El Dorado County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to South Lake Tahoe and Placerville
El Dorado 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. El Dorado County is home to South Lake Tahoe and Placerville. Construction employs 5,841, down 6.4% since 2019, and construction is 1.9 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Sacramento County has 21 data centers and 660 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 5.1% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. 0 MW has retired here since 2019, including White Rock/Slab Creek (hydro, 0 MW, 2025).
Cities and towns in El Dorado County
El Dorado County is home to South Lake Tahoe and Placerville.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Auburn Lake Trails, Cameron Park, Camino, Cold Springs, Coloma, Diamond Springs, El Dorado Hills, Georgetown, Grizzly Flats, Meyers, Pollock Pines, Shingle Springs, Tahoma.
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 El Dorado County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 191,237 | 192,323 | ▲ 0.6% | 29th of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 57,883 | 59,203 | ▲ 2.3% | 33rd of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $51,178 | $68,436 | ▲ 33.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,239 | 5,841 | ▼ 6.4% | 40th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,016 | 1,910 | ▼ 5.3% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 64 | 59 | ▼ 7.8% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 167 | 370 | ▲ 121.6% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 44 | 133 | ▲ 202.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 5.1% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 8 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 779 MW of capacity, 99% of it hydro. 8 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 59,203 jobs in 2025, up 2.3% from 2019. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is the largest utility serving El Dorado County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 39.62¢/kWh in 2024, above the 20.66¢ median for California utilities. Electrical contractors employ 1,910, down 5.3% since 2019 against up 8.5% statewide, at an average $72,936 a year. 192,323 people live here, up 0.6% since 2020.
Who powers El Dorado County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +8 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in El Dorado County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 5,047,461 | 39.62¢ | 30% |
| Liberty Utilities | Investor Owned | Bundled | 43,902 | 25.92¢ | 49% |
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 15
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 768 MW | 99% |
| Solar | 7 MW | 1% |
| Natural gas | 4 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Rock/Slab Creek | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Hydro | 269 MW | 1968 |
| Jaybird | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Hydro | 162 MW | 1961 |
| Camino | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Hydro | 158 MW | 1963 |
| Loon Lake | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Hydro | 74 MW | 1971 |
| Union Valley | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Hydro | 39 MW | 1963 |
| Robbs Peak | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Hydro | 26 MW | 1965 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Rock/Slab Creek | Hydro | 0 MW | 2025 |
The El Dorado County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 59,203 | $68,436 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 5,841 | $84,350 | 1.86 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,910 | $72,936 | 4.47 |
| Power and communication line construction | 59 | $80,863 | 0.62 |
| Electric utilities | 370 | $199,504 | 2.31 |
| Data processing and hosting | 133 | $164,625 | 0.72 |
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 El Dorado County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in El Dorado County. California has 48 local measures on record statewide.
El Dorado County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border El Dorado County, Sacramento 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Dorado County | 192,323 | ▲ 2.3% | 779 MW | — | — | — |
| Alpine County | 1,043 | ▲ 32.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Amador County | 41,876 | ▼ 0.7% | 234 MW | — | — | — |
| Douglas County NV | 50,111 | ▲ 9.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Placer County | 442,081 | ▲ 9.1% | 773 MW | 1,023 MW | 1 | — |
| Sacramento County | 1,618,460 | ▲ 7.9% | 1,750 MW | 660 MW | 21 | — |
More of California
El Dorado County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in El Dorado County, California?
2 utilities have service territory in El Dorado County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Liberty Utilities. The largest, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., charged residential customers 39.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is South Lake Tahoe, CA in?
South Lake Tahoe is in El Dorado County, California. About 21,115 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Placerville, CA in?
Placerville is in El Dorado County, California. About 10,685 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in El Dorado County?
15 operating plants with 779 MW of capacity. The largest is White Rock/Slab Creek (269 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in El Dorado County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in El Dorado County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Sacramento County.
Is El Dorado County adding jobs?
Employers counted 59,203 jobs in 2025 against 57,883 in 2019 (+2.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 6,239 to 5,841.
Does El Dorado County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for El Dorado County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.