Northampton County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Bethlehem, Easton and Bethlehem Township
Northampton County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Northampton County, 3% of Pennsylvania's total. Electrical contractors employ 452, up 76.6% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $78,762 a year. Owners plan to retire 1,701 MW more by 2035, led by TalenEnergy Martins Creek in 2035. Northampton County is home to most of Bethlehem (59,370 of its 79,644 residents), Easton, Bethlehem Township and Palmer Township. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Northampton County proposed data center farm conversions.
Cities and towns in Northampton County
Northampton County is home to most of Bethlehem (59,370 of its 79,644 residents), Easton, Bethlehem Township and Palmer Township.
And 14 smaller places.
- Bethlehem also extends into Lehigh County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ackermanville, Belfast, Cherryville, Chestnut Hill, Eastlawn Gardens, Martins Creek, Middletown, Morgan Hill, Old Orchard, Palmer Heights, Raubsville.
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 Northampton County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 312,809 | 324,411 | ▲ 3.7% | 13th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 118,658 | 122,795 | ▲ 3.5% | 11th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,751 | $62,976 | ▲ 29.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,039 | 4,623 | ▲ 14.5% | 13th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 256 | 452 | ▲ 76.6% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 704 | 461 | ▼ 34.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 4.1% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 102 MW | — |
Its power plants have 3,852 MW of capacity, 91% of it natural gas, the 3rd largest fleet in Pennsylvania. Construction employs 4,623, up 14.5% since 2019. 102 MW has retired here since 2019, including TalenEnergy Martins Creek (natural gas, 93 MW, 2023). 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 122,795 jobs in 2025, up 3.5% from 2019. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Northampton 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 4.1% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. 324,411 people live here, up 3.7% since 2020.
Who powers Northampton County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −96 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Northampton 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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 3,506 MW | 91% |
| Petroleum | 194 MW | 5% |
| Coal | 134 MW | 3% |
| Other technologies | 10 MW | 0% |
| Solar | 8 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek | TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC | Natural gas | 1,701 MW | 1975 |
| Bethlehem Power Plant | Calpine Bethlehem LLC | Natural gas | 1,153 MW | 2002 |
| Lower Mount Bethel Energy | Lower Mount Bethel Energy LLC | Natural gas | 652 MW | 2004 |
| Portland (PA) | Portland Power, LLC | Petroleum | 194 MW | 1967 |
| Northampton Generating Company LP | EIF Northampton GP, LLC | Coal | 134 MW | 1995 |
| Green Knight Energy Center | Waste Management Inc | Other technologies | 10 MW | 2001 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek | Natural gas | 93 MW | 2023 |
| Bethlehem Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 6 MW | 2019 |
| PPL Glendon LFGTE Plant | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2021 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek | Natural gas | 1,701 MW | 2035 |
The Northampton County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 122,795 | $62,976 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,623 | $82,319 | 0.71 |
| Electrical contractors | 452 | $78,762 | 0.51 |
| Electric utilities | 291 | $153,077 | 0.88 |
| Data processing and hosting | 461 | $87,811 | 1.21 |
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 Northampton County
3 data centers in Northampton County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton County proposed data center farm conversions | delayed | — |
Northampton County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Northampton County, Bucks 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton County | 324,411 | ▲ 3.5% | 3,852 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Bucks County | 647,828 | ▲ 3.0% | 2,027 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Carbon County | 65,868 | ▲ 1.3% | 120 MW | 60 MW | — | — |
| Lehigh County | 384,383 | ▲ 4.3% | 8 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Monroe County | 167,179 | ▼ 0.4% | 23 MW | — | — | — |
| Warren County NJ | 112,953 | ▲ 3.5% | 576 MW | — | — | 2 |
More of Pennsylvania
Northampton County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
2 utilities have service territory in Northampton 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 Bethlehem, PA in?
Most of Bethlehem is in Northampton County: 59,370 of its 79,644 residents, or 75%. The rest of the city lies in Lehigh County.
What county is Easton, PA in?
Easton is in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. About 30,402 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Bethlehem Township, PA in?
Bethlehem Township is in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. About 26,769 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Northampton County?
9 operating plants with 3,852 MW of capacity. The largest is TalenEnergy Martins Creek (1,701 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Northampton County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Northampton County.
Is Northampton County adding jobs?
Employers counted 122,795 jobs in 2025 against 118,658 in 2019 (+3.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 4,039 to 4,623.
Does Northampton County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Northampton County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.