Delta County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Escanaba, Gladstone and Wells Township
Delta County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Delta County is home to Escanaba, Gladstone, Wells Township and Escanaba Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers through July 23, 2027”. 174 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 348 MW of capacity, 35% of it other technologies. DTE Electric Company is the largest utility serving Delta County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 20.13¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities.
Cities and towns in Delta County
Delta County is home to Escanaba, Gladstone, Wells Township and Escanaba Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Rapid River, Rock.
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 Delta County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 36,877 | 36,582 | ▼ 0.8% | 43rd of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,936 | 13,886 | ▼ 0.4% | 49th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,863 | $50,375 | ▲ 23.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.5% | 5.1% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 174 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 5.1% in August 2026, against 5.5% in 2019. Employers here counted 13,886 jobs in 2025, down 0.4% from 2019. 36,582 people live here, down 0.8% since 2020.
Who powers Delta County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +174 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Delta County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTE Electric Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 2,067,779 | 20.13¢ | 41% |
| Upper Peninsula Power Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 47,660 | 27.64¢ | 20% |
| Cloverland Electric Co-op | Cooperative | Bundled | 36,086 | 14.37¢ | 40% |
| Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 33,252 | 14.76¢ | 7% |
| Alger-Delta Coop Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,817 | 23.25¢ | 12% |
| City of Gladstone | Municipal | Bundled | 2,339 | 15.62¢ | 47% |
| City of Escanaba | — | — | — | — | — |
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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other technologies | 122 MW | 35% |
| Solar | 102 MW | 29% |
| Wind | 101 MW | 29% |
| Petroleum | 23 MW | 6% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escanaba Mill | Billerud Escanaba LLC | Other technologies | 122 MW | 1969 |
| Renegade Solar Energy LLC | Upper Michigan Energy Resources Company | Solar | 100 MW | 2026 |
| Fairbanks Wind Park | DTE Electric Company | Wind | 73 MW | 2022 |
| Heritage Garden Wind Farm I LLC | DTE Sustainable Generation | Wind | 28 MW | 2012 |
| Gladstone | Upper Peninsula Power Company | Petroleum | 23 MW | 1975 |
| Garden 2 Solar Park | DTE Sustainable Generation | Solar | 1 MW | 2022 |
The Delta County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,886 | $50,375 | 1.00 |
| Power and communication line construction | 22 | $49,852 | 0.98 |
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 Delta County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers through July 23, 2027 | In force | 2026-01 |
Delta County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Delta County, Marquette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta County | 36,582 | ▼ 0.4% | 348 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Alger County | 8,641 | ▲ 7.2% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Marquette County | 68,064 | ▲ 1.0% | 224 MW | 150 MW | — | — |
| Menominee County | 22,941 | ▼ 3.3% | 25 MW | — | — | — |
| Schoolcraft County | 8,187 | ▲ 5.3% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
More of Michigan
Delta County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Delta County, Michigan?
7 utilities have service territory in Delta County in the EIA-861 2024 report: DTE Electric Company, Upper Peninsula Power Company, Cloverland Electric Co-op, Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.. The largest, DTE Electric Company, charged residential customers 20.13¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Escanaba, MI in?
Escanaba is in Delta County, Michigan. About 12,257 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Delta County?
7 operating plants with 348 MW of capacity. The largest is Escanaba Mill (122 MW, other technologies).
Are there data centers in Delta County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Delta County.
Is Delta County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,886 jobs in 2025 against 13,936 in 2019 (-0.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Delta County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Delta County, 1 in force.