Wayne County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lake Township, Honesdale and Salem Township
Wayne County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Wayne County is home to Lake Township, Honesdale, Salem Township and Paupack Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Linde data center land development plan rejected”. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Lindy Corporation 20-building data center campus. 3 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by CVE US PA BUCKINGHAM 151 LLC (solar). 3 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 1,175, down 5.9% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy.
Cities and towns in Wayne County
Wayne County is home to Lake Township, Honesdale, Salem Township and Paupack Township.
And 4 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Big Bass Lake, Gouldsboro, Pocono Springs, The Hideout, Wallenpaupack Lake Estates, White Mills.
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 Wayne County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 51,151 | 51,703 | ▲ 1.1% | 43rd of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,110 | 15,764 | ▲ 4.3% | 6th of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,418 | $55,091 | ▲ 33.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,249 | 1,175 | ▼ 5.9% | 50th of 62 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 52 | 55 | ▲ 5.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.9% | 3.8% | ▼ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 3 MW | 3% of today's fleet | 28th of 31 by size |
Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.9% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 55, up 5.8% since 2019 against up 5.3% statewide, at an average $57,886 a year. Employers here counted 15,764 jobs in 2025, up 4.3% from 2019 (the 6th fastest growth of 67 Pennsylvania counties). Its power plants have 104 MW of capacity, 62% of it wind. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is the largest utility serving Wayne 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. 51,703 people live here, up 1.1% since 2020.
Who powers Wayne County
Utilities with service territory in Wayne 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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 64 MW | 62% |
| Hydro | 40 MW | 38% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waymart Wind | Sequitur Renewables, LLC | Wind | 64 MW | 2003 |
| Wallenpaupack | Wallenpuapack Hydro | Hydro | 40 MW | 1926 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckingham - PA 0151 (Crea) | Solar Photovoltaic | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | CVE US PA BUCKINGHAM 151 LLC |
The Wayne County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 15,764 | $55,091 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,175 | $67,413 | 1.41 |
| Electrical contractors | 55 | $57,886 | 0.48 |
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 Wayne County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linde data center land development plan rejected | In force | 2026-09 |
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindy Corporation 20-building data center campus | denied | — |
Wayne County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 51,703 | ▲ 4.3% | 104 MW | 3 MW | — | 1 |
| Broome County NY | 195,736 | ▼ 2.1% | 188 MW | 15 MW | 1 | — |
| Delaware County NY | 44,305 | ▼ 3.8% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Lackawanna County | 216,502 | ▲ 1.7% | 1,598 MW | — | — | 2 |
| Monroe County | 167,179 | ▼ 0.4% | 23 MW | — | — | — |
| Pike County | 62,808 | ▲ 7.2% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Sullivan County NY | 80,586 | ▲ 4.8% | 123 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Susquehanna County | 38,237 | ▼ 6.9% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
More of Pennsylvania
Wayne County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wayne County, Pennsylvania?
2 utilities have service territory in Wayne 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 power plants are in Wayne County?
2 operating plants with 104 MW of capacity. The largest is Waymart Wind (64 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Wayne County?
3 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 3 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is CVE US PA BUCKINGHAM 151 LLC.
Are there data centers in Wayne County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wayne County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Broome County.
Is Wayne County adding jobs?
Employers counted 15,764 jobs in 2025 against 15,110 in 2019 (+4.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,249 to 1,175.
Does Wayne County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Wayne County, 1 in force.