Del Norte County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Crescent City
Del Norte County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Del Norte County is home to Crescent City. Next door, Curry County, Oregon, has 1 data center. Electrical contractors employ 22, up 22.2% since 2019 against up 8.5% statewide, at an average $69,730 a year. Employers here counted 8,382 jobs in 2025, up 2.2% from 2019. PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Del Norte County. Its residential customers paid an average 20.64¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Del Norte County
Del Norte County is home to Crescent City.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bertsch-Oceanview, Fort Dick, Gasquet, Hiouchi, Klamath, Smith River.
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 Del Norte County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 27,619 | 26,410 | ▼ 4.4% | 49th of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,205 | 8,382 | ▲ 2.2% | 34th of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,358 | $57,699 | ▲ 43.0% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18 | 22 | ▲ 22.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.2% | 6.5% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
Unemployment was 6.5% in August 2026, against 6.2% in 2019. 26,410 people live here, down 4.4% since 2020.
Who powers Del Norte County
Utilities with service territory in Del Norte County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 36,273 | 20.64¢ | 32% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Del Norte County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Del Norte County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8,382 | $57,699 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 22 | $69,730 | 0.36 |
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 Del Norte County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Del Norte County. California has 48 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Humboldt County.
Del Norte County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Del Norte County, Curry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte County | 26,410 | ▲ 2.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Curry County OR | 22,621 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Humboldt County | 131,647 | ▲ 2.5% | 234 MW | — | — | 2 |
| Josephine County OR | 87,867 | ▲ 7.4% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Siskiyou County | 42,013 | ▼ 0.4% | 20 MW | — | — | — |
More of California
Del Norte County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Del Norte County, California?
1 utility has service territory in Del Norte County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 20.64¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Del Norte County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Del Norte County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Curry County.
Is Del Norte County adding jobs?
Employers counted 8,382 jobs in 2025 against 8,205 in 2019 (+2.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Del Norte County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Del Norte County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.