Schoolcraft County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Manistique, Hiawatha Township and Manistique Township
Schoolcraft 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. Schoolcraft County is home to Manistique, Hiawatha Township, Manistique Township and Thompson Township. Unemployment was 5.8% in August 2026, against 7.2% in 2019. Construction employs 146, down 5.8% since 2019. Employers here counted 2,764 jobs in 2025, up 5.3% from 2019. Its power plants have 5 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum.
Cities and towns in Schoolcraft County
Schoolcraft County is home to Manistique, Hiawatha Township, Manistique Township and Thompson Township.
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 Schoolcraft County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,049 | 8,187 | ▲ 1.7% | 79th of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,625 | 2,764 | ▲ 5.3% | 21st of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,040 | $52,123 | ▲ 21.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 155 | 146 | ▼ 5.8% | 63rd of 69 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 7.2% | 5.8% | ▼ 1.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Upper Peninsula Power Company is the largest utility serving Schoolcraft County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 27.64¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. 8,187 people live here, up 1.7% since 2020.
Who powers Schoolcraft County
Utilities with service territory in Schoolcraft 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% |
| Cloverland Electric Co-op | Cooperative | Bundled | 36,086 | 14.37¢ | 40% |
| Alger-Delta Coop Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,817 | 23.25¢ | 12% |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistique | Cloverland Electric Co-op | Petroleum | 5 MW | 1960 |
The Schoolcraft County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,764 | $52,123 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 146 | $57,362 | 1.00 |
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 Schoolcraft County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Schoolcraft County. Michigan has 91 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Delta County.
Schoolcraft County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Schoolcraft 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schoolcraft County | 8,187 | ▲ 5.3% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Alger County | 8,641 | ▲ 7.2% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Delta County | 36,582 | ▼ 0.4% | 348 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Luce County | 6,339 | ▲ 6.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Mackinac County | 11,236 | ▲ 4.7% | — | — | — | — |
More of Michigan
Schoolcraft County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Schoolcraft County, Michigan?
3 utilities have service territory in Schoolcraft County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Upper Peninsula Power Company, Cloverland Electric Co-op, Alger-Delta Coop Electric Assn. The largest, Upper Peninsula Power Company, charged residential customers 27.64¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Schoolcraft County?
1 operating plant with 5 MW of capacity. The largest is Manistique (5 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Schoolcraft County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Schoolcraft County.
Is Schoolcraft County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,764 jobs in 2025 against 2,625 in 2019 (+5.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 155 to 146.
Does Schoolcraft County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Schoolcraft County. Michigan has 91 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.