Orange County, New York: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Kiryas Joel, Palm Tree and Wallkill
Orange County hosts some of the generating capacity New York runs on. Orange County is home to Kiryas Joel, Palm Tree, Wallkill and Middletown. 178 MW of new generation is planned here across 5 units, led by Key Capture Energy (battery storage). 26 MW of it is already under construction or built. Its power plants have 2,754 MW of capacity, 94% of it natural gas, the 5th largest fleet in New York. Next door, Rockland County has 9 data centers. Construction employs 7,592, up 8.1% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Orange County
Orange County is home to Kiryas Joel, Palm Tree, Wallkill and Middletown.
And 12 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Balmville, Beaver Dam Lake, Firthcliffe, Fort Montgomery, Gardnertown, Mechanicstown, Mountain Lodge Park, New Windsor, Orange Lake, Pine Bush, Salisbury Mills, Scotchtown, Sparrow Bush, Vails Gate, Walton Park, Washington Heights, West Point.
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 Orange County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 400,973 | 417,669 | ▲ 4.2% | 12th of 62 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 148,273 | 154,905 | ▲ 4.5% | 10th of 62 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,517 | $63,867 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,023 | 7,592 | ▲ 8.1% | 19th of 55 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 870 | 905 | ▲ 4.0% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 561 | 616 | ▲ 9.8% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9 | 162 | ▲ 1700.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 4.3% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 147 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 178 MW | 6% of today's fleet | 11th of 43 by size |
2 MW has retired here since 2019, including Al Turi (other technologies, 2 MW, 2022). 147 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Electrical contractors employ 905, up 4.0% since 2019 against down 6.8% statewide, at an average $75,178 a year. Employers here counted 154,905 jobs in 2025, up 4.5% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 62 New York counties). New York State Elec & Gas Corp is the largest utility serving Orange County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 18.32¢/kWh in 2024, above the 17.22¢ median for New York utilities. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. 417,669 people live here, up 4.2% since 2020.
Who powers Orange County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +144 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Orange County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York State Elec & Gas Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 792,300 | 18.32¢ | 23% |
| Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 270,859 | 25.14¢ | 35% |
| Orange & Rockland Utils Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 211,011 | 23.31¢ | 31% |
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 54
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,586 MW | 94% |
| Solar | 128 MW | 5% |
| Battery storage | 28 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 0% |
| Hydro | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roseton Generating Facility | CCI Roseton LLC | Natural gas | 1,242 MW | 1974 |
| CPV Valley Energy Center | CPV Valley, LLC | Natural gas | 770 MW | 2018 |
| Danskammer Generating Station | Danskammer Energy | Natural gas | 537 MW | 1951 |
| Shoemaker | Alliance NYGT, LLC | Natural gas | 42 MW | 1972 |
| FFP - NY Varano | FFP NY Goshen Project2, LLC | Solar | 10 MW | 2024 |
| South Goshen Community Solar | AES Distributed Energy | Battery storage | 10 MW | 2021 |
Planned generation 5
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY2 Battery | Batteries | 152 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Key Capture Energy |
| TBE-Montgomery LLC | Other Waste Biomass | 12 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2039 | TBE Montgomery LLC |
| TBE-Montgomery LLC | Other Waste Biomass | 9 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2039 | TBE Montgomery LLC |
| NL NY- Pulaski | Batteries | 2 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Standard Solar |
| NL NY- Pulaski | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Standard Solar |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Turi | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2022 |
The Orange County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 154,905 | $63,867 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 7,592 | $74,562 | 0.93 |
| Electrical contractors | 905 | $75,178 | 0.81 |
| Electric utilities | 616 | $171,208 | 1.47 |
| Data processing and hosting | 162 | $79,628 | 0.34 |
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 Orange County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Orange County. New York has 35 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Sussex County.
Orange County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Orange County, Rockland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County | 417,669 | ▲ 4.5% | 2,754 MW | 178 MW | — | — |
| Dutchess County | 300,708 | ▲ 2.7% | 1,380 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Passaic County NJ | 531,624 | ▲ 5.2% | 39 MW | — | 6 | — |
| Pike County PA | 62,808 | ▲ 7.2% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Putnam County | 99,028 | ▲ 2.0% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Rockland County | 357,397 | ▲ 6.5% | 1,324 MW | — | 9 | — |
| Sullivan County | 80,586 | ▲ 4.8% | 123 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Sussex County NJ | 148,063 | ▲ 2.0% | 74 MW | 6 MW | 3 | 3 |
| Ulster County | 183,330 | ● 0.0% | 89 MW | — | — | — |
More of New York
Orange County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Orange County, New York?
3 utilities have service territory in Orange County in the EIA-861 2024 report: New York State Elec & Gas Corp, Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp, Orange & Rockland Utils Inc. The largest, New York State Elec & Gas Corp, charged residential customers 18.32¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Kiryas Joel, NY in?
Kiryas Joel is in Orange County, New York. About 47,147 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Palm Tree, NY in?
Palm Tree is in Orange County, New York. About 47,147 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Wallkill, NY in?
Wallkill is in Orange County, New York. About 31,414 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Orange County?
54 operating plants with 2,754 MW of capacity. The largest is Roseton Generating Facility (1,242 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Orange County?
178 MW across 5 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 26 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Key Capture Energy.
Are there data centers in Orange County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Orange County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Rockland County.
Is Orange County adding jobs?
Employers counted 154,905 jobs in 2025 against 148,273 in 2019 (+4.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 7,023 to 7,592.
Does Orange County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Orange County. New York has 35 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.