Grafton County, New Hampshire: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lebanon, Hanover and Plymouth
Grafton County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Grafton County, 12% of New Hampshire's total. Grafton County is home to Lebanon, Hanover, Plymouth and Littleton. Construction employs 1,670, up 23.3% since 2019. 16 MW has retired here since 2019, including Indeck Energy-Alexandria (other technologies, 16 MW, 2021). 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly hydro.
Cities and towns in Grafton County
Grafton County is home to Lebanon, Hanover, Plymouth and Littleton.
And 15 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ashland, Bethlehem, Bristol, Canaan, Enfield, Hanover, Lincoln, Lisbon, Littleton, Mountain Lakes, North Haverhill, North Woodstock, Plymouth, Woodsville.
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 Grafton County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Hampshire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 91,193 | 93,225 | ▲ 2.2% | 5th of 10 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 54,391 | 54,628 | ▲ 0.4% | 3rd of 10 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $59,421 | $77,790 | ▲ 30.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,354 | 1,670 | ▲ 23.3% | 1st of 5 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 61 | 53 | ▼ 13.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 71 | 50 | ▼ 29.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.3% | 2.5% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 16 MW | — |
Its power plants have 475 MW of capacity, 80% of it hydro, the 3rd largest fleet in New Hampshire. Public Service Co of NH is the largest utility serving Grafton County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 22.65¢/kWh in 2024, below the 23.10¢ median for New Hampshire utilities. Employers here counted 54,628 jobs in 2025, up 0.4% from 2019 (the 3rd fastest growth of 10 New Hampshire counties). Unemployment was 2.5% in August 2026, against 2.3% in 2019. 93,225 people live here, up 2.2% since 2020, 5th of 10 New Hampshire counties by population.
Who powers Grafton County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −11 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Grafton County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of NH | Investor Owned | Bundled | 459,907 | 22.65¢ | 20% |
| New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 74,144 | 23.83¢ | 20% |
| Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri | Investor Owned | Bundled | 39,667 | 22.87¢ | 33% |
| Town of Ashland | — | — | — | — | — |
| Town of Littleton - (NH) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precinct of Woodsville | — | — | — | — | — |
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 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 380 MW | 80% |
| Wind | 48 MW | 10% |
| Other technologies | 38 MW | 8% |
| Petroleum | 10 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S C Moore | Great River Hydro, LLC | Hydro | 195 MW | 1957 |
| Comerford | Great River Hydro, LLC | Hydro | 168 MW | 1930 |
| Groton Wind LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 48 MW | 2012 |
| Bridgewater Power LP | Bridgewater Power Co LP | Other technologies | 20 MW | 1987 |
| NE Renewable Bethlehem, LLC | NE Renewable Bethlehem, LLC | Other technologies | 18 MW | 1986 |
| Ayers Island | Central Rivers Power NH, LLC | Hydro | 8 MW | 1925 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indeck Energy-Alexandria | Other technologies | 16 MW | 2021 |
The Grafton County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 54,628 | $77,790 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,670 | $70,659 | 0.58 |
| Electric utilities | 53 | $133,093 | 0.36 |
| Data processing and hosting | 50 | $113,970 | 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 Grafton County
2 data centers in Grafton County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Grafton County and its neighbors
Of the 9 counties that border Grafton County, Merrimack 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton County | 93,225 | ▲ 0.4% | 475 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Belknap County | 65,147 | ▼ 0.6% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Caledonia County VT | 30,414 | ▲ 5.1% | 83 MW | — | — | — |
| Carroll County | 52,784 | ▼ 0.7% | 44 MW | — | — | — |
| Coos County | 31,343 | ▼ 2.7% | 301 MW | — | — | — |
| Essex County VT | 6,051 | ▼ 3.2% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Merrimack County | 158,078 | ▼ 1.7% | 550 MW | — | — | — |
| Orange County VT | 30,002 | ▼ 0.9% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Sullivan County | 43,961 | ▲ 1.2% | 45 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Windsor County VT | 57,312 | ▲ 0.2% | 89 MW | — | — | — |
More of New Hampshire
Grafton County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Grafton County, New Hampshire?
6 utilities have service territory in Grafton County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NH, New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc, Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri, Town of Ashland. The largest, Public Service Co of NH, charged residential customers 22.65¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lebanon, NH in?
Lebanon is in Grafton County, New Hampshire. About 15,481 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Hanover, NH in?
Hanover is in Grafton County, New Hampshire. About 12,054 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Grafton County?
11 operating plants with 475 MW of capacity. The largest is S C Moore (195 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Grafton County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Grafton County.
Is Grafton County adding jobs?
Employers counted 54,628 jobs in 2025 against 54,391 in 2019 (+0.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,354 to 1,670.
Does Grafton County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Grafton County. New Hampshire has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.