Cumberland County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hampden Township, Upper Allen Township and Carlisle
Cumberland County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Cumberland County. Cumberland County is home to Hampden Township, Upper Allen Township, Carlisle and Silver Spring Township. Construction employs 5,192, up 11.3% since 2019. 39 MW has retired here since 2019, including TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC West Shore (petroleum, 37 MW, 2022). 4 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.
Cities and towns in Cumberland County
Cumberland County is home to Hampden Township, Upper Allen Township, Carlisle and Silver Spring Township.
And 9 smaller places.
- Shippensburg also extends into Franklin County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Boiling Springs, Carlisle Barracks, Enola, Lower Allen, Messiah College, New Kingstown, Plainfield, Schlusser, Shippensburg University, West Fairview.
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 Cumberland County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 260,251 | 277,270 | ▲ 6.5% | 15th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 136,449 | 137,858 | ▲ 1.0% | 22nd of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $52,629 | $65,962 | ▲ 25.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,666 | 5,192 | ▲ 11.3% | 18th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 505 | 518 | ▲ 2.6% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 90 | 91 | ▲ 1.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 280 | 227 | ▼ 18.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.3% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 4 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 39 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 518, up 2.6% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $71,942 a year. Its power plants have 74 MW of capacity, 79% of it petroleum. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Cumberland 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. Employers here counted 137,858 jobs in 2025, up 1.0% from 2019. 277,270 people live here, up 6.5% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019.
Who powers Cumberland County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −35 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Cumberland 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% |
| Adams Electric Cooperative Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 32,231 | 14.42¢ | 15% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 59 MW | 79% |
| Solar | 9 MW | 12% |
| Other technologies | 6 MW | 9% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain | Mountain Power, LLC | Petroleum | 54 MW | 1972 |
| Cumberland County PA LFG Recovery | NextEra Renewable Fuels, LLC | Other technologies | 6 MW | 2009 |
| Vitro Architectural Glass (PA) | Vitro Architectural Glass (PA) | Petroleum | 5 MW | 1996 |
| Dickinson Solar | Madison Energy Investments LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2016 |
| Knouse Solar Project 1 | Knouse Food Cooperative Inc | Solar | 3 MW | 2010 |
| Hampden CSG 1 LLC | Dimension Energy LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2026 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC West Shore | Petroleum | 37 MW | 2022 |
| Vitro Architectural Glass (PA) | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Cumberland County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 137,858 | $65,962 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 5,192 | $77,824 | 0.71 |
| Electrical contractors | 518 | $71,942 | 0.52 |
| Electric utilities | 91 | $129,780 | 0.24 |
| Data processing and hosting | 227 | $110,200 | 0.53 |
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 Cumberland County
1 data center in Cumberland County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Cumberland County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Cumberland County, York 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County | 277,270 | ▲ 1.0% | 74 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Adams County | 107,594 | ▼ 5.4% | 1,088 MW | — | — | — |
| Dauphin County | 293,351 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,018 MW | 2 MW | 2 | — |
| Franklin County | 160,652 | ▲ 2.4% | 518 MW | 40 MW | — | — |
| Perry County | 46,806 | ▲ 5.1% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| York County | 473,197 | ▲ 1.3% | 6,218 MW | 157 MW | 1 | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Cumberland County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania?
3 utilities have service territory in Cumberland County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, Adams Electric Cooperative Inc. The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Hampden Township, PA in?
Hampden Township is in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. About 35,401 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Upper Allen Township, PA in?
Upper Allen Township is in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. About 24,700 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Carlisle, PA in?
Carlisle is in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. About 22,693 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Cumberland County?
7 operating plants with 74 MW of capacity. The largest is Mountain (54 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Cumberland County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Cumberland County.
Is Cumberland County adding jobs?
Employers counted 137,858 jobs in 2025 against 136,449 in 2019 (+1.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 4,666 to 5,192.
Does Cumberland County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cumberland County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.