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

Home to Troy, Farmington Hills and Rochester Hills

The data center boom is not abstract in Oakland County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 19 data centers in Oakland County, 32% of Michigan's total. Oakland County is home to Troy, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills and Southfield. Electrical contractors employ 6,675, up 45.5% since 2019 against up 23.2% statewide, at an average $105,826 a year. Construction employs 32,969, up 21.1% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.7% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019.

19
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 32% of Michigan's

+45.5%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 6,675

45 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

## Cities and towns in Oakland County

Oakland County is home to Troy, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills and Southfield.

Troy88,733 residents
Farmington Hills83,291 residents
Rochester Hills77,539 residents
Southfield76,111 residents
Waterford Township69,922 residents
Novi67,319 residents
West Bloomfield Township66,049 residents
Pontiac62,077 residents
Royal Oak57,583 residents
Commerce Township45,067 residents
Bloomfield Township43,904 residents
Orion Township38,882 residents
Independence Township37,725 residents
White Lake Township31,377 residents
Oak Park29,072 residents
Madison Heights28,297 residents
Lyon Township26,867 residents
Auburn Hills25,925 residents
Oxford Township23,066 residents
Birmingham21,923 residents
Oakland Township20,631 residents
Highland Township20,319 residents
Ferndale19,212 residents
Milford Township18,008 residents

And 16 smaller places.

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 Oakland County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,272,524 | 1,288,337 | ▲ 1.2% | 2nd of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 746,341 | 720,266 | ▼ 3.5% | 66th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $63,708 | $80,231 | ▲ 25.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 27,227 | 32,969 | ▲ 21.1% | 22nd of 69 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,588 | 6,675 | ▲ 45.5% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 423 | 644 | ▲ 52.2% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,402 | 1,529 | ▲ 9.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,786 | 1,978 | ▲ 10.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 4.7% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 45 MW |  | — |

45 MW has retired here since 2019, including Hancock (natural gas, 39 MW, 2019). Its power plants have 152 MW of capacity, 80% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 720,266 jobs in 2025, down 3.5% from 2019. DTE Electric Company is the largest utility serving Oakland County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 20.13¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. 1,288,337 people live here, up 1.2% since 2020, 2nd of 83 Michigan counties by population.

## Who powers Oakland County

### Utilities with service territory in Oakland 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% |

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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 122 MW | 80% |
| Petroleum | 27 MW | 18% |
| Other technologies | 3 MW | 2% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | DTE Electric Company | Natural gas | 122 MW | 1966 |
| Placid 12 | DTE Electric Company | Petroleum | 14 MW | 1970 |
| Putnam (MI) | DTE Electric Company | Petroleum | 14 MW | 1971 |
| Eagle Valley (MI) | WM Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2011 |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | Natural gas | 39 MW | 2019 |
| William Beaumont Hospital | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2022 |
| Par Sterile Products | Natural gas | 3 MW | 2020 |

## The Oakland County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 720,266 | $80,231 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 32,969 | $100,789 | 0.86 |
| Electrical contractors | 6,675 | $105,826 | 1.29 |
| Power and communication line construction | 644 | $98,581 | 0.55 |
| Electric utilities | 1,529 | $169,038 | 0.78 |
| Data processing and hosting | 1,978 | $135,639 | 0.88 |

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 Oakland County

19 data centers in Oakland County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Oakland County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Oakland County, Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland County | 1,288,337 | ▼ 3.5% | 152 MW | — | 19 | — |
| Genesee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/genesee-county) | 401,093 | ▼ 0.7% | 117 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Lapeer County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/lapeer-county) | 89,516 | ▲ 3.4% | 48 MW | — | — | — |
| Livingston County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/livingston-county) | 197,315 | ▲ 2.0% | 14 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Macomb County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/macomb-county) | 886,221 | ▲ 0.2% | 135 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Washtenaw County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/washtenaw-county) | 370,214 | ▲ 0.3% | 316 MW | 100 MW | 4 | — |
| Wayne County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/wayne-county) | 1,769,038 | ▼ 1.7% | 1,311 MW | 237 MW | 10 | — |

## More of Michigan

[All Michigan countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan)[Wayne County1,769,038 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/wayne-county)[Macomb County886,221 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/macomb-county)[Genesee County401,093 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/genesee-county)[Washtenaw County370,214 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/washtenaw-county)[Livingston County197,315 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/livingston-county)

## Oakland County, answered from the record

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

2 utilities have service territory in Oakland County in the EIA-861 2024 report: DTE Electric Company, Consumers Energy Co - (MI). The largest, DTE Electric Company, charged residential customers 20.13¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Troy, MI in?

Troy is in Oakland County, Michigan. About 88,733 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Farmington Hills, MI in?

Farmington Hills is in Oakland County, Michigan. About 83,291 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Rochester Hills, MI in?

Rochester Hills is in Oakland County, Michigan. About 77,539 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Oakland County?

4 operating plants with 152 MW of capacity. The largest is Hancock (122 MW, natural gas).

### Are there data centers in Oakland County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 19 data centers in Oakland County.

### Is Oakland County adding jobs?

Employers counted 720,266 jobs in 2025 against 746,341 in 2019 (-3.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 27,227 to 32,969.

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

No county-level measure is on record for Oakland 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/oakland-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/).