Gratiot County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Alma, St. Louis and Ithaca
Gratiot County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Gratiot County is home to Alma, St. Louis, Ithaca and Wheeler Township. Construction employs 283, down 45.4% since 2019. 50 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by DTE Electric Company (solar). 50 MW of it is already under construction or built. 774 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Next door, Montcalm County has 300 MW of planned generation.
Cities and towns in Gratiot County
Gratiot County is home to Alma, St. Louis, Ithaca and Wheeler Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Elm Hall, Riverdale.
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 Gratiot County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 41,657 | 41,190 | ▼ 1.1% | 40th of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,173 | 12,739 | ▼ 3.3% | 64th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,767 | $57,646 | ▲ 26.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 518 | 283 | ▼ 45.4% | 68th of 69 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 5.3% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 774 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 50 MW | 4% of today's fleet | 23rd of 25 by size |
Its power plants have 1,124 MW of capacity, 83% of it wind. 2 MW has retired here since 2019, including St Louis (petroleum, 2 MW, 2021). Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. Employers here counted 12,739 jobs in 2025, down 3.3% from 2019. DTE Electric Company is the largest utility serving Gratiot County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 20.13¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. 41,190 people live here, down 1.1% since 2020.
Who powers Gratiot County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +772 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Gratiot 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% |
| Consumers Energy Co - (MI) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,657,843 | 19.11¢ | 36% |
| Tri-County Electric Coop (MI) | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,034 | 18.04¢ | 13% |
| City of St Louis - (MI) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 10
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 938 MW | 83% |
| Solar | 180 MW | 16% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 0% |
| Hydro | 0 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian Wind Park | DTE Electric Company | Wind | 225 MW | 2023 |
| Heartland Farms | Consumers Energy Co - (MI) | Wind | 200 MW | 2024 |
| Polaris Wind Park | DTE Electric Company | Wind | 169 MW | 2020 |
| Gratiot County Wind LLC | Invenergy Services LLC | Wind | 110 MW | 2012 |
| Gratiot Wind Park | DTE Electric Company | Wind | 102 MW | 2011 |
| Polaris Solar Park | DTE Electric Company | Solar | 100 MW | 2025 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gratiot Solar Park | Solar Photovoltaic | 50 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | DTE Electric Company |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Louis | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Gratiot County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,739 | $57,646 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 283 | $62,549 | 0.42 |
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 Gratiot County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Gratiot County. Michigan has 91 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Clinton County.
Gratiot County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Gratiot County, Midland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gratiot County | 41,190 | ▼ 3.3% | 1,124 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Clinton County | 80,432 | ▲ 14.2% | 23 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Ionia County | 66,557 | ▼ 7.4% | 8 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Isabella County | 64,691 | ▼ 6.0% | 722 MW | — | — | — |
| Midland County | 83,754 | ▲ 2.1% | 1,854 MW | 206 MW | — | — |
| Montcalm County | 69,406 | ▲ 1.3% | 1,108 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Saginaw County | 187,688 | ▼ 4.2% | 9 MW | 120 MW | — | — |
| Shiawassee County | 67,681 | ▼ 1.2% | 287 MW | — | — | — |
More of Michigan
Gratiot County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Gratiot County, Michigan?
4 utilities have service territory in Gratiot County in the EIA-861 2024 report: DTE Electric Company, Consumers Energy Co - (MI), Tri-County Electric Coop (MI), City of St Louis - (MI). The largest, DTE Electric Company, charged residential customers 20.13¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Gratiot County?
10 operating plants with 1,124 MW of capacity. The largest is Meridian Wind Park (225 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Gratiot County?
50 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 50 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is DTE Electric Company.
Are there data centers in Gratiot County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Gratiot County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Montcalm County.
Is Gratiot County adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,739 jobs in 2025 against 13,173 in 2019 (-3.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 518 to 283.
Does Gratiot County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Gratiot County. Michigan has 91 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.