Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lower Merion Township and Abington Township, and the communities of Audubon and King of Prussia
The data center boom is not abstract in Montgomery County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Montgomery County, 9% of Pennsylvania's total. Montgomery County is home to Lower Merion Township, Abington Township, Cheltenham Township and Upper Merion Township, plus the unincorporated communities of Audubon, King of Prussia and Swedeland. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Five-building data center campus rejected”. 2 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including King of Prussia data center campus (Brian O'Neill applications). 2 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Merck & Co Inc-West Point (natural gas). 2 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Montgomery County
Montgomery County is home to Lower Merion Township, Abington Township, Cheltenham Township and Upper Merion Township, plus the unincorporated communities of Audubon, King of Prussia and Swedeland.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Audubon, King of Prussia, Swedeland, Arcadia University, Ardmore, Bala Cynwyd, Blue Bell, Bryn Mawr, Cheltenham Village, Eagleville, Elkins Park, Evansburg, Flourtown, Fort Washington, Gilbertsville, Glenside, Halfway House, Harleysville, Haverford College, Horsham, Kulpsville, Maple Glen, McKinley, Merion Station, Mont Clare, Montgomeryville, Oreland, Penn Wynne, Plymouth Meeting, Pottsgrove, Rosemont, Roslyn, Sanatoga, Skippack, Spring House, Spring Mount, Stowe, Trooper, Villanova, Willow Grove and 3 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 Montgomery County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 856,829 | 877,643 | ▲ 2.4% | 3rd of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 505,372 | 504,216 | ▼ 0.2% | 26th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $71,665 | $90,915 | ▲ 26.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24,029 | 25,778 | ▲ 7.3% | 23rd of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,537 | 3,433 | ▼ 2.9% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,830 | 2,145 | ▲ 17.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,374 | 2,010 | ▼ 15.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 12 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 11 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 2 MW | 0% of today's fleet | 30th of 31 by size |
Its power plants have 2,473 MW of capacity, 92% of it nuclear, the 6th largest fleet in Pennsylvania. Construction employs 25,778, up 7.3% since 2019. 11 MW has retired here since 2019, including North Wales Diesel (petroleum, 7 MW, 2024). 12 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 3,433, down 2.9% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $109,211 a year. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Montgomery County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. Employers here counted 504,216 jobs in 2025, down 0.2% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. 877,643 people live here, up 2.4% since 2020, 3rd of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population.
Who powers Montgomery County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +0 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Montgomery 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% |
| PECO Energy Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,535,818 | 16.16¢ | 19% |
| PPL Electric Utilities Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,295,883 | 16.99¢ | 19% |
| Borough of Hatfield- (PA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Borough of Lansdale | — | — | — | — | — |
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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 2,277 MW | 92% |
| Natural gas | 90 MW | 4% |
| Petroleum | 71 MW | 3% |
| Other technologies | 32 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 4 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limerick | Constellation Nuclear | Nuclear | 2,277 MW | 1986 |
| West Point (PA) | Merck & Co Inc-West Point | Natural gas | 91 MW | 1972 |
| Moser Generating Station | Constellation Power, Inc | Petroleum | 64 MW | 1970 |
| Reworld Plymouth LLC | Reworld Waste LLC | Other technologies | 32 MW | 1991 |
| Spring House | Janssen Pharmaceutical Co | Natural gas | 4 MW | 2013 |
| Hatfield PA BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2022 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Point (PA) | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Merck & Co Inc-West Point |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Wales Diesel | Petroleum | 7 MW | 2024 |
| West Point (PA) | Natural gas | 2 MW | 2022 |
| Whitemarsh Central Utility Plant | Natural gas | 2 MW | 2022 |
The Montgomery County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 504,216 | $90,915 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 25,778 | $105,217 | 0.96 |
| Electrical contractors | 3,433 | $109,211 | 0.94 |
| Power and communication line construction | 916 | $120,470 | 1.12 |
| Electric utilities | 2,145 | $216,315 | 1.57 |
| Data processing and hosting | 2,010 | $89,935 | 1.28 |
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 Montgomery County
9 data centers in Montgomery County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five-building data center campus rejected | In force | 2026-08 |
Delay Watchlist 2
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Prussia data center campus (Brian O'Neill applications) | litigation active | — | ||
| 900 Conshohocken Road data center | postponed | — |
Montgomery County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Montgomery County, Philadelphia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 877,643 | ▼ 0.2% | 2,473 MW | 2 MW | 9 | 1 |
| Berks County | 440,072 | ▼ 0.6% | 1,326 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Bucks County | 647,828 | ▲ 3.0% | 2,027 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Chester County | 557,116 | ▲ 0.3% | 65 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Delaware County | 580,937 | ▼ 3.4% | 2,471 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lehigh County | 384,383 | ▲ 4.3% | 8 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Philadelphia County | 1,574,281 | ▲ 3.7% | 560 MW | — | 17 | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Montgomery County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania?
5 utilities have service territory in Montgomery County in the EIA-861 2024 report: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, PECO Energy Co, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, Borough of Hatfield- (PA). The largest, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, charged residential customers 17.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lower Merion Township, PA in?
Lower Merion Township is in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. About 64,691 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Abington Township, PA in?
Abington Township is in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. About 58,656 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Cheltenham Township, PA in?
Cheltenham Township is in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. About 38,498 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Montgomery County?
9 operating plants with 2,473 MW of capacity. The largest is Limerick (2,277 MW, nuclear).
How much new power is planned in Montgomery County?
2 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 2 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Merck & Co Inc-West Point.
Are there data centers in Montgomery County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Montgomery County.
Is Montgomery County adding jobs?
Employers counted 504,216 jobs in 2025 against 505,372 in 2019 (-0.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 24,029 to 25,778.
Does Montgomery County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Montgomery County, 1 in force.