Dukes County, Massachusetts: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Tisbury
Dukes County hosts some of the generating capacity Massachusetts runs on. Dukes County is home to Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury. 800 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 14 MW has retired here since 2019, including Oak Bluffs Diesel Generating Facility (petroleum, 8 MW, 2025). Its power plants have 803 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind, the 8th largest fleet in Massachusetts.
Cities and towns in Dukes County
Dukes County is home to Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven.
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 Dukes County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 20,580 | 21,219 | ▲ 3.1% | 13th of 14 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,068 | 9,084 | ▲ 0.2% | 4th of 14 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $54,365 | $75,646 | ▲ 39.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 2.9% | ▼ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 800 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 14 MW | — |
NSTAR Electric Company is the largest utility serving Dukes County. Its residential customers paid an average 29.91¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.18¢ median for Massachusetts utilities. Employers here counted 9,084 jobs in 2025, up 0.2% from 2019 (the 4th fastest growth of 14 Massachusetts counties). 21,219 people live here, up 3.1% since 2020.
Who powers Dukes County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +786 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Dukes 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% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 800 MW | 100% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Wind 1 | Vineyard Wind 1 LLC | Wind | 800 MW | 2026 |
| Tisbury Landfill Solar | Clean Focus Yield, LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2014 |
| Katama Farm | Clean Focus Yield, LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2014 |
| Nunnepog | Clean Focus Yield, LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2014 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Bluffs Diesel Generating Facility | Petroleum | 8 MW | 2025 |
| West Tisbury Generating Facility | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2025 |
The Dukes County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,084 | $75,646 | 1.00 |
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 Dukes County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Dukes County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures on record statewide.
Dukes County and its neighbors
Of the 1 counties that border Dukes County, Barnstable 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dukes County | 21,219 | ▲ 0.2% | 803 MW | — | — | — |
| Barnstable County | 233,539 | ▼ 1.2% | 1,597 MW | — | — | — |
More of Massachusetts
Dukes County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Dukes County, Massachusetts?
1 utility has service territory in Dukes County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NSTAR Electric Company. The largest, NSTAR Electric Company, charged residential customers 29.91¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Dukes County?
4 operating plants with 803 MW of capacity. The largest is Vineyard Wind 1 (800 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Dukes County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Dukes County.
Is Dukes County adding jobs?
Employers counted 9,084 jobs in 2025 against 9,068 in 2019 (+0.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Dukes County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Dukes County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.