Sullivan County, New Hampshire: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Claremont, Newport and Charlestown
Sullivan 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. Sullivan County is home to Claremont, Newport, Charlestown and Grantham. 4 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Kearsarge Grissom LLC (solar), the 2nd largest pipeline among New Hampshire's counties. 4 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Hillsborough County has 8 data centers. Its power plants have 45 MW of capacity, 53% of it wind, the 6th largest fleet in New Hampshire. Public Service Co of NH is the largest utility serving Sullivan County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 22.65¢/kWh in 2024, below the 23.10¢ median for New Hampshire utilities.
Cities and towns in Sullivan County
Sullivan County is home to Claremont, Newport, Charlestown and Grantham.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Charlestown, Newport, Plainfield.
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 Sullivan County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Hampshire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 43,073 | 43,961 | ▲ 2.1% | 9th of 10 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,735 | 13,893 | ▲ 1.2% | 2nd of 10 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,415 | $59,927 | ▲ 34.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 2.4% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 4 MW | 9% of today's fleet | 2nd of 2 by size |
Employers here counted 13,893 jobs in 2025, up 1.2% from 2019 (the 2nd fastest growth of 10 New Hampshire counties). Unemployment was 2.4% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. 43,961 people live here, up 2.1% since 2020, 9th of 10 New Hampshire counties by population.
Who powers Sullivan County
Utilities with service territory in Sullivan 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% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 24 MW | 53% |
| Other technologies | 20 MW | 44% |
| Hydro | 1 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lempster Wind LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 24 MW | 2008 |
| NE Renewable Springfield, LLC | NE Renewable Springfield, LLC | Other technologies | 20 MW | 1987 |
| Lower Village Water Power Project | Sugar River Power LLC | Hydro | 1 MW | 1995 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearsarge Grissom | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Kearsarge Grissom LLC |
The Sullivan County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,893 | $59,927 | 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 Sullivan County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sullivan County. New Hampshire has 5 local measures on record statewide.
Sullivan County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Sullivan County, Hillsborough 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County | 43,961 | ▲ 1.2% | 45 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Cheshire County | 78,269 | ▼ 3.1% | — | — | 2 | — |
| Grafton County | 93,225 | ▲ 0.4% | 475 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Hillsborough County | 433,415 | ▼ 3.2% | 63 MW | — | 8 | — |
| Merrimack County | 158,078 | ▼ 1.7% | 550 MW | — | — | — |
| Windham County VT | 45,204 | ▼ 2.3% | 122 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Windsor County VT | 57,312 | ▲ 0.2% | 89 MW | — | — | — |
More of New Hampshire
Sullivan County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sullivan County, New Hampshire?
3 utilities have service territory in Sullivan County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NH, New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc, Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri. The largest, Public Service Co of NH, charged residential customers 22.65¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Claremont, NH in?
Claremont is in Sullivan County, New Hampshire. About 13,032 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sullivan County?
3 operating plants with 45 MW of capacity. The largest is Lempster Wind LLC (24 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Sullivan County?
4 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 4 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Kearsarge Grissom LLC.
Are there data centers in Sullivan County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sullivan County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Hillsborough County.
Is Sullivan County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,893 jobs in 2025 against 13,735 in 2019 (+1.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Sullivan County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sullivan County. New Hampshire has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.