest is Bear Swamp (666 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Berkshire County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Berkshire County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Hampden County.
Is Berkshire County adding jobs?
Employers counted 57,806 jobs in 2025 against 61,098 in 2019 (-5.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Berkshire County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Berkshire County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.