# Mecosta County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Big Rapids, Morton Township and Big Rapids Township

Mecosta 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. Construction employs 176, down 53.2% since 2019. Mecosta County is home to Big Rapids, Morton Township, Big Rapids Township and Green Township. Next door, Montcalm County has 300 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 5.7% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. Employers here counted 12,262 jobs in 2025, down 7.4% from 2019.

-7.4%
total jobs since 2019, now 12,262

7 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

19.11¢
per kWh for Consumers Energy Co - (MI) residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Mecosta County

Mecosta County is home to Big Rapids, Morton Township, Big Rapids Township and Green Township.

Big Rapids8,623 residents
Morton Township4,766 residents
Big Rapids Township4,096 residents
Green Township3,408 residents
Mecosta Township2,891 residents
Aetna Township2,357 residents
Colfax Township2,036 residents
Deerfield Township1,882 residents
Austin Township1,805 residents
Fork Township1,700 residents
Martiny Township1,673 residents
Wheatland Township1,455 residents
Sheridan Township1,384 residents
Chippewa Township1,285 residents
Hinton Township1,111 residents
Millbrook Township1,111 residents
Grant Township737 residents
Morley535 residents
Mecosta484 residents
Barryton415 residents
Stanwood212 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Canadian Lakes, Paris.

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 Mecosta County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 40,414 | 42,320 | ▲ 4.7% | 39th of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,237 | 12,262 | ▼ 7.4% | 77th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,703 | $45,793 | ▲ 15.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 376 | 176 | ▼ 53.2% | 69th of 69 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 5.7% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Its power plants have 7 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Consumers Energy Co - (MI) is the largest utility serving Mecosta County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.11¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. 42,320 people live here, up 4.7% since 2020.

## Who powers Mecosta County

### Utilities with service territory in Mecosta 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% |
| Tri-County Electric Coop (MI) | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,034 | 18.04¢ | 13% |
| 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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 7 MW | 100% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers | Consumers Energy Co - (MI) | Hydro | 7 MW | 1922 |

## The Mecosta County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,262 | $45,793 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 176 | $57,325 | 0.27 |

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 Mecosta County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Mecosta County. Michigan has 91 local measures on record statewide.

## Mecosta County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Mecosta County, Montcalm 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecosta County | 42,320 | ▼ 7.4% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Clare County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/clare-county) | 31,543 | ▲ 16.3% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Isabella County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/isabella-county) | 64,691 | ▼ 6.0% | 722 MW | — | — | — |
| Lake County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/lake-county) | 13,182 | ▼ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Montcalm County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/montcalm-county) | 69,406 | ▲ 1.3% | 1,108 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Newaygo County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/newaygo-county) | 51,622 | ▼ 2.4% | 46 MW | — | — | — |
| Osceola County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/osceola-county) | 23,516 | ▲ 5.9% | 51 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Michigan

[All Michigan countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan)[Montcalm County69,406 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/montcalm-county)[Isabella County64,691 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/isabella-county)[Newaygo County51,622 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/newaygo-county)[Clare County31,543 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/clare-county)[Osceola County23,516 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/osceola-county)

## Mecosta County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Mecosta County, Michigan?

4 utilities have service territory in Mecosta County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Consumers Energy Co - (MI), Great Lakes Energy Coop, Tri-County Electric Coop (MI), Wolverine Power Supply Coop. The largest, Consumers Energy Co - (MI), charged residential customers 19.11¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Mecosta County?

1 operating plant with 7 MW of capacity. The largest is Rogers (7 MW, hydro).

### Are there data centers in Mecosta County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Mecosta County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Montcalm County.

### Is Mecosta County adding jobs?

Employers counted 12,262 jobs in 2025 against 13,237 in 2019 (-7.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 376 to 176.

### Does Mecosta County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Mecosta County. Michigan has 91 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/mecosta-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).