Cape May County, New Jersey: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lower Township, Middle Township and Upper Township
The power plants that defined Cape May County are changing. Cape May County is home to Lower Township, Middle Township, Upper Township and Ocean City. Unemployment was 5.5% in August 2026, against 7.2% in 2019. Next door, Cumberland County has 1 data center. 342 MW has retired here since 2019, including B L England (petroleum, 176 MW, 2019). Construction employs 2,564, up 11.0% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Cape May County
Cape May County is home to Lower Township, Middle Township, Upper Township and Ocean City.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Beesleys Point, Belleplain, Burleigh, Cape May Court House, Dennisville, Diamond Beach, Erma, Goshen, Marmora, Marshallville, North Cape May, Ocean View, Palermo, Rio Grande, Seaville, South Dennis, South Seaville, Strathmere, Tuckahoe, Villas, Whitesboro.
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 Cape May County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 95,029 | 93,390 | ▼ 1.7% | 20th of 21 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 42,075 | 43,316 | ▲ 2.9% | 8th of 21 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,994 | $50,126 | ▲ 28.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,310 | 2,564 | ▲ 11.0% | 6th of 16 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 7.2% | 5.5% | ▼ 1.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 342 MW | — |
Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 69% of it solar. Electrical contractors employ 244, at an average $55,375 a year. Employers here counted 43,316 jobs in 2025, up 2.9% from 2019 (the 8th fastest growth of 21 New Jersey counties). Atlantic City Electric Co is the largest utility serving Cape May County. Its residential customers paid an average 23.41¢/kWh in 2024, above the 20.42¢ median for New Jersey utilities. 93,390 people live here, down 1.7% since 2020.
Who powers Cape May County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −342 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Cape May County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 506,488 | 23.41¢ | 28% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 2 MW | 69% |
| Other technologies | 1 MW | 31% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Cape May HS | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2012 |
| Woodbine Landfill Plant | Cape May County Municipal - (NJ) | Other technologies | 1 MW | 2013 |
| LTMUA | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2012 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| B L England | Petroleum | 176 MW | 2019 |
| B L England | Coal | 163 MW | 2019 |
| Woodbine Landfill Plant | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2023 |
The Cape May County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 43,316 | $50,126 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,564 | $65,033 | 1.12 |
| Electrical contractors | 244 | $55,375 | 0.78 |
| Data processing and hosting | 22 | $169,818 | 0.16 |
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 Cape May County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cape May County. New Jersey has 108 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Cumberland County.
Cape May County and its neighbors
Of the 2 counties that border Cape May County, Cumberland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May County | 93,390 | ▲ 2.9% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Atlantic County | 278,657 | ▼ 2.9% | 55 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Cumberland County | 157,148 | ▲ 1.9% | 555 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
More of New Jersey
Cape May County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cape May County, New Jersey?
1 utility has service territory in Cape May County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Atlantic City Electric Co. The largest, Atlantic City Electric Co, charged residential customers 23.41¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lower Township, NJ in?
Lower Township is in Cape May County, New Jersey. About 21,533 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Middle Township, NJ in?
Middle Township is in Cape May County, New Jersey. About 19,990 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Upper Township, NJ in?
Upper Township is in Cape May County, New Jersey. About 12,355 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Cape May County?
3 operating plants with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is Lower Cape May HS (2 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Cape May County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cape May County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cumberland County.
Is Cape May County adding jobs?
Employers counted 43,316 jobs in 2025 against 42,075 in 2019 (+2.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,310 to 2,564.
Does Cape May County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cape May County. New Jersey has 108 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.