Ocean County, New Jersey: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lakewood Township and Toms River Township, and the communities of Cedar Glen West
Ocean County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Ocean County, 3% of New Jersey's total. Ocean County is home to Lakewood Township, Toms River Township, Brick Township and Jackson Township, plus the unincorporated community of Cedar Glen West. Construction employs 10,874, up 15.8% since 2019. Employers here counted 192,715 jobs in 2025, up 12.1% from 2019 (the 2nd fastest growth of 21 New Jersey counties). Electrical contractors employ 1,488, up 17.0% since 2019 against up 8.8% statewide, at an average $67,376 a year.
Cities and towns in Ocean County
Ocean County is home to Lakewood Township, Toms River Township, Brick Township and Jackson Township, plus the unincorporated community of Cedar Glen West.
And 9 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cedar Glen West, Barnegat, Beach Haven West, Cedar Glen Lakes, Crestwood Village, Dover Beaches North, Dover Beaches South, Forked River, Holiday City South, Holiday City-Berkeley, Holiday Heights, Lakewood, Leisure Knoll, Leisure Village, Leisure Village East, Leisure Village West, Manahawkin, Mystic Island, New Egypt, North Beach Haven, Ocean Acres, Pine Lake Park, Pine Ridge at Crestwood, Silver Ridge, Toms River, Vista Center, Waretown.
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 Ocean County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 638,143 | 673,746 | ▲ 5.6% | 5th of 21 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 171,985 | 192,715 | ▲ 12.1% | 2nd of 21 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,734 | $58,848 | ▲ 28.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,394 | 10,874 | ▲ 15.8% | 4th of 16 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,272 | 1,488 | ▲ 17.0% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 461 | 348 | ▼ 24.5% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 131 | 96 | ▼ 26.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 88 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 14 MW | — |
14 MW has retired here since 2019, including Ocean County Landfill (other technologies, 14 MW, 2024). Its power plants have 872 MW of capacity, 87% of it natural gas, the 7th largest fleet in New Jersey. 88 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Jersey Central Power & Lt Co is the largest utility serving Ocean County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.65¢/kWh in 2024, below the 20.42¢ median for New Jersey utilities. 673,746 people live here, up 5.6% since 2020, 5th of 21 New Jersey counties by population.
Who powers Ocean County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +73 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Ocean County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey Central Power & Lt Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,038,258 | 15.65¢ | 24% |
| Atlantic City Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 506,488 | 23.41¢ | 28% |
| Borough of Lavallette - (NJ) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seaside Heights Municipal Utility | — | — | — | — | — |
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 19
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 763 MW | 87% |
| Solar | 76 MW | 9% |
| Battery storage | 20 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 1% |
| Other technologies | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAEA Ocean Peaking Power LLC | Essential Power Operating Company, LLC | Natural gas | 398 MW | 2003 |
| NAEA Lakewood LLC | Essential Power Operating Company, LLC | Natural gas | 288 MW | 1994 |
| Forked River | Forked River Power, LLC | Natural gas | 77 MW | 1989 |
| EDF Ph1 Toms River | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 21 MW | 2021 |
| Plumsted 537 LLC | Plumsted 537 LLC | Battery storage | 20 MW | 2019 |
| KDC Solar PR1, LLC | CleanCapital Holdings | Solar | 17 MW | 2019 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean County Landfill | Other technologies | 14 MW | 2024 |
The Ocean County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 192,715 | $58,848 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 10,874 | $74,587 | 1.06 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,488 | $67,376 | 1.07 |
| Electric utilities | 348 | $185,225 | 0.67 |
| Data processing and hosting | 96 | $94,383 | 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 Ocean County
4 data centers in Ocean County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Ocean County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border Ocean County, Monmouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean County | 673,746 | ▲ 12.1% | 872 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Atlantic County | 278,657 | ▼ 2.9% | 55 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Burlington County | 481,439 | ▲ 6.4% | 429 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Monmouth County | 651,035 | ▲ 5.4% | 135 MW | — | 6 | 1 |
More of New Jersey
Ocean County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ocean County, New Jersey?
4 utilities have service territory in Ocean County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Jersey Central Power & Lt Co, Atlantic City Electric Co, Borough of Lavallette - (NJ), Seaside Heights Municipal Utility. The largest, Jersey Central Power & Lt Co, charged residential customers 15.65¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lakewood Township, NJ in?
Lakewood Township is in Ocean County, New Jersey. About 143,765 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Toms River Township, NJ in?
Toms River Township is in Ocean County, New Jersey. About 100,899 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Brick Township, NJ in?
Brick Township is in Ocean County, New Jersey. About 77,402 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Ocean County?
19 operating plants with 872 MW of capacity. The largest is NAEA Ocean Peaking Power LLC (398 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Ocean County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Ocean County.
Is Ocean County adding jobs?
Employers counted 192,715 jobs in 2025 against 171,985 in 2019 (+12.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 9,394 to 10,874.
Does Ocean County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ocean County. New Jersey has 108 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.