Marquette County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Marquette, Forsyth Township and Ishpeming
Marquette County is living through the turnover of the U.S. power fleet. Marquette County is home to Marquette, Forsyth Township, Ishpeming and Chocolay Township. 150 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Invenergy Services LLC (solar). 528 MW has retired here since 2019, including Presque Isle (coal, 450 MW, 2019). Construction employs 1,462, up 14.1% since 2019. 132 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Marquette County
Marquette County is home to Marquette, Forsyth Township, Ishpeming and Chocolay Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Big Bay, Gwinn, Harvey, K. I. Sawyer, Michigamme, Palmer, Republic, Trowbridge Park, West Ishpeming.
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 Marquette County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 66,542 | 68,064 | ▲ 2.3% | 28th of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,650 | 26,924 | ▲ 1.0% | 39th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,857 | $57,267 | ▲ 30.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,281 | 1,462 | ▲ 14.1% | 37th of 69 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.0% | 4.9% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 132 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 528 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 150 MW | 67% of today's fleet | 12th of 25 by size |
Its power plants have 224 MW of capacity, 82% of it natural gas. Upper Peninsula Power Company is the largest utility serving Marquette County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 27.64¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. Employers here counted 26,924 jobs in 2025, up 1.0% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 5.0% in 2019. 68,064 people live here, up 2.3% since 2020.
Who powers Marquette County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −396 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Marquette County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Peninsula Power Company | Investor Owned | Bundled | 47,660 | 27.64¢ | 20% |
| Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 33,252 | 14.76¢ | 7% |
| City of Marquette - (MI) | Municipal | Bundled | 15,036 | 16.96¢ | 64% |
| Alger-Delta Coop Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,817 | 23.25¢ | 12% |
| City of Negaunee | Municipal | Bundled | 1,978 | 21.72¢ | 47% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 183 MW | 82% |
| Petroleum | 24 MW | 11% |
| Hydro | 17 MW | 7% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.D. Kuester Generating Station | Upper Michigan Energy Resources Company | Natural gas | 132 MW | 2019 |
| Marquette Energy Center | City of Marquette - (MI) | Natural gas | 51 MW | 2017 |
| Plant Four | City of Marquette - (MI) | Petroleum | 24 MW | 1979 |
| McClure Dam | Upper Peninsula Power Company | Hydro | 8 MW | 1988 |
| Hoist | Upper Peninsula Power Company | Hydro | 3 MW | 1988 |
| James R Smith | City of Marquette - (MI) | Hydro | 3 MW | 1919 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Solar Project, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 150 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Invenergy Services LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presque Isle | Coal | 450 MW | 2019 |
| Shiras | Coal | 78 MW | 2019 |
The Marquette County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,924 | $57,267 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,462 | $63,588 | 1.02 |
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 Marquette County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Marquette County. Michigan has 91 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Delta County.
Marquette County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Marquette County, Delta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette County | 68,064 | ▲ 1.0% | 224 MW | 150 MW | — | — |
| Alger County | 8,641 | ▲ 7.2% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Baraga County | 8,169 | ● 0.0% | 81 MW | — | — | — |
| Delta County | 36,582 | ▼ 0.4% | 348 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Dickinson County | 25,827 | ● 0.0% | 90 MW | — | — | — |
| Iron County | 11,757 | ▼ 9.9% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Menominee County | 22,941 | ▼ 3.3% | 25 MW | — | — | — |
More of Michigan
Marquette County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Marquette County, Michigan?
5 utilities have service territory in Marquette County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Upper Peninsula Power Company, Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp., City of Marquette - (MI), Alger-Delta Coop Electric Assn. The largest, Upper Peninsula Power Company, charged residential customers 27.64¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Marquette, MI in?
Marquette is in Marquette County, Michigan. About 21,944 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Marquette County?
7 operating plants with 224 MW of capacity. The largest is F.D. Kuester Generating Station (132 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Marquette County?
150 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Invenergy Services LLC.
Are there data centers in Marquette County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Marquette County.
Is Marquette County adding jobs?
Employers counted 26,924 jobs in 2025 against 26,650 in 2019 (+1.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,281 to 1,462.
Does Marquette County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Marquette County. Michigan has 91 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.