Essex County, New Jersey: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Newark, East Orange and Irvington Township
Essex County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 11 data centers in Essex County, 9% of New Jersey's total. Essex County is home to Newark, East Orange, Irvington Township and Bloomfield Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Proposed ordinance prohibiting large data centers”. Unemployment was 5.7% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 246 MW has retired here since 2019, including Newark Bay Cogeneration Partnership LP (natural gas, 152 MW, 2022).
Cities and towns in Essex County
Essex County is home to Newark, East Orange, Irvington Township and Bloomfield Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ampere North, Brookdale, Llewellyn Park, Montclair State University, Pleasantdale, Short Hills, Silver Lake, Upper Montclair, Vauxhall, Watsessing.
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 Essex County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 859,934 | 896,379 | ▲ 4.2% | 2nd of 21 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 345,294 | 353,038 | ▲ 2.2% | 10th of 21 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $72,475 | $91,238 | ▲ 25.9% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,135 | 969 | ▼ 14.6% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 357 | 318 | ▼ 10.9% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 203 | 3,568 | ▲ 1657.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 5.7% | ▲ 1.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 20 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 246 MW | — |
Its power plants have 865 MW of capacity, 88% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in New Jersey. 20 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 353,038 jobs in 2025, up 2.2% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 21 New Jersey counties). Public Service Elec & Gas Co is the largest utility serving Essex County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 20.42¢/kWh in 2024. 896,379 people live here, up 4.2% since 2020, 2nd of 21 New Jersey counties by population. Electrical contractors employ 969, down 14.6% since 2019 against up 8.8% statewide, at an average $98,136 a year.
Who powers Essex County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −226 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Essex County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Elec & Gas Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 2,056,231 | 20.42¢ | 41% |
| Jersey Central Power & Lt Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,038,258 | 15.65¢ | 24% |
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 21
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 762 MW | 88% |
| Other technologies | 70 MW | 8% |
| Solar | 32 MW | 4% |
| Battery storage | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Energy Center | Hartree Partners LP | Natural gas | 735 MW | 2015 |
| Covanta Essex Company | Covanta Essex Company | Other technologies | 70 MW | 1990 |
| Hoffmann LaRoche | PB Nutclif Master, LLC | Natural gas | 11 MW | 2004 |
| Rutgers Biomedical and Health Cogen | Rutgers, The State University of NJ | Natural gas | 10 MW | 1989 |
| Canoe Brook Solar | NJR Clean Energy Ventures Corporation | Solar | 6 MW | 2023 |
| Essex County Correctional Facility Cogen | Essex County Correctional Facility Cogen | Natural gas | 6 MW | 2003 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Bay Cogeneration Partnership LP | Natural gas | 152 MW | 2022 |
| PSEG Essex Generating Station | Natural gas | 94 MW | 2022 |
The Essex County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 353,038 | $91,238 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 969 | $98,136 | 0.38 |
| Power and communication line construction | 299 | $126,975 | 0.52 |
| Electric utilities | 318 | $160,882 | 0.33 |
| Data processing and hosting | 3,568 | $188,430 | 3.25 |
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 Essex County
11 data centers in Essex County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed ordinance prohibiting large data centers | Proposed | 2026-09 |
Essex County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Essex County, Hudson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County | 896,379 | ▲ 2.2% | 865 MW | — | 11 | 1 |
| Bergen County | 977,026 | ▼ 1.6% | 1,432 MW | — | 7 | 1 |
| Hudson County | 735,033 | ▲ 0.8% | 1,284 MW | — | 29 | — |
| Morris County | 524,251 | ▲ 2.5% | 71 MW | — | 3 | 2 |
| Passaic County | 531,624 | ▲ 5.2% | 39 MW | — | 6 | — |
| Union County | 601,863 | ▲ 1.4% | 2,853 MW | 3 MW | 1 | — |
More of New Jersey
Essex County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Essex County, New Jersey?
2 utilities have service territory in Essex County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Elec & Gas Co, Jersey Central Power & Lt Co. The largest, Public Service Elec & Gas Co, charged residential customers 20.42¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Newark, NJ in?
Newark is in Essex County, New Jersey. About 323,808 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is East Orange, NJ in?
East Orange is in Essex County, New Jersey. About 72,159 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Irvington Township, NJ in?
Irvington Township is in Essex County, New Jersey. About 62,233 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Essex County?
21 operating plants with 865 MW of capacity. The largest is Newark Energy Center (735 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Essex County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 11 data centers in Essex County.
Is Essex County adding jobs?
Employers counted 353,038 jobs in 2025 against 345,294 in 2019 (+2.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Essex County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Essex County, 0 in force.