Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lancaster, Manheim Township and East Hempfield Township
The data center boom is not abstract in Lancaster County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 6 data centers in Lancaster County, 6% of Pennsylvania's total. Lancaster County is home to Lancaster, Manheim Township, East Hempfield Township and Manor Township. Construction employs 19,622, up 15.4% since 2019, and construction is 1.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Its power plants have 1,815 MW of capacity, 96% of it hydro. Electrical contractors employ 2,093, up 22.8% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $86,566 a year.
Cities and towns in Lancaster County
Lancaster County is home to Lancaster, Manheim Township, East Hempfield Township and Manor Township.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bainbridge, Bird-in-Hand, Blue Ball, Bowmansville, Brickerville, Brownstown, Churchtown, Clay, Conestoga, East Earl, Falmouth, Farmersville, Fivepointville, Gap, Georgetown, Goodville, Gordonville, Hopeland, Intercourse, Kirkwood, Lampeter, Landisville, Leola, Little Britain, Maytown, Morgantown, Paradise, Penryn, Reamstown, Refton, Reinholds, Rheems, Ronks, Rothsville, Salunga, Schoeneck, Smoketown, Soudersburg, Stevens, Swartzville and 4 more.
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 Lancaster County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 552,819 | 563,159 | ▲ 1.9% | 6th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 245,179 | 254,207 | ▲ 3.7% | 9th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,809 | $62,459 | ▲ 30.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,000 | 19,622 | ▲ 15.4% | 10th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,705 | 2,093 | ▲ 22.8% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 248 | 240 | ▼ 3.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 71 | 118 | ▲ 66.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.2% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 9 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
9 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Employers here counted 254,207 jobs in 2025, up 3.7% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 67 Pennsylvania counties). FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Lancaster 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 3.2% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. 563,159 people live here, up 1.9% since 2020, 6th of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population.
Who powers Lancaster County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +9 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lancaster 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% |
| Borough of Ephrata - (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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 1,737 MW | 96% |
| Other technologies | 56 MW | 3% |
| Solar | 12 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 0% |
| Wind | 3 MW | 0% |
| Natural gas | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muddy Run | Constellation Power, Inc | Hydro | 1,072 MW | 1967 |
| Safe Harbor | Safe Harbor | Hydro | 418 MW | 1931 |
| Holtwood | BIF III Holtwood LLC | Hydro | 247 MW | 1910 |
| Lancaster County Resource Recovery | Covanta Lancaster Inc | Other technologies | 36 MW | 1990 |
| Dart Container Corp | Dart Container Corp | Other technologies | 11 MW | 2012 |
| Ephrata PA BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2021 |
The Lancaster County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 254,207 | $62,459 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 19,622 | $81,269 | 1.46 |
| Electrical contractors | 2,093 | $86,566 | 1.14 |
| Electric utilities | 240 | $150,822 | 0.35 |
| Data processing and hosting | 118 | $87,659 | 0.15 |
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 Lancaster County
6 data centers in Lancaster County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Lancaster County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County | 563,159 | ▲ 3.7% | 1,815 MW | — | 6 | — |
| Berks County | 440,072 | ▼ 0.6% | 1,326 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Cecil County MD | 107,131 | ▲ 10.1% | 1,923 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Chester County | 557,116 | ▲ 0.3% | 65 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Dauphin County | 293,351 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,018 MW | 2 MW | 2 | — |
| Harford County MD | 266,446 | ▲ 0.8% | 1,090 MW | — | 1 | 2 |
| Lebanon County | 146,380 | ▲ 4.1% | 784 MW | — | — | — |
| York County | 473,197 | ▲ 1.3% | 6,218 MW | 157 MW | 1 | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
3 utilities have service territory in Lancaster County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, Borough of Ephrata - (PA). The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lancaster, PA in?
Lancaster is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. About 58,366 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Manheim Township, PA in?
Manheim Township is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. About 44,826 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is East Hempfield Township, PA in?
East Hempfield Township is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. About 27,287 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lancaster County?
15 operating plants with 1,815 MW of capacity. The largest is Muddy Run (1,072 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Lancaster County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 6 data centers in Lancaster County.
Is Lancaster County adding jobs?
Employers counted 254,207 jobs in 2025 against 245,179 in 2019 (+3.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 17,000 to 19,622.
Does Lancaster County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lancaster County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.