Windsor County, Vermont: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hartford, Springfield and Norwich
No data center or power plant project is on record in Windsor County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Windsor County is home to Hartford, Springfield, Norwich and Windsor. Next door, Grafton County, New Hampshire, has 2 data centers. 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Its power plants have 89 MW of capacity, 47% of it hydro, the 4th largest fleet in Vermont. Unemployment was 2.4% in August 2026, against 1.8% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Windsor County
Windsor County is home to Hartford, Springfield, Norwich and Windsor.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ascutney, Bethel, Cavendish, Chester, Hartford Village, Hartland, North Hartland, North Springfield, Norwich, Proctorsville, Quechee, Rochester, South Royalton, South Woodstock, Springfield, West Woodstock, Weston, White River Junction, Wilder, Windsor.
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 Windsor County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Vermont |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 57,727 | 57,312 | ▼ 0.7% | 4th of 14 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 23,162 | 23,203 | ▲ 0.2% | 6th of 14 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,918 | $64,791 | ▲ 38.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18 | 37 | ▲ 105.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.8% | 2.4% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Green Mountain Power Corp is the largest utility serving Windsor County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 22.09¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 23,203 jobs in 2025, up 0.2% from 2019 (the 6th fastest growth of 14 Vermont counties). 57,312 people live here, down 0.7% since 2020, 4th of 14 Vermont counties by population.
Who powers Windsor County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +5 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Windsor County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Mountain Power Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 226,675 | 22.09¢ | 36% |
| Village of Ludlow - (VT) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 10
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 42 MW | 47% |
| Solar | 29 MW | 32% |
| Petroleum | 13 MW | 15% |
| Battery storage | 5 MW | 6% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilder | Great River Hydro, LLC | Hydro | 36 MW | 1950 |
| Coolidge Solar 1, LLC | Coolidge Solar I, LLC | Solar | 20 MW | 2018 |
| Ascutney | Green Mountain Power Corp | Petroleum | 13 MW | 1961 |
| GMP Solar - Hartford | Green Mountain Power Corp | Solar | 5 MW | 2016 |
| Springfield BESS | Strata Manager, LLC | Battery storage | 5 MW | 2023 |
| Deweys Mill | Green Mountain Power Corp | Hydro | 3 MW | 1989 |
The Windsor County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 23,203 | $64,791 | 1.00 |
| Power and communication line construction | 37 | $130,733 | 0.99 |
| Data processing and hosting | 39 | $268,836 | 0.54 |
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 Windsor County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Windsor County. Vermont has 3 local measures on record statewide.
Windsor County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Windsor County, Grafton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor County | 57,312 | ▲ 0.2% | 89 MW | — | — | — |
| Addison County | 38,048 | ▲ 4.3% | 46 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Bennington County | 36,630 | ▼ 4.3% | 44 MW | 22 MW | — | — |
| Grafton County NH | 93,225 | ▲ 0.4% | 475 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Orange County | 30,002 | ▼ 0.9% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Rutland County | 59,653 | ▼ 5.4% | 35 MW | 20 MW | 1 | — |
| Sullivan County NH | 43,961 | ▲ 1.2% | 45 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
| Windham County | 45,204 | ▼ 2.3% | 122 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Vermont
Windsor County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Windsor County, Vermont?
2 utilities have service territory in Windsor County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Green Mountain Power Corp, Village of Ludlow - (VT). The largest, Green Mountain Power Corp, charged residential customers 22.09¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Hartford, VT in?
Hartford is in Windsor County, Vermont. About 10,911 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Windsor County?
10 operating plants with 89 MW of capacity. The largest is Wilder (36 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Windsor County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Windsor County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Grafton County.
Is Windsor County adding jobs?
Employers counted 23,203 jobs in 2025 against 23,162 in 2019 (+0.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Windsor County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Windsor County. Vermont has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.