Madera County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Madera and Chowchilla
Madera 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. Madera County is home to Madera and Chowchilla. 3 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by ZGlobal Inc (battery storage). Construction employs 2,283, up 25.1% since 2019. Next door, Fresno County has 4 data centers and 3,546 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 58,077 jobs in 2025, up 13.3% from 2019 (the 2nd fastest growth of 58 California counties).
Cities and towns in Madera County
Madera County is home to Madera and Chowchilla.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, Bonadelle Ranchos, Coarsegold, Fairmead, La Vina, Madera Acres, Madera Ranchos, Nipinnawasee, North Fork, Oakhurst, Parksdale, Parkwood, Rolling Hills, Yosemite Lakes.
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 Madera County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 156,396 | 167,927 | ▲ 7.4% | 32nd of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 51,246 | 58,077 | ▲ 13.3% | 2nd of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,703 | $57,887 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,825 | 2,283 | ▲ 25.1% | 7th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.7% | 7.4% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 94 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 3 MW | 1% of today's fleet | 28th of 30 by size |
94 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 496 MW of capacity, 63% of it hydro. Unemployment was 7.4% in August 2026, against 6.7% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 154, at an average $69,715 a year. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is the largest utility serving Madera County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 39.62¢/kWh in 2024, above the 20.66¢ median for California utilities. 167,927 people live here, up 7.4% since 2020.
Who powers Madera County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +94 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Madera 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% |
| Southern California Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 4,594,415 | 32.43¢ | 56% |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 48% |
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 24
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 312 MW | 63% |
| Solar | 119 MW | 24% |
| Natural gas | 50 MW | 10% |
| Other technologies | 14 MW | 3% |
| Battery storage | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mammoth Pool | Southern California Edison Co | Hydro | 190 MW | 1960 |
| Big Creek 4 | Southern California Edison Co | Hydro | 100 MW | 1951 |
| Borden Solar Farm | 41MB 8me, LLC | Solar | 50 MW | 2020 |
| Chowchilla II | California Power Holdings LLC | Natural gas | 50 MW | 2001 |
| Adera Solar | AES Distributed Energy | Solar | 20 MW | 2015 |
| A G Wishon | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Hydro | 13 MW | 1910 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jade Solar 3 | Batteries | 2 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | ZGlobal Inc |
| Jade Solar 3 | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | ZGlobal Inc |
The Madera County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 58,077 | $57,887 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,283 | $70,049 | 0.74 |
| Electrical contractors | 154 | $69,715 | 0.37 |
| Power and communication line construction | 34 | $78,440 | 0.36 |
| Electric utilities | 45 | $176,094 | 0.29 |
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 Madera County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Madera County. California has 48 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Tuolumne County.
Madera County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Madera County, Fresno 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madera County | 167,927 | ▲ 13.3% | 496 MW | 3 MW | — | — |
| Fresno County | 1,035,456 | ▲ 7.2% | 5,884 MW | 3,546 MW | 4 | — |
| Mariposa County | 16,918 | ▲ 8.5% | 104 MW | — | — | — |
| Merced County | 297,260 | ▲ 6.0% | 849 MW | 424 MW | — | — |
| Mono County | 12,505 | ▲ 8.5% | 187 MW | — | — | — |
| Tuolumne County | 53,160 | ▲ 3.9% | 1,166 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of California
Madera County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Madera County, California?
3 utilities have service territory in Madera County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Southern California Edison Co, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., charged residential customers 39.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Madera, CA in?
Madera is in Madera County, California. About 69,017 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Chowchilla, CA in?
Chowchilla is in Madera County, California. About 18,730 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Madera County?
24 operating plants with 496 MW of capacity. The largest is Mammoth Pool (190 MW, hydro).
How much new power is planned in Madera County?
3 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is ZGlobal Inc.
Are there data centers in Madera County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Madera County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Fresno County.
Is Madera County adding jobs?
Employers counted 58,077 jobs in 2025 against 51,246 in 2019 (+13.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,825 to 2,283.
Does Madera County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Madera County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.