St. Clair County, Michigan: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Port Huron, Fort Gratiot Township and Port Huron Township
St. Clair County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. 1,384 MW has retired here since 2019, including St Clair (coal, 1,378 MW, 2022). St. Clair County is home to Port Huron, Fort Gratiot Township, Port Huron Township and Marysville. Owners plan to retire 1,395 MW more by 2035, led by Belle River in 2028. Its power plants have 4,493 MW of capacity, 66% of it natural gas, the 2nd largest fleet in Michigan. 1,367 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in St. Clair County
St. Clair County is home to Port Huron, Fort Gratiot Township, Port Huron Township and Marysville.
And 8 smaller places.
- Memphis also extends into Macomb County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lakeport, Pearl Beach, Ruby.
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 St. Clair County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 160,386 | 160,486 | ▲ 0.1% | 13th of 83 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 44,588 | 41,734 | ▼ 6.4% | 74th of 83 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,927 | $58,073 | ▲ 26.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,480 | 2,787 | ▲ 12.4% | 41st of 69 by growth |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 162 | 283 | ▲ 74.7% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22 | 38 | ▲ 72.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.7% | 5.3% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1,367 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1,384 MW | — |
Construction employs 2,787, up 12.4% since 2019. Next door, Sanilac County has 539 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 41,734 jobs in 2025, down 6.4% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 254, at an average $81,182 a year. Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 4.7% in 2019. DTE Electric Company is the largest utility serving St. Clair County. Its residential customers paid an average 20.13¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.89¢ median for Michigan utilities. 160,486 people live here, up 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers St. Clair County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −16 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in St. Clair 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% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,980 MW | 66% |
| Coal | 1,395 MW | 31% |
| Solar | 101 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 14 MW | 0% |
| Other technologies | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle River | DTE Electric Company | Petroleum | 1,664 MW | 1981 |
| Blue Water Energy Center | DTE Electric Company | Natural gas | 1,267 MW | 2022 |
| Greenwood (MI) | DTE Electric Company | Natural gas | 1,071 MW | 1979 |
| Dean | DTE Electric Company | Natural gas | 358 MW | 2002 |
| Lake Iris Solar Project | Lake Iris Solar, LLC | Solar | 100 MW | 2026 |
| St Clair | DTE Electric Company | Natural gas | 18 MW | 1968 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Clair | Coal | 1,378 MW | 2022 |
| St Clair | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2024 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle River | Coal | 1,395 MW | 2028 |
The St. Clair County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 41,734 | $58,073 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,787 | $79,351 | 1.26 |
| Electrical contractors | 254 | $81,182 | 0.84 |
| Power and communication line construction | 283 | $144,117 | 4.20 |
| Data processing and hosting | 38 | $62,591 | 0.29 |
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 St. Clair County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in St. Clair County. Michigan has 91 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Macomb County.
St. Clair County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border St. Clair County, Sanilac 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair County | 160,486 | ▼ 6.4% | 4,493 MW | — | — | — |
| Lapeer County | 89,516 | ▲ 3.4% | 48 MW | — | — | — |
| Macomb County | 886,221 | ▲ 0.2% | 135 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Sanilac County | 40,083 | ▼ 1.4% | 128 MW | 539 MW | — | — |
More of Michigan
St. Clair County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in St. Clair County, Michigan?
1 utility has service territory in St. Clair County in the EIA-861 2024 report: DTE Electric Company. The largest, DTE Electric Company, charged residential customers 20.13¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Port Huron, MI in?
Port Huron is in St. Clair County, Michigan. About 28,273 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Fort Gratiot Township, MI in?
Fort Gratiot Township is in St. Clair County, Michigan. About 11,715 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Port Huron Township, MI in?
Port Huron Township is in St. Clair County, Michigan. About 10,665 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in St. Clair County?
10 operating plants with 4,493 MW of capacity. The largest is Belle River (1,664 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in St. Clair County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in St. Clair County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Sanilac County.
Is St. Clair County adding jobs?
Employers counted 41,734 jobs in 2025 against 44,588 in 2019 (-6.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,480 to 2,787.
Does St. Clair County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for St. Clair County. Michigan has 91 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.