Mercer County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hermitage, Sharon and Grove City
The build-out shows up in Mercer County as work for the electrical trades. Mercer County is home to Hermitage, Sharon, Grove City and Greenville. Electrical contractors employ 346, up 51.1% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $80,489 a year. 50 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by MC Solar, LLC (solar). 50 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Lawrence County has 402 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 42,729 jobs in 2025, down 6.6% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Mercer County
Mercer County is home to Hermitage, Sharon, Grove City and Greenville.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lake Latonka, Reynolds Heights.
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 Mercer County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 110,553 | 107,860 | ▼ 2.4% | 30th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 45,734 | 42,729 | ▼ 6.6% | 55th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,519 | $55,006 | ▲ 26.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,473 | 1,510 | ▲ 2.5% | 34th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 229 | 346 | ▲ 51.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.8% | 4.3% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 50 MW | 1136% of today's fleet | 11th of 31 by size |
Construction employs 1,510, up 2.5% since 2019. Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 4.8% in 2019. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Mercer 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. 107,860 people live here, down 2.4% since 2020.
Who powers Mercer County
Utilities with service territory in Mercer 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% |
| Central Electric Coop, Inc - (PA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,629 | 17.03¢ | 22% |
| Northwestern Rural E C A, Inc - (PA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,190 | 15.58¢ | 17% |
| Borough of Grove City - (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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabtec U.S Rail, Grove City Engine Plant | General Electric Co | Petroleum | 4 MW | 1984 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 50 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | MC Solar, LLC |
The Mercer County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 42,729 | $55,006 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,510 | $66,728 | 0.67 |
| Electrical contractors | 346 | $80,489 | 1.12 |
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 Mercer County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Mercer County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Butler County, Trumbull County.
Mercer County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Mercer County, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County | 107,860 | ▼ 6.6% | 4 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Butler County | 200,169 | ▲ 1.7% | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Crawford County | 81,792 | ▼ 3.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County | 83,911 | ▼ 4.9% | 1,388 MW | 402 MW | — | — |
| Mahoning County OH | 224,706 | ▼ 4.5% | 4 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Trumbull County OH | 198,972 | ▲ 1.9% | 1,991 MW | — | — | 4 |
| Venango County | 49,346 | ▼ 10.1% | 409 MW | — | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Mercer County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Mercer County, Pennsylvania?
4 utilities have service territory in Mercer County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, Central Electric Coop, Inc - (PA), Northwestern Rural E C A, Inc - (PA), Borough of Grove City - (PA). The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Hermitage, PA in?
Hermitage is in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. About 16,308 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Sharon, PA in?
Sharon is in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. About 12,648 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Mercer County?
1 operating plant with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is Wabtec U.S Rail, Grove City Engine Plant (4 MW, petroleum).
How much new power is planned in Mercer County?
50 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 50 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is MC Solar, LLC.
Are there data centers in Mercer County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Mercer County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lawrence County.
Is Mercer County adding jobs?
Employers counted 42,729 jobs in 2025 against 45,734 in 2019 (-6.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,473 to 1,510.
Does Mercer County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Mercer County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.