Onondaga County, New York: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Syracuse, Clay and Salina
Onondaga County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 7 data centers in Onondaga County, 5% of New York's total. Onondaga County is home to Syracuse, Clay, Salina and Cicero. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Lysander Data Center Moratorium. 25 MW of new generation is planned here across 7 units, led by Generate Capital (solar). 18 MW of it is already under construction or built. 125 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Onondaga County
Onondaga County is home to Syracuse, Clay, Salina and Cicero.
And 4 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Brewerton, Bridgeport, De Witt, Fairmount, Galeville, Lakeland, Lyncourt, Mattydale, Nedrow, Radisson, Seneca Knolls, Village Green, Westvale.
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 Onondaga County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 475,429 | 466,584 | ▼ 1.9% | 11th of 62 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 248,407 | 250,251 | ▲ 0.7% | 22nd of 62 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $53,302 | $73,309 | ▲ 37.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,133 | 10,313 | ▲ 1.8% | 29th of 55 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,263 | 1,263 | ● 0.0% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 401 | 439 | ▲ 9.5% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 310 | 290 | ▼ 6.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 125 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 25 MW | 6% of today's fleet | 25th of 43 by size |
Construction employs 10,313, up 1.8% since 2019. Owners plan to retire 1 MW more by 2035, led by Lockheed Martin RMS Syracuse in 2027. Its power plants have 398 MW of capacity, 57% of it natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 1,263, unchanged since 2019 against down 6.8% statewide, at an average $97,027 a year. Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. is the largest utility serving Onondaga County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.22¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 250,251 jobs in 2025, up 0.7% from 2019. 466,584 people live here, down 1.9% since 2020.
Who powers Onondaga County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +125 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Onondaga 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% |
| Village of Solvay - (NY) | Municipal | Bundled | 4,680 | 6.49¢ | 5% |
| Village of Skaneateles - (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 35
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 225 MW | 57% |
| Solar | 122 MW | 31% |
| Other technologies | 40 MW | 10% |
| Battery storage | 11 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carr Street Generating Station | Carr Street Generating Sta LP | Natural gas | 123 MW | 1993 |
| CH Resources Syracuse | Lakeside Syracuse LLC | Natural gas | 103 MW | 1994 |
| Onondaga County Resource Recovery | Covanta Onondega LP | Other technologies | 40 MW | 1994 |
| Cicero Energy Storage 1 LLC | Convergent Energy and Power LP | Battery storage | 10 MW | 2022 |
| Cicero Energy Storage 2 LLC | Convergent Energy and Power LP | Battery storage | 10 MW | 2022 |
| Ver Plank South (CSG) | Nautilus Solar Solutions | Solar | 5 MW | 2024 |
Planned generation 7
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Springs | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Generate Capital |
| Fabius CSG LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Dimension Energy LLC |
| Tully 4 | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | CP Tully Four LLC |
| Bartell South PV I | Solar Photovoltaic | 3 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Bartell South PV I LLC |
| West Genesee | Solar Photovoltaic | 3 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Generate Capital |
| Lysander III PV | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Lysander III PV LLC |
| Tully 5 | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | CP Tully Five LLC |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin RMS Syracuse | Battery storage | 1 MW | 2027 |
The Onondaga County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 250,251 | $73,309 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 10,313 | $90,117 | 0.78 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,263 | $97,027 | 0.70 |
| Power and communication line construction | 439 | $136,944 | 1.09 |
| Electric utilities | 2,082 | $151,176 | 3.07 |
| Data processing and hosting | 290 | $73,544 | 0.37 |
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 Onondaga County
7 data centers in Onondaga County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lysander Data Center Moratorium | halted | — |
Onondaga County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Onondaga County, Oswego 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga County | 466,584 | ▲ 0.7% | 398 MW | 25 MW | 7 | — |
| Cayuga County | 74,365 | ▼ 3.9% | 51 MW | 137 MW | — | — |
| Cortland County | 45,850 | ▼ 4.7% | 65 MW | 95 MW | — | — |
| Madison County | 67,120 | ▼ 2.4% | 118 MW | 182 MW | — | — |
| Oswego County | 118,569 | ▼ 2.9% | 5,959 MW | 14 MW | — | — |
More of New York
Onondaga County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Onondaga County, New York?
4 utilities have service territory in Onondaga County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., New York State Elec & Gas Corp, Village of Solvay - (NY), Village of Skaneateles - (NY). The largest, Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., charged residential customers 17.22¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Syracuse, NY in?
Syracuse is in Onondaga County, New York. About 144,896 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Clay, NY in?
Clay is in Onondaga County, New York. About 59,285 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Salina, NY in?
Salina is in Onondaga County, New York. About 32,375 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Onondaga County?
35 operating plants with 398 MW of capacity. The largest is Carr Street Generating Station (123 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Onondaga County?
25 MW across 7 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 18 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Generate Capital.
Are there data centers in Onondaga County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 7 data centers in Onondaga County.
Is Onondaga County adding jobs?
Employers counted 250,251 jobs in 2025 against 248,407 in 2019 (+0.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 10,133 to 10,313.
Does Onondaga County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Onondaga County. New York has 35 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.