# Putnam County, New York: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Carmel, Southeast and Kent

No data center or power plant project is on record in Putnam County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Putnam County is home to Carmel, Southeast, Kent and Putnam Valley. Next door, Fairfield County, Connecticut, has 16 data centers. Construction employs 2,616, down 2.8% since 2019, and construction is 1.8 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 52% of it solar.

1.8×
the U.S. share of jobs in construction

4 MW
of operating power plants, mostly solar

+2.0%
total jobs since 2019, now 26,879

## Cities and towns in Putnam County

Putnam County is home to Carmel, Southeast, Kent and Putnam Valley.

Carmel34,442 residents
Southeast18,379 residents
Kent12,895 residents
Putnam Valley11,762 residents
Patterson11,640 residents
Philipstown9,910 residents
Brewster2,509 residents
Cold Spring1,998 residents
Nelsonville635 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Brewster Heights, Brewster Hill, Carmel, Lake Carmel, Mahopac, Peach Lake, Putnam Lake.

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 Putnam County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 97,636 | 99,028 | ▲ 1.4% | 29th of 62 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,343 | 26,879 | ▲ 2.0% | 17th of 62 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $54,758 | $69,372 | ▲ 26.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,690 | 2,616 | ▼ 2.8% | 37th of 55 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25 | 24 | ▼ 4.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 3.5% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Employers here counted 26,879 jobs in 2025, up 2.0% from 2019. New York State Elec & Gas Corp is the largest utility serving Putnam County, one of 2 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 3.5% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. 99,028 people live here, up 1.4% since 2020.

## Who powers Putnam County

### Utilities with service territory in Putnam 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% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 2 MW | 52% |
| Natural gas | 1 MW | 32% |
| Petroleum | 1 MW | 16% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY - Ameresco - Southeast | Lower Mine Road LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
| Watchtower Educational Center | Watchtower Bible & Tract Soc-NY | Natural gas | 2 MW | 1993 |

## The Putnam County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,879 | $69,372 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,616 | $80,728 | 1.84 |
| Data processing and hosting | 24 | $128,168 | 0.29 |

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 Putnam County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Putnam County. New York has 35 local measures on record statewide.

## Putnam County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Putnam County, Fairfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County | 99,028 | ▲ 2.0% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Dutchess County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/dutchess-county) | 300,708 | ▲ 2.7% | 1,380 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Fairfield County CT | — | — | 1,446 MW | — | 16 | — |
| Orange County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/orange-county) | 417,669 | ▲ 4.5% | 2,754 MW | 178 MW | — | — |
| Rockland County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/rockland-county) | 357,397 | ▲ 6.5% | 1,324 MW | — | 9 | — |
| Westchester County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/westchester-county) | 1,015,743 | ▲ 0.1% | 161 MW | — | 7 | — |

## More of New York

[All New York countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york)[Westchester County1,015,743 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/westchester-county)[Orange County417,669 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/orange-county)[Rockland County357,397 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/rockland-county)[Dutchess County300,708 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/dutchess-county)

## Putnam County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Putnam County, New York?

2 utilities have service territory in Putnam County in the EIA-861 2024 report: New York State Elec & Gas Corp, Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp. The largest, New York State Elec & Gas Corp, charged residential customers 18.32¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Carmel, NY in?

Carmel is in Putnam County, New York. About 34,442 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Southeast, NY in?

Southeast is in Putnam County, New York. About 18,379 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Kent, NY in?

Kent is in Putnam County, New York. About 12,895 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Putnam County?

2 operating plants with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is NY - Ameresco - Southeast (2 MW, solar).

### Are there data centers in Putnam County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Putnam County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Fairfield County.

### Is Putnam County adding jobs?

Employers counted 26,879 jobs in 2025 against 26,343 in 2019 (+2.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,690 to 2,616.

### Does Putnam County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Putnam County. New York has 35 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

---
Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/new-york/putnam-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).