Placer County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln
The data center boom is not abstract in Placer County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Placer County. Placer County is home to Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and Auburn. 1,023 MW of new generation is planned here across 7 units, led by Clenera DevCo LLC (solar), the 6th largest pipeline among California's counties. 518 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 18,848, up 9.2% since 2019, and construction is 1.9 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Unemployment was 4.5% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Placer County
Placer County is home to Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and Auburn.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Alta, Carnelian Bay, Cedar Flat, Dollar Point, Dutch Flat, Foresthill, Granite Bay, Kings Beach, Kingvale, Meadow Vista, Newcastle, North Auburn, Penryn, Sheridan, Sunnyside-Tahoe City, Tahoe Vista, 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 Placer County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 405,971 | 442,081 | ▲ 8.9% | 20th of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 172,439 | 188,212 | ▲ 9.1% | 8th of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $58,015 | $75,824 | ▲ 30.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,263 | 18,848 | ▲ 9.2% | 19th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,556 | 1,782 | ▲ 14.5% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 78 | 238 | ▲ 205.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 98 | 73 | ▼ 25.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.5% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 64 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,023 MW | 132% of today's fleet | 6th of 30 by size |
Employers here counted 188,212 jobs in 2025, up 9.1% from 2019 (the 8th fastest growth of 58 California counties). Electrical contractors employ 1,782, up 14.5% since 2019 against up 8.5% statewide, at an average $83,395 a year. Its power plants have 773 MW of capacity, 53% of it hydro. 64 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. 442,081 people live here, up 8.9% since 2020. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is the largest utility serving Placer County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 39.62¢/kWh in 2024, above the 20.66¢ median for California utilities.
Who powers Placer County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +64 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Placer 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% |
| Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 592,557 | 17.87¢ | 39% |
| City of Roseville - (CA) | Municipal | Bundled | 63,052 | 18.66¢ | 38% |
| Liberty Utilities | Investor Owned | Bundled | 43,902 | 25.92¢ | 49% |
| Truckee Donner P U D | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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 21
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 410 MW | 53% |
| Natural gas | 291 MW | 38% |
| Other technologies | 52 MW | 7% |
| Petroleum | 15 MW | 2% |
| Solar | 4 MW | 1% |
| Battery storage | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roseville Energy Park | City of Roseville - (CA) | Natural gas | 225 MW | 2007 |
| Middle Fork | Placer County Water Agency - (CA) | Hydro | 122 MW | 1966 |
| Ralston | Placer County Water Agency - (CA) | Hydro | 79 MW | 1966 |
| Roseville Power Plant #2 | City of Roseville - (CA) | Natural gas | 66 MW | 1986 |
| Drum 2 | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Hydro | 53 MW | 1965 |
| Drum 1 | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Hydro | 49 MW | 1913 |
Planned generation 7
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country Acres Clean Power LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 344 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
| Athens Solar I (Hybrid) | Solar Photovoltaic | 250 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Athens Solar I (Hybrid) | Batteries | 250 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Country Acres Clean Power LLC | Batteries | 172 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
| Madena 4 | Batteries | 5 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | ZGlobal Inc |
| Pivot Energy PPA 29 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pivot Energy |
| Pivot Energy PPA 29 LLC | Batteries | 0 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pivot Energy |
The Placer County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 188,212 | $75,824 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 18,848 | $91,175 | 1.89 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,782 | $83,395 | 1.31 |
| Electric utilities | 238 | $102,624 | 0.47 |
| Data processing and hosting | 73 | $92,709 | 0.12 |
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 Placer County
1 data center in Placer County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Placer County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Placer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placer County | 442,081 | ▲ 9.1% | 773 MW | 1,023 MW | 1 | — |
| Carson City NV | 58,571 | ▲ 6.1% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Douglas County NV | 50,111 | ▲ 9.7% | — | — | — | — |
| El Dorado County | 192,323 | ▲ 2.3% | 779 MW | — | — | — |
| Nevada County | 101,911 | ▲ 7.3% | 110 MW | — | — | — |
| Sacramento County | 1,618,460 | ▲ 7.9% | 1,750 MW | 660 MW | 21 | — |
| Sutter County | 98,787 | ▲ 3.0% | 904 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Washoe County NV | 509,386 | ▲ 7.4% | 668 MW | — | 17 | — |
| Yuba County | 88,691 | ▲ 13.0% | 367 MW | 4 MW | — | — |
More of California
Placer County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Placer County, California?
6 utilities have service territory in Placer County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Sacramento Municipal Util Dist, City of Roseville - (CA), Liberty Utilities. The largest, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., charged residential customers 39.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Roseville, CA in?
Roseville is in Placer County, California. About 167,302 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Rocklin, CA in?
Rocklin is in Placer County, California. About 76,821 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Lincoln, CA in?
Lincoln is in Placer County, California. About 57,367 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Placer County?
21 operating plants with 773 MW of capacity. The largest is Roseville Energy Park (225 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Placer County?
1,023 MW across 7 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 518 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Clenera DevCo LLC.
Are there data centers in Placer County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Placer County.
Is Placer County adding jobs?
Employers counted 188,212 jobs in 2025 against 172,439 in 2019 (+9.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 17,263 to 18,848.
Does Placer County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Placer County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.