Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Pottsville, Tamaqua and Wayne Township
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Schuylkill County. Schuylkill County is home to Pottsville, Tamaqua, Wayne Township and Schuylkill Haven. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Amazon Web Services Kline Township data center campus. Construction employs 1,763, up 23.9% since 2019. 96 MW has retired here since 2019, including Wheelabrator Frackville Energy (coal, 48 MW, 2020). 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.
Cities and towns in Schuylkill County
Schuylkill County is home to Pottsville, Tamaqua, Wayne Township and Schuylkill Haven.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Altamont, Beurys Lake, Branchdale, Brandonville, Buck Run, Cumbola, Delano, Donaldson, Englewood, Forestville, Fountain Springs, Friedensburg, Grier City, Heckscherville, Hegins, Hometown, Kelayres, Klingerstown, Lake Wynonah, Lavelle, Locustdale, Marlin, McKeansburg, Morea, Muir, New Boston, Newtown, Nuremberg, Oneida, Orwin, Park Crest, Ravine, Reinerton, Renningers, Seltzer, Shenandoah Heights, Sheppton, Summit Station, Tuscarora, Valley View.
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 Schuylkill County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 142,944 | 145,085 | ▲ 1.5% | 25th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 49,964 | 50,502 | ▲ 1.1% | 21st of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,648 | $55,858 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,423 | 1,763 | ▲ 23.9% | 7th of 62 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 225 | 216 | ▼ 4.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.3% | 5.0% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 96 MW | — |
Its power plants have 363 MW of capacity, 62% of it coal. Electrical contractors employ 105, at an average $79,683 a year. PPL Electric Utilities Corp is the largest utility serving Schuylkill 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 50,502 jobs in 2025, up 1.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 5.3% in 2019. 145,085 people live here, up 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Schuylkill County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −91 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Schuylkill 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% |
| Borough of Schuylkill Haven - (PA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Borough of St Clair - (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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 224 MW | 62% |
| Wind | 128 MW | 35% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 1% |
| Other technologies | 5 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locust Ridge II LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 102 MW | 2009 |
| St Nicholas Cogen Project | Schuylkill Energy Resource Inc | Coal | 99 MW | 1990 |
| John B Rich Memorial Power Station | Gilberton Power Co | Coal | 88 MW | 1988 |
| Westwood Generation LLC | Rausch Creek Generation, LLC | Coal | 36 MW | 1987 |
| Locust Ridge | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 26 MW | 2007 |
| Schuylkill Haven PA BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2023 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelabrator Frackville Energy | Coal | 48 MW | 2020 |
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC Fishbach | Petroleum | 37 MW | 2022 |
| Broad Mountain | Other technologies | 11 MW | 2023 |
The Schuylkill County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 50,502 | $55,858 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,763 | $73,932 | 0.66 |
| Electrical contractors | 105 | $79,683 | 0.29 |
| Electric utilities | 216 | $117,378 | 1.58 |
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 Schuylkill County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services Kline Township data center campus | approved amid opposition | — |
Schuylkill County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Schuylkill County, Luzerne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuylkill County | 145,085 | ▲ 1.1% | 363 MW | — | — | — |
| Berks County | 440,072 | ▼ 0.6% | 1,326 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Carbon County | 65,868 | ▲ 1.3% | 120 MW | 60 MW | — | — |
| Columbia County | 66,193 | ▼ 3.5% | — | 15 MW | — | — |
| Dauphin County | 293,351 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,018 MW | 2 MW | 2 | — |
| Lebanon County | 146,380 | ▲ 4.1% | 784 MW | — | — | — |
| Lehigh County | 384,383 | ▲ 4.3% | 8 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Luzerne County | 332,126 | ▼ 0.4% | 4,044 MW | 21 MW | 5 | 1 |
| Northumberland County | 89,920 | ▼ 2.5% | 132 MW | 35 MW | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Schuylkill County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
3 utilities have service territory in Schuylkill County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PPL Electric Utilities Corp, Borough of Schuylkill Haven - (PA), Borough of St Clair - (PA). The largest, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, charged residential customers 16.99¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Pottsville, PA in?
Pottsville is in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. About 13,170 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Schuylkill County?
8 operating plants with 363 MW of capacity. The largest is Locust Ridge II LLC (102 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Schuylkill County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Schuylkill County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Luzerne County.
Is Schuylkill County adding jobs?
Employers counted 50,502 jobs in 2025 against 49,964 in 2019 (+1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,423 to 1,763.
Does Schuylkill County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Schuylkill County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.