Butler County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Cranberry Township, Butler Township and Adams Township
Butler County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Butler County, 3% of Pennsylvania's total. Butler County is home to Cranberry Township, Butler Township, Adams Township and Butler. The Moratorium Tracker holds 3 local measures here (3 in force); the latest is “Zoning ordinance limiting data centers to the large scale industrial zone”. Construction employs 4,391, down 0.2% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 495, up 2.3% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $85,601 a year.
Cities and towns in Butler County
Butler County is home to Cranberry Township, Butler Township, Adams Township and Butler.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Homeacre-Lyndora, Lake Arthur Estates, Meadowood, Meridian, Nixon, Oak Hills, Shanor-Northvue, Slippery Rock University, Unionville.
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 Butler County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 194,026 | 200,169 | ▲ 3.2% | 19th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 87,565 | 89,077 | ▲ 1.7% | 15th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $53,100 | $67,864 | ▲ 27.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,398 | 4,391 | ▼ 0.2% | 41st of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 484 | 495 | ▲ 2.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 3.5% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
Employers here counted 89,077 jobs in 2025, up 1.7% from 2019. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Butler County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. 200,169 people live here, up 3.2% since 2020.
Who powers Butler County
Utilities with service territory in Butler 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% |
| Central Electric Coop, Inc - (PA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,629 | 17.03¢ | 22% |
| Borough of Zelienople - (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.
No operating power plant is located in Butler County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Butler County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 89,077 | $67,864 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,391 | $79,336 | 0.93 |
| Electrical contractors | 495 | $85,601 | 0.77 |
| Data processing and hosting | 153 | $152,660 | 0.55 |
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 Butler County
3 data centers in Butler County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Local measures 3
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning ordinance limiting data centers to the large scale industrial zone | In force | 2026-08 | |
| 180-day moratorium on data centers and five other uses | In force | 2026-07 | |
| 180-day curative amendment pause on data centers | In force | 2026-07 |
Butler County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Butler County, Allegheny 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 200,169 | ▲ 1.7% | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Allegheny County | 1,225,035 | ▼ 4.7% | 1,127 MW | 77 MW | 22 | 1 |
| Armstrong County | 63,698 | ▼ 5.4% | 2,627 MW | 18 MW | 1 | — |
| Beaver County | 166,032 | ▼ 13.8% | 2,218 MW | 20 MW | — | — |
| Clarion County | 36,680 | ▼ 4.6% | 30 MW | 5 MW | 1 | — |
| Lawrence County | 83,911 | ▼ 4.9% | 1,388 MW | 402 MW | — | — |
| Mercer County | 107,860 | ▼ 6.6% | 4 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Venango County | 49,346 | ▼ 10.1% | 409 MW | — | — | — |
| Westmoreland County | 349,324 | ▼ 3.8% | 1,166 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Butler County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Butler County, Pennsylvania?
3 utilities have service territory in Butler County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, Central Electric Coop, Inc - (PA), Borough of Zelienople - (PA). The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Cranberry Township, PA in?
Cranberry Township is in Butler County, Pennsylvania. About 35,244 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Butler Township, PA in?
Butler Township is in Butler County, Pennsylvania. About 16,902 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Adams Township, PA in?
Adams Township is in Butler County, Pennsylvania. About 15,927 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
Are there data centers in Butler County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Butler County.
Is Butler County adding jobs?
Employers counted 89,077 jobs in 2025 against 87,565 in 2019 (+1.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 4,398 to 4,391.
Does Butler County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 3 local measures for Butler County, 3 in force.