Suffolk County, New York: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Brookhaven and Islip, and the communities of Commack and Brentwood
Suffolk County hosts some of the generating capacity New York runs on. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Suffolk County. Suffolk County is home to Brookhaven, Islip, Huntington and Smithtown, plus the unincorporated communities of Commack, Brentwood and Shirley. 1,119 MW of new generation is planned here across 10 units, led by Orsted Wind Power North America LLC (wind), the 2nd largest pipeline among New York's counties. 939 MW of it is already under construction or built. Its power plants have 4,389 MW of capacity, 65% of it natural gas, the 3rd largest fleet in New York. 2 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including Wildflower Yaphank Data Center.
Cities and towns in Suffolk County
Suffolk County is home to Brookhaven, Islip, Huntington and Smithtown, plus the unincorporated communities of Commack, Brentwood and Shirley.
And 14 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Commack, Brentwood, Shirley, Amagansett, Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow, Bay Shore, Bayport, Baywood, Blue Point, Bohemia, Bridgehampton, Brookhaven, Calverton, Captree, Center Moriches, Centereach, Centerport, Central Islip, Cold Spring Harbor, Copiague, Coram, Cutchogue, Deer Park, Dix Hills, East Farmingdale, East Hampton North, East Islip, East Marion, East Moriches, East Northport, East Patchogue, East Quogue, East Setauket, East Shoreham, Eastport, Eatons Neck, Elwood, Farmingville, Fire Island and 87 more.
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 Suffolk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,521,964 | 1,546,090 | ▲ 1.6% | 4th of 62 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 665,854 | 689,858 | ▲ 3.6% | 12th of 62 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $61,938 | $81,119 | ▲ 31.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 48,151 | 46,944 | ▼ 2.5% | 36th of 55 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,667 | 7,006 | ▲ 5.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,119 | 1,464 | ▲ 30.8% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 291 | 1,460 | ▲ 401.7% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 926 | 1,102 | ▲ 19.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 213 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,119 MW | 26% of today's fleet | 2nd of 43 by size |
Next door, Nassau County has 5 data centers. Construction employs 46,944, down 2.5% since 2019. 213 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Electrical contractors employ 7,006, up 5.1% since 2019 against down 6.8% statewide, at an average $92,203 a year. Employers here counted 689,858 jobs in 2025, up 3.6% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. Long Island Power Authority is the largest utility serving Suffolk County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 24.57¢/kWh in 2024, above the 17.22¢ median for New York utilities. 1,546,090 people live here, up 1.6% since 2020, 4th of 62 New York counties by population.
Who powers Suffolk County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +213 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Suffolk County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island Power Authority | State | Bundled | 1,029,955 | 24.57¢ | 47% |
| Fishers Island Utility Co Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 657 | 38.17¢ | 29% |
| Village of Greenport - (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 57
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,844 MW | 65% |
| Petroleum | 1,184 MW | 27% |
| Solar | 161 MW | 4% |
| Wind | 130 MW | 3% |
| Other technologies | 58 MW | 1% |
| Battery storage | 12 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northport | National Grid Generation LLC | Natural gas | 1,564 MW | 1967 |
| Holtsville | National Grid Generation LLC | Petroleum | 567 MW | 1974 |
| Port Jefferson | National Grid Generation LLC | Natural gas | 498 MW | 1958 |
| Caithness Long Island Energy Center | Caithness Long Island, LLC | Natural gas | 349 MW | 2009 |
| Wading River | National Grid Generation LLC | Petroleum | 238 MW | 1989 |
| Richard M Flynn | New York Power Authority | Natural gas | 170 MW | 1994 |
Planned generation 10
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Wind | Offshore Wind Turbine | 924 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Orsted Wind Power North America LLC |
| KCE NY 29, LLC | Batteries | 79 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Key Capture Energy |
| KCE NY 30, LLC | Batteries | 50 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Key Capture Energy |
| KCE NY 31, LLC | Batteries | 50 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2031 | Key Capture Energy |
| Westhampton - NY 0243 (Giaquinto 1) | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | CVE US NY Westhampton 243 LLC |
| Riverhead - CVE | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | CVE US NY Riverhead 215 LLC |
| Riverhead - CVE | Batteries | 4 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | CVE US NY Riverhead 215 LLC |
| NY CDG 009 | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | NY CDG 009 LLC |
| Manorville II | Batteries | 1 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Agilitas Energy, Inc. |
| Manorville II | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Agilitas Energy, Inc. |
The Suffolk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 689,858 | $81,119 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 46,944 | $91,966 | 1.28 |
| Electrical contractors | 7,006 | $92,203 | 1.41 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,464 | $149,920 | 1.31 |
| Electric utilities | 1,460 | $152,293 | 0.78 |
| Data processing and hosting | 1,102 | $250,678 | 0.51 |
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 Suffolk County
4 data centers in Suffolk County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 2
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildflower Yaphank Data Center | halted | — | ||
| Islip Data Center Moratorium Consideration | pending review | — |
Suffolk County and its neighbors
Of the 1 counties that border Suffolk County, Nassau 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County | 1,546,090 | ▲ 3.6% | 4,389 MW | 1,119 MW | 4 | — |
| Nassau County | 1,398,939 | ▲ 0.6% | 1,474 MW | 3 MW | 5 | — |
More of New York
Suffolk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Suffolk County, New York?
3 utilities have service territory in Suffolk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Long Island Power Authority, Fishers Island Utility Co Inc, Village of Greenport - (NY). The largest, Long Island Power Authority, charged residential customers 24.57¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Brookhaven, NY in?
Brookhaven is in Suffolk County, New York. About 496,410 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Islip, NY in?
Islip is in Suffolk County, New York. About 340,867 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Huntington, NY in?
Huntington is in Suffolk County, New York. About 205,891 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Suffolk County?
57 operating plants with 4,389 MW of capacity. The largest is Northport (1,564 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Suffolk County?
1,119 MW across 10 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 939 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Orsted Wind Power North America LLC.
Are there data centers in Suffolk County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Suffolk County.
Is Suffolk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 689,858 jobs in 2025 against 665,854 in 2019 (+3.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 48,151 to 46,944.
Does Suffolk County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Suffolk County. New York has 35 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.