# Denali, Alaska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Cantwell and Denali Park

No data center or power plant project is on record in Denali, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Unemployment was 1.8% in August 2026, against 6.1% in 2019. Denali is home to Anderson. Next door, Fairbanks North Star has 1 data center. Its power plants have 117 MW of capacity, 77% of it coal, the 5th largest fleet in Alaska. Employers here counted 2,058 jobs in 2025, down 1.8% from 2019.

117 MW
of operating power plants, mostly coal

-1.8%
total jobs since 2019, now 2,058

30.32¢
per kWh for Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Denali

Denali is home to Anderson.

Anderson177 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cantwell, Denali Park, Ferry, Healy.

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 Denali

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alaska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,612 | 1,616 | ▲ 0.2% | 24th of 28 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,096 | 2,058 | ▼ 1.8% | 20th of 28 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,942 | $68,876 | ▲ 49.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.1% | 1.8% | ▼ 4.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc is the largest utility serving Denali. Its residential customers paid an average 30.32¢/kWh in 2024, above the 26.58¢ median for Alaska utilities. 1,616 people live here, up 0.2% since 2020.

## Who powers Denali

### Utilities with service territory in Denali

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 40,675 | 30.32¢ | 10% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 90 MW | 77% |
| Wind | 25 MW | 21% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 2% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healy | Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc | Coal | 93 MW | 1967 |
| Eva Creek Wind | Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc | Wind | 25 MW | 2013 |

## The Denali labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,058 | $68,876 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 40 | $108,703 | 0.37 |

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 Denali

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Denali. Alaska has 3 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Fairbanks North Star](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/fairbanks-north-star).

## Denali and its neighbors

Of the 4 counties that border Denali, Fairbanks North Star 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denali | 1,616 | ▼ 1.8% | 117 MW | — | — | — |
| Fairbanks North Star](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/fairbanks-north-star) | 93,972 | ▲ 0.6% | 386 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Matanuska-Susitna](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/matanuska-susitna) | 118,666 | ▲ 22.4% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
| Southeast Fairbanks](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/southeast-fairbanks) | 7,270 | ▲ 27.2% | 43 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Yukon-Koyukuk](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/yukon-koyukuk) | 5,028 | ▲ 2.5% | 7 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Alaska

[All Alaska countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska)[Matanuska-Susitna118,666 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/matanuska-susitna)[Fairbanks North Star93,972 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/fairbanks-north-star)[Southeast Fairbanks7,270 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/southeast-fairbanks)[Yukon-Koyukuk5,028 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/yukon-koyukuk)

## Denali, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Denali, Alaska?

1 utility has service territory in Denali in the EIA-861 2024 report: Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc. The largest, Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc, charged residential customers 30.32¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Denali?

2 operating plants with 117 MW of capacity. The largest is Healy (93 MW, coal).

### Are there data centers in Denali?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Denali. The nearest activity on record is next door in Fairbanks North Star.

### Is Denali adding jobs?

Employers counted 2,058 jobs in 2025 against 2,096 in 2019 (-1.8%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Denali have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Denali. Alaska has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/denali
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).