Luzerne County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and Kingston
The data center boom is not abstract in Luzerne County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Luzerne County, 5% of Pennsylvania's total. Luzerne County is home to Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Kingston and Hanover Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Temporary hold on new data center applications”. Its power plants have 4,044 MW of capacity, 63% of it nuclear, the 2nd largest fleet in Pennsylvania. 21 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by PF Onsite Generation LLC (battery storage).
Cities and towns in Luzerne County
Luzerne County is home to Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Kingston and Hanover Township.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Beech Mountain Lakes, Browntown, Chase, East Berwick, Georgetown, Glen Lyon, Harleigh, Hickory Hills, Hilldale, Hudson, Inkerman, Lattimer, Misericordia University, Mocanaqua, Mountain Top, Nuremberg, Pardeesville, Pikes Creek, Plains, Shavertown, Sheatown, Silkworth, Trucksville, Upper Exeter, Wanamie, West Nanticoke, Weston.
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 Luzerne County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 325,195 | 332,126 | ▲ 2.1% | 12th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 145,634 | 145,109 | ▼ 0.4% | 27th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,073 | $58,252 | ▲ 29.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,064 | 5,140 | ▲ 1.5% | 36th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 679 | 779 | ▲ 14.7% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 108 | 168 | ▲ 55.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.5% | 5.2% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 64 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 21 MW | 1% of today's fleet | 14th of 31 by size |
Electrical contractors employ 779, up 14.7% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $84,257 a year. 64 MW has retired here since 2019, including TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC Harwood (petroleum, 32 MW, 2022). Construction employs 5,140, up 1.5% since 2019. PPL Electric Utilities Corp is the largest utility serving Luzerne County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.99¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. Employers here counted 145,109 jobs in 2025, down 0.4% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.2% in August 2026, against 5.5% in 2019. 332,126 people live here, up 2.1% since 2020.
Who powers Luzerne County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −64 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Luzerne County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPL Electric Utilities Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,295,883 | 16.99¢ | 19% |
| UGI Utilities, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 55,011 | 18.93¢ | 25% |
| Claverack Rural Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 16,742 | 18.25¢ | 22% |
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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 2,532 MW | 63% |
| Natural gas | 1,466 MW | 36% |
| Wind | 24 MW | 1% |
| Other technologies | 20 MW | 0% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Susquehanna | TalenEnergy Susquehanna LLC | Nuclear | 2,532 MW | 1983 |
| Moxie Freedom Generation Plant | Moxie Freedom LLC | Natural gas | 1,105 MW | 2018 |
| Hazelton | Hazleton Generation LLC | Natural gas | 172 MW | 1989 |
| Hunlock Power Station | Hunlock Energy, LLC | Natural gas | 146 MW | 1959 |
| Hunlock Unit 4 | Hunlock Energy, LLC | Natural gas | 44 MW | 2000 |
| Wind Park Bear Creek | Leeward Asset Management, LLC | Wind | 24 MW | 2006 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF Onsite BESS | Batteries | 21 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | PF Onsite Generation LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC Harwood | Petroleum | 32 MW | 2022 |
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC Jenkins | Petroleum | 32 MW | 2022 |
The Luzerne County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 145,109 | $58,252 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 5,140 | $74,154 | 0.67 |
| Electrical contractors | 779 | $84,257 | 0.74 |
| Data processing and hosting | 168 | $102,545 | 0.37 |
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 Luzerne County
5 data centers in Luzerne County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary hold on new data center applications | Paused | 2026-07 |
Luzerne County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Luzerne County, Lackawanna 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County | 332,126 | ▼ 0.4% | 4,044 MW | 21 MW | 5 | 1 |
| Carbon County | 65,868 | ▲ 1.3% | 120 MW | 60 MW | — | — |
| Columbia County | 66,193 | ▼ 3.5% | — | 15 MW | — | — |
| Lackawanna County | 216,502 | ▲ 1.7% | 1,598 MW | — | — | 2 |
| Monroe County | 167,179 | ▼ 0.4% | 23 MW | — | — | — |
| Schuylkill County | 145,085 | ▲ 1.1% | 363 MW | — | — | — |
| Sullivan County | 5,856 | ▼ 0.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Wyoming County | 25,790 | ▼ 0.8% | 283 MW | — | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Luzerne County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
3 utilities have service territory in Luzerne County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PPL Electric Utilities Corp, UGI Utilities, Inc, Claverack Rural Elec Coop Inc. The largest, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, charged residential customers 16.99¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Wilkes-Barre, PA in?
Wilkes-Barre is in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. About 44,523 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Hazleton, PA in?
Hazleton is in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. About 30,286 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Kingston, PA in?
Kingston is in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. About 13,462 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Luzerne County?
8 operating plants with 4,044 MW of capacity. The largest is TalenEnergy Susquehanna (2,532 MW, nuclear).
How much new power is planned in Luzerne County?
21 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is PF Onsite Generation LLC.
Are there data centers in Luzerne County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Luzerne County.
Is Luzerne County adding jobs?
Employers counted 145,109 jobs in 2025 against 145,634 in 2019 (-0.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 5,064 to 5,140.
Does Luzerne County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Luzerne County, 0 in force.