Allegan County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Holland, Dorr Township and Leighton Township
Allegan County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Allegan County is home to part of Holland (8,029 of its 35,372 residents), Dorr Township, Leighton Township and Laketown Township. Construction employs 3,135, up 22.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Kent County has 10 data centers. Employers here counted 43,686 jobs in 2025, up 8.7% from 2019. 23 MW has retired here since 2019, including Claude Vandyke (natural gas, 23 MW, 2019).
Cities and towns in Allegan County
Allegan County is home to part of Holland (8,029 of its 35,372 residents), Dorr Township, Leighton Township and Laketown Township.
And 10 smaller places.
- Holland also extends into Ottawa County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Dorr.
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 Allegan County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 120,666 | 123,188 | ▲ 2.1% | 18th of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 40,196 | 43,686 | ▲ 8.7% | 12th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,991 | $63,066 | ▲ 28.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,555 | 3,135 | ▲ 22.7% | 18th of 69 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14 | 14 | ● 0.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.9% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 20 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 23 MW | — |
20 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 230 MW of capacity, 90% of it natural gas. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019. Consumers Energy Co - (MI) is the largest utility serving Allegan County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.11¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. 123,188 people live here, up 2.1% since 2020.
Who powers Allegan County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −3 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Allegan County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumers Energy Co - (MI) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,657,843 | 19.11¢ | 36% |
| Great Lakes Energy Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 120,645 | 19.17¢ | 12% |
| Indiana Michigan Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 112,600 | 17.00¢ | 37% |
| City of Holland | Municipal | Bundled | 26,608 | 11.68¢ | 28% |
| City of South Haven - (MI) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wolverine Power Supply Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 208 MW | 90% |
| Solar | 20 MW | 9% |
| Hydro | 3 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 491 E 48th Street | City of Holland - (MI) | Natural gas | 162 MW | 1992 |
| Claude Vandyke | Wolverine Power Supply Coop | Natural gas | 25 MW | 2001 |
| Otsego Mill Power Plant | Otsego Paper Inc | Natural gas | 21 MW | 1995 |
| Pullman Solar, LLC | AES Distributed Energy | Solar | 20 MW | 2022 |
| Allegan Dam | Consumers Energy Co - (MI) | Hydro | 3 MW | 1935 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Vandyke | Natural gas | 23 MW | 2019 |
The Allegan County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 43,686 | $63,066 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,135 | $73,129 | 1.35 |
| Data processing and hosting | 14 | $173,963 | 0.10 |
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 Allegan County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Allegan County. Michigan has 91 local measures on record statewide.
Allegan County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Allegan County, Ottawa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegan County | 123,188 | ▲ 8.7% | 230 MW | — | — | — |
| Barry County | 63,991 | ▲ 4.7% | — | 2 MW | — | — |
| Kalamazoo County | 263,795 | ▲ 0.9% | 96 MW | 220 MW | 1 | — |
| Kent County | 675,232 | ▲ 2.6% | 72 MW | — | 10 | — |
| Ottawa County | 308,459 | ▲ 0.9% | 2,725 MW | — | — | — |
| Van Buren County | 76,071 | ▼ 0.7% | 1,988 MW | 85 MW | — | — |
More of Michigan
Allegan County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Allegan County, Michigan?
6 utilities have service territory in Allegan County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Consumers Energy Co - (MI), Great Lakes Energy Coop, Indiana Michigan Power Co, City of Holland. The largest, Consumers Energy Co - (MI), charged residential customers 19.11¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Allegan County?
5 operating plants with 230 MW of capacity. The largest is 491 E 48th Street (162 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Allegan County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Allegan County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Kent County.
Is Allegan County adding jobs?
Employers counted 43,686 jobs in 2025 against 40,196 in 2019 (+8.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,555 to 3,135.
Does Allegan County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Allegan County. Michigan has 91 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.