Delaware County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Upper Darby Township, Haverford Township and Chester
The data center boom is not abstract in Delaware County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Delaware County. Delaware County is home to Upper Darby Township, Haverford Township, Chester and Radnor Township. Owners plan to retire 782 MW more by 2035, led by Eddystone Generating Station in 2026. Its power plants have 2,471 MW of capacity, 93% of it natural gas, the 7th largest fleet in Pennsylvania. Construction employs 12,315, up 7.0% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Delaware County
Delaware County is home to Upper Darby Township, Haverford Township, Chester and Radnor Township.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ardmore, Boothwyn, Broomall, Bryn Mawr, Chadds Ford, Cheyney University, Dilworthtown, Drexel Hill, Folsom, Haverford College, Lima, Linwood, Rosemont, St. Davids, Village Green-Green Ridge, Villanova, Wayne, Woodlyn.
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 Delaware County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 576,505 | 580,937 | ▲ 0.8% | 5th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 226,885 | 219,222 | ▼ 3.4% | 39th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $60,765 | $74,852 | ▲ 23.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,510 | 12,315 | ▲ 7.0% | 24th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,967 | 1,848 | ▼ 6.0% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 331 | 230 | ▼ 30.5% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 502 | 525 | ▲ 4.6% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 135 | 83 | ▼ 38.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 4.0% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 69 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 118 MW | — |
118 MW has retired here since 2019, including Chester Operations (petroleum, 67 MW, 2019). 69 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Employers here counted 219,222 jobs in 2025, down 3.4% from 2019. PECO Energy Co is the largest utility serving Delaware County. Its residential customers paid an average 16.16¢/kWh in 2024. Electrical contractors employ 1,848, down 6.0% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $100,733 a year. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 580,937 people live here, up 0.8% since 2020, 5th of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population.
Who powers Delaware County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −48 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Delaware County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PECO Energy Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,535,818 | 16.16¢ | 19% |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,301 MW | 93% |
| Other technologies | 90 MW | 4% |
| Petroleum | 80 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddystone Generating Station | Constellation Power, Inc | Petroleum | 862 MW | 1967 |
| Marcus Hook Energy LP | Marcus Hook Energy LP | Natural gas | 836 MW | 2004 |
| Liberty Electric Power Plant | Liberty Electric Power LLC | Natural gas | 614 MW | 2002 |
| Covanta Delaware Valley | Covanta Delaware Valley LP | Other technologies | 90 MW | 1991 |
| Chester Operations | Kimberly-Clark Corp | Natural gas | 69 MW | 2020 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Operations | Petroleum | 67 MW | 2019 |
| Marcus Hook Refinery Cogen | Natural gas | 50 MW | 2019 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddystone Generating Station | Natural gas | 782 MW | 2026 |
The Delaware County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 219,222 | $74,852 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 12,315 | $93,566 | 1.06 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,848 | $100,733 | 1.17 |
| Power and communication line construction | 230 | $133,461 | 0.65 |
| Electric utilities | 525 | $202,563 | 0.88 |
| Data processing and hosting | 83 | $136,604 | 0.12 |
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 Delaware County
1 data center in Delaware County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Delaware County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Delaware County, Philadelphia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County | 580,937 | ▼ 3.4% | 2,471 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Chester County | 557,116 | ▲ 0.3% | 65 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Gloucester County NJ | 312,638 | ▲ 12.3% | 1,166 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Montgomery County | 877,643 | ▼ 0.2% | 2,473 MW | 2 MW | 9 | 1 |
| New Castle County DE | 588,026 | ▲ 4.2% | 2,313 MW | 133 MW | 7 | 1 |
| Philadelphia County | 1,574,281 | ▲ 3.7% | 560 MW | — | 17 | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Delaware County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Delaware County, Pennsylvania?
1 utility has service territory in Delaware County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PECO Energy Co. The largest, PECO Energy Co, charged residential customers 16.16¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Upper Darby Township, PA in?
Upper Darby Township is in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. About 85,458 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Haverford Township, PA in?
Haverford Township is in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. About 50,997 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Chester, PA in?
Chester is in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. About 33,996 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Delaware County?
5 operating plants with 2,471 MW of capacity. The largest is Eddystone Generating Station (862 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Delaware County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Delaware County.
Is Delaware County adding jobs?
Employers counted 219,222 jobs in 2025 against 226,885 in 2019 (-3.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 11,510 to 12,315.
Does Delaware County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Delaware County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.