Erie County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Erie, Millcreek Township and Harborcreek Township
Erie County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Erie County is home to Erie, Millcreek Township, Harborcreek Township and Fairview Township. Next door, Chautauqua County, New York, has 528 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 4,249, up 7.7% since 2019. 2 MW has retired here since 2019, including Erie Coke (other technologies, 2 MW, 2019). 35 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Erie County
Erie County is home to Erie, Millcreek Township, Harborcreek Township and Fairview Township.
And 14 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Avonia, Fairview, Lawrence Park, Northwest Harborcreek, Penn State Erie (Behrend).
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 Erie County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 270,724 | 265,832 | ▼ 1.8% | 16th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 121,826 | 119,834 | ▼ 1.6% | 33rd of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,433 | $56,039 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,944 | 4,249 | ▲ 7.7% | 22nd of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 496 | 492 | ▼ 0.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 35 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — |
Its power plants have 41 MW of capacity, 79% of it solar. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 492, down 0.8% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $65,037 a year. Employers here counted 119,834 jobs in 2025, down 1.6% from 2019. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Erie County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. 265,832 people live here, down 1.8% since 2020.
Who powers Erie County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +32 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Erie 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% |
| Northwestern Rural E C A, Inc - (PA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,190 | 15.58¢ | 17% |
| Borough of Girard - (PA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Warren Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 32 MW | 79% |
| Other technologies | 6 MW | 15% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 7% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie Solar, LLC | Erie Solar, LLC | Solar | 20 MW | 2025 |
| Samaritan Solar | Birch Creek Development | Solar | 12 MW | 2026 |
| Lakeview Gas Recovery | WM Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 6 MW | 1997 |
| Girard (PA) RTO BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2022 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie Coke | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2019 |
The Erie County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 119,834 | $56,039 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,249 | $67,609 | 0.67 |
| Electrical contractors | 492 | $65,037 | 0.57 |
| Power and communication line construction | 80 | $91,813 | 0.41 |
| Data processing and hosting | 23 | $78,044 | 0.06 |
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 Erie County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Erie County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures on record statewide.
Erie County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Erie County, Chautauqua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County | 265,832 | ▼ 1.6% | 41 MW | — | — | — |
| Ashtabula County OH | 96,713 | ▼ 5.2% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Chautauqua County NY | 124,126 | ▼ 5.4% | 496 MW | 528 MW | — | — |
| Crawford County | 81,792 | ▼ 3.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Warren County | 37,038 | ▼ 10.1% | 491 MW | — | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Erie County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Erie County, Pennsylvania?
4 utilities have service territory in Erie County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, Northwestern Rural E C A, Inc - (PA), Borough of Girard - (PA), Warren Electric Coop Inc. The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Erie, PA in?
Erie is in Erie County, Pennsylvania. About 91,838 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Millcreek Township, PA in?
Millcreek Township is in Erie County, Pennsylvania. About 52,680 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Harborcreek Township, PA in?
Harborcreek Township is in Erie County, Pennsylvania. About 16,603 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Erie County?
4 operating plants with 41 MW of capacity. The largest is Erie Solar, LLC (20 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Erie County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Erie County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Chautauqua County.
Is Erie County adding jobs?
Employers counted 119,834 jobs in 2025 against 121,826 in 2019 (-1.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,944 to 4,249.
Does Erie County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Erie County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.