Bradford County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sayre, Athens Township and Athens
Bradford County hosts some of the generating capacity Pennsylvania runs on. Bradford County is home to Sayre, Athens Township, Athens and Towanda. 100 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Vesper Energy Development LLC (solar), the 7th largest pipeline among Pennsylvania's counties. Its power plants have 962 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Construction employs 686, up 5.7% since 2019. 27 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Bradford County
Bradford County is home to Sayre, Athens Township, Athens and Towanda.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Greens Landing.
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 Bradford County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 59,975 | 59,600 | ▼ 0.6% | 42nd of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22,938 | 22,257 | ▼ 3.0% | 36th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,572 | $63,235 | ▲ 27.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 649 | 686 | ▲ 5.7% | 27th of 62 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 113 | 132 | ▲ 16.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 3.7% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 27 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 100 MW | 10% of today's fleet | 7th of 31 by size |
Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. Employers here counted 22,257 jobs in 2025, down 3.0% from 2019. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Bradford County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. 59,600 people live here, down 0.6% since 2020.
Who powers Bradford County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +27 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Bradford County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,802,612 | 17.37¢ | 16% |
| PPL Electric Utilities Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,295,883 | 16.99¢ | 19% |
| Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,206 | 20.08¢ | 27% |
| Claverack Rural Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 16,742 | 18.25¢ | 22% |
| Sullivan County R E C, Inc - (PA) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 961 MW | 100% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Liberty | Hamilton Liberty O&M LLC | Natural gas | 870 MW | 2016 |
| Beaver Dam (PA) | Beaver Dam Energy LLC | Natural gas | 22 MW | 2016 |
| Wolf Run Energy | Wolf Run Energy LLC | Natural gas | 22 MW | 2019 |
| Alpaca | Alpaca Energy LLC | Natural gas | 21 MW | 2017 |
| Milan | Milan Energy LLC | Natural gas | 21 MW | 2017 |
| Towanda Facility | REV LNG SSL BC, LLC | Natural gas | 5 MW | 2021 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Solar PA | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
The Bradford County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 22,257 | $63,235 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 686 | $67,746 | 0.58 |
| Electric utilities | 132 | $133,285 | 2.19 |
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 Bradford County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Bradford County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Lycoming County.
Bradford County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Bradford County, Lycoming 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford County | 59,600 | ▼ 3.0% | 962 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Chemung County NY | 80,415 | ▼ 4.6% | 20 MW | — | — | — |
| Lycoming County | 112,587 | ▼ 3.2% | 949 MW | 3 MW | — | 3 |
| Sullivan County | 5,856 | ▼ 0.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Susquehanna County | 38,237 | ▼ 6.9% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
| Tioga County NY | 47,453 | ▼ 2.2% | 76 MW | 23 MW | — | — |
| Tioga County | 40,502 | ▼ 4.0% | 126 MW | — | — | — |
| Wyoming County | 25,790 | ▼ 0.8% | 283 MW | — | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Bradford County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Bradford County, Pennsylvania?
5 utilities have service territory in Bradford County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA), Claverack Rural Elec Coop Inc. The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Bradford County?
7 operating plants with 962 MW of capacity. The largest is Hamilton Liberty (870 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Bradford County?
100 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Vesper Energy Development LLC.
Are there data centers in Bradford County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Bradford County.
Is Bradford County adding jobs?
Employers counted 22,257 jobs in 2025 against 22,938 in 2019 (-3.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 649 to 686.
Does Bradford County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Bradford County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.