Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Allentown, Lower Macungie Township and Upper Macungie Township
Lehigh County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Lehigh County, 3% of Pennsylvania's total. Lehigh County is home to Allentown, Lower Macungie Township, Upper Macungie Township and Whitehall Township. 66 MW has retired here since 2019, including TalenEnergy Martin Creek LLC Allentown (petroleum, 64 MW, 2022). Construction employs 6,735, down 3.7% since 2019. 8 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Lehigh County
Lehigh County is home to Allentown, Lower Macungie Township, Upper Macungie Township and Whitehall Township.
And 1 smaller places.
- Bethlehem also extends into Northampton County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ancient Oaks, Breinigsville, Cementon, Cetronia, DeSales University, Dorneyville, Egypt, Fullerton, Hokendauqua, Laurys Station, New Tripoli, Schnecksville, Slatedale, Stiles, Trexlertown, Wescosville.
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 Lehigh County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 374,449 | 384,383 | ▲ 2.7% | 10th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 195,592 | 203,946 | ▲ 4.3% | 7th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $56,541 | $72,643 | ▲ 28.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,997 | 6,735 | ▼ 3.7% | 46th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,258 | 889 | ▼ 29.3% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 316 | 109 | ▼ 65.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.6% | 4.4% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 8 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 66 MW | — |
Employers here counted 203,946 jobs in 2025, up 4.3% from 2019 (the 7th fastest growth of 67 Pennsylvania counties). Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Lehigh County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 4.6% in 2019. 384,383 people live here, up 2.7% since 2020, 10th of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population. Electrical contractors employ 889, down 29.3% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $84,371 a year.
Who powers Lehigh County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −58 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lehigh 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% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 8 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown - Ruppsville | Madison Energy Investments LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2024 |
| Upper Macungie CSG 1 LLC | Dimension Energy LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2025 |
| Orefield | Madison Energy Investments LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2024 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Martin Creek LLC Allentown | Petroleum | 64 MW | 2022 |
| Trexlertown Solar Array North and South | Solar | 2 MW | 2023 |
The Lehigh County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 203,946 | $72,643 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 6,735 | $86,084 | 0.62 |
| Electrical contractors | 889 | $84,371 | 0.60 |
| Data processing and hosting | 109 | $68,990 | 0.17 |
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 Lehigh County
3 data centers in Lehigh County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Lehigh County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Lehigh County, Montgomery 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh County | 384,383 | ▲ 4.3% | 8 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Berks County | 440,072 | ▼ 0.6% | 1,326 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Bucks County | 647,828 | ▲ 3.0% | 2,027 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Carbon County | 65,868 | ▲ 1.3% | 120 MW | 60 MW | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 877,643 | ▼ 0.2% | 2,473 MW | 2 MW | 9 | 1 |
| Northampton County | 324,411 | ▲ 3.5% | 3,852 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Schuylkill County | 145,085 | ▲ 1.1% | 363 MW | — | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Lehigh County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
2 utilities have service territory in Lehigh County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, PPL Electric Utilities Corp. The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Allentown, PA in?
Allentown is in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. About 126,044 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Lower Macungie Township, PA in?
Lower Macungie Township is in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. About 33,507 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Upper Macungie Township, PA in?
Upper Macungie Township is in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. About 29,600 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lehigh County?
3 operating plants with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is Allentown - Ruppsville (3 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Lehigh County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Lehigh County.
Is Lehigh County adding jobs?
Employers counted 203,946 jobs in 2025 against 195,592 in 2019 (+4.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 6,997 to 6,735.
Does Lehigh County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lehigh County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.