Chautauqua County, New York: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Jamestown, Pomfret and Dunkirk
Chautauqua County is a generation frontier for New York. Chautauqua County is home to Jamestown, Pomfret, Dunkirk and Fredonia. 528 MW of new generation is planned here across 10 units, led by Repsol Renewables NA (solar), the 4th largest pipeline among New York's counties. 23 MW of it is already under construction or built. 627 MW has retired here since 2019, including Dunkirk Generating Plant (coal, 627 MW, 2022). 310 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Construction employs 1,718, up 1.9% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County is home to Jamestown, Pomfret, Dunkirk and Fredonia.
And 15 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Busti, Chautauqua, Cherry Creek, Forestville, Frewsburg, Jamestown West, Kennedy, Ripley, Sunset Bay.
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 Chautauqua County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 127,383 | 124,126 | ▼ 2.6% | 23rd of 62 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 48,612 | 45,974 | ▼ 5.4% | 54th of 62 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,246 | $54,771 | ▲ 32.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,686 | 1,718 | ▲ 1.9% | 28th of 55 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 310 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 627 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 528 MW | 107% of today's fleet | 4th of 43 by size |
Its power plants have 496 MW of capacity, 63% of it wind. Employers here counted 45,974 jobs in 2025, down 5.4% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 180, at an average $94,770 a year. Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. is the largest utility serving Chautauqua County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.22¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. 124,126 people live here, down 2.6% since 2020.
Who powers Chautauqua County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −318 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Chautauqua County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,532,294 | 17.22¢ | 24% |
| New York State Elec & Gas Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 792,300 | 18.32¢ | 23% |
| Jamestown Board of Public Util | Municipal | Bundled | 15,562 | 8.43¢ | 38% |
| Village of Brocton - (NY) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Mayville - (NY) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Steuben Rural Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Westfield - (NY) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 25
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 310 MW | 63% |
| Natural gas | 96 MW | 19% |
| Solar | 80 MW | 16% |
| Other technologies | 10 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cassadaga Wind Farm | RWE Clean Energy | Wind | 124 MW | 2021 |
| Ball Hill Wind Energy, LLC | Ball Hill Wind Energy, LLC | Wind | 108 MW | 2023 |
| S A Carlson | Jamestown Board of Public Util | Natural gas | 96 MW | 1951 |
| Arkwright Summit Wind Farm LLC | Arkwright Summit Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 78 MW | 2018 |
| Chautauqua LFGTE Facility | Chautauqua Green Energy, LLC | Other technologies | 10 MW | 2010 |
| Source Power Company - Silver Creek | Distributed Solar Development, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2021 |
Planned generation 10
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Ripley Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 270 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Repsol Renewables NA |
| Empire Solar (NY) | Solar Photovoltaic | 125 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | AES Clean Energy |
| York Run Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 90 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Lydian Energy |
| South Ripley Solar | Batteries | 20 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Repsol Renewables NA |
| SL Dunkirk | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | SL Dunkirk, LLC |
| SL Ashville 2 | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | SL Ashville 2, LLC |
| SL Ashville | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | SL Ashville, LLC |
| SL Portland Community 2, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | SL Portland Community 2, LLC |
| SL Portland Community, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | SL Portland Community, LLC |
| Pomfret PV, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 3 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Dimension Energy LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkirk Generating Plant | Coal | 627 MW | 2022 |
The Chautauqua County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 45,974 | $54,771 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,718 | $67,260 | 0.71 |
| Electrical contractors | 180 | $94,770 | 0.54 |
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 Chautauqua County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Chautauqua County. New York has 35 local measures on record statewide.
Chautauqua County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Chautauqua County, Erie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County | 124,126 | ▼ 5.4% | 496 MW | 528 MW | — | — |
| Cattaraugus County | 75,390 | ▼ 3.0% | 140 MW | — | — | — |
| Erie County | 946,741 | ▼ 1.4% | 212 MW | 24 MW | 12 | — |
| Erie County PA | 265,832 | ▼ 1.6% | 41 MW | — | — | — |
| Warren County PA | 37,038 | ▼ 10.1% | 491 MW | — | — | — |
More of New York
Chautauqua County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Chautauqua County, New York?
7 utilities have service territory in Chautauqua County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., New York State Elec & Gas Corp, Jamestown Board of Public Util, Village of Brocton - (NY). The largest, Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., charged residential customers 17.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Jamestown, NY in?
Jamestown is in Chautauqua County, New York. About 27,663 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Pomfret, NY in?
Pomfret is in Chautauqua County, New York. About 12,605 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Dunkirk, NY in?
Dunkirk is in Chautauqua County, New York. About 12,326 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Chautauqua County?
25 operating plants with 496 MW of capacity. The largest is Cassadaga Wind Farm (124 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Chautauqua County?
528 MW across 10 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 23 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Repsol Renewables NA.
Are there data centers in Chautauqua County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Chautauqua County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Erie County.
Is Chautauqua County adding jobs?
Employers counted 45,974 jobs in 2025 against 48,612 in 2019 (-5.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,686 to 1,718.
Does Chautauqua County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Chautauqua County. New York has 35 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.