Franklin County, Massachusetts: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Greenfield, Montague and Orange
Franklin County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Franklin County is home to Greenfield, Montague, Orange and Deerfield. Next door, Worcester County has 8 data centers and 205 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 1,334 MW of capacity, 94% of it hydro, the 5th largest fleet in Massachusetts. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019. Employers here counted 25,008 jobs in 2025, down 6.8% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Franklin County
Franklin County is home to Greenfield, Montague, Orange and Deerfield.
And 2 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Deerfield, Millers Falls, Northfield, Orange, Shelburne Falls, South Deerfield, Turners Falls.
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 Franklin County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 70,938 | 70,698 | ▼ 0.3% | 12th of 14 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,837 | 25,008 | ▼ 6.8% | 14th of 14 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,706 | $56,610 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 4.1% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 36 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
36 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. NSTAR Electric Company is the largest utility serving Franklin 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. 70,698 people live here, down 0.3% since 2020.
Who powers Franklin County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +36 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Franklin 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 33
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 1,261 MW | 94% |
| Solar | 61 MW | 5% |
| Natural gas | 6 MW | 0% |
| Battery storage | 6 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield Mountain | FirstLight Power Resources, Inc. - MA | Hydro | 1,168 MW | 1972 |
| Cabot | FirstLight Power Resources, Inc. - MA | Hydro | 62 MW | 1915 |
| Sherman | Great River Hydro, LLC | Hydro | 7 MW | 1926 |
| Erving Paper Mills | Erving Paper Mills Inc | Natural gas | 6 MW | 2013 |
| Turners Falls | FirstLight Power Resources, Inc. - MA | Hydro | 6 MW | 1905 |
| Wilbur Woods Solar LLC | AES Distributed Energy | Solar | 5 MW | 2021 |
The Franklin County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 25,008 | $56,610 | 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 Franklin County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Franklin County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures on record statewide.
Franklin County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Franklin County, Worcester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | 70,698 | ▼ 6.8% | 1,334 MW | — | — | — |
| Bennington County VT | 36,630 | ▼ 4.3% | 44 MW | 22 MW | — | — |
| Berkshire County | 128,224 | ▼ 5.4% | 1,024 MW | — | — | — |
| Cheshire County NH | 78,269 | ▼ 3.1% | — | — | 2 | — |
| Hampshire County | 164,065 | ▼ 2.3% | 160 MW | — | — | — |
| Windham County VT | 45,204 | ▼ 2.3% | 122 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Worcester County | 888,502 | ▲ 0.9% | 1,956 MW | 205 MW | 8 | — |
More of Massachusetts
Franklin County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Franklin County, Massachusetts?
2 utilities have service territory in Franklin 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 Greenfield, MA in?
Greenfield is in Franklin County, Massachusetts. About 17,691 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Franklin County?
33 operating plants with 1,334 MW of capacity. The largest is Northfield Mountain (1,168 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Franklin County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Franklin County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Worcester County.
Is Franklin County adding jobs?
Employers counted 25,008 jobs in 2025 against 26,837 in 2019 (-6.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Franklin County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Franklin County. Massachusetts has 17 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.