Sacramento County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sacramento and Elk Grove, and the communities of McClellan Park
Sacramento County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 21 data centers in Sacramento County, 4% of California's total. Sacramento County is home to Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova, plus the unincorporated community of McClellan Park. 660 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LLC (battery storage), the 9th largest pipeline among California's counties. 300 MW of it is already under construction or built. Electrical contractors employ 6,442, up 29.5% since 2019 against up 8.5% statewide, at an average $95,189 a year. Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Sacramento County
Sacramento County is home to Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova, plus the unincorporated community of McClellan Park.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): McClellan Park, Antelope, Arden-Arcade, Carmichael, Clay, Courtland, Elverta, Fair Oaks, Florin, Foothill Farms, Franklin, Freeport, Fruitridge Pocket, Gold River, Herald, Hood, La Riviera, Lemon Hill, Mather, North Highlands, Orangevale, Parkway, Rancho Murieta, Rio Linda, Rosemont, Vineyard, Walnut Grove, Wilton.
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 Sacramento County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,586,769 | 1,618,460 | ▲ 2.0% | 8th of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 679,516 | 733,061 | ▲ 7.9% | 11th of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $63,010 | $82,003 | ▲ 30.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 41,393 | 44,819 | ▲ 8.3% | 21st of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,976 | 6,442 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 945 | 1,681 | ▲ 77.9% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,103 | 983 | ▼ 10.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 5.3% | ▲ 1.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 237 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 660 MW | 38% of today's fleet | 9th of 30 by size |
Its power plants have 1,750 MW of capacity, 65% of it natural gas. Construction employs 44,819, up 8.3% since 2019. 237 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 733,061 jobs in 2025, up 7.9% from 2019. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is the largest utility serving Sacramento 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. 1,618,460 people live here, up 2.0% since 2020, 8th of 58 California counties by population.
Who powers Sacramento County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +237 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Sacramento 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% |
| 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 63
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,130 MW | 65% |
| Solar | 386 MW | 22% |
| Hydro | 212 MW | 12% |
| Other technologies | 21 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosumnes Power Plant | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Natural gas | 557 MW | 2006 |
| Folsom | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Hydro | 199 MW | 1955 |
| Procter & Gamble Power Plant | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Natural gas | 193 MW | 1997 |
| Campbell Power Plant | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Natural gas | 174 MW | 1997 |
| Rancho Seco Solar II, LLC | Rancho Seco Solar II, LLC | Solar | 160 MW | 2021 |
| Carson Power Plant | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Natural gas | 126 MW | 1995 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniper Creek Storage | Batteries | 200 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 200 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2029 | Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LLC |
| Dry Creek Energy Storage, LLC | Batteries | 160 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | Dry Creek Energy Storage, LLC |
| Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LLC | Batteries | 100 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2029 | Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LLC |
The Sacramento County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 733,061 | $82,003 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 44,819 | $91,056 | 1.15 |
| Electrical contractors | 6,442 | $95,189 | 1.22 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,681 | $138,299 | 1.42 |
| Electric utilities | 845 | $204,554 | 0.43 |
| Data processing and hosting | 983 | $136,752 | 0.43 |
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 Sacramento County
21 data centers in Sacramento County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Sacramento County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Sacramento County, Placer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County | 1,618,460 | ▲ 7.9% | 1,750 MW | 660 MW | 21 | — |
| Amador County | 41,876 | ▼ 0.7% | 234 MW | — | — | — |
| Contra Costa County | 1,170,070 | ▲ 1.4% | 4,240 MW | 8 MW | 6 | — |
| El Dorado County | 192,323 | ▲ 2.3% | 779 MW | — | — | — |
| Placer County | 442,081 | ▲ 9.1% | 773 MW | 1,023 MW | 1 | — |
| San Joaquin County | 823,815 | ▲ 12.5% | 1,609 MW | 360 MW | 6 | 1 |
| Solano County | 455,376 | ▲ 0.6% | 1,461 MW | 60 MW | 3 | — |
| Sutter County | 98,787 | ▲ 3.0% | 904 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Yolo County | 224,410 | ▲ 2.6% | 61 MW | 26 MW | 3 | — |
More of California
Sacramento County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sacramento County, California?
3 utilities have service territory in Sacramento County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Sacramento Municipal Util Dist, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., charged residential customers 39.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Sacramento, CA in?
Sacramento is in Sacramento County, California. About 536,449 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Elk Grove, CA in?
Elk Grove is in Sacramento County, California. About 185,007 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Folsom, CA in?
Folsom is in Sacramento County, California. About 91,983 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sacramento County?
63 operating plants with 1,750 MW of capacity. The largest is Cosumnes Power Plant (557 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Sacramento County?
660 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 300 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LLC.
Are there data centers in Sacramento County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 21 data centers in Sacramento County.
Is Sacramento County adding jobs?
Employers counted 733,061 jobs in 2025 against 679,516 in 2019 (+7.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 41,393 to 44,819.
Does Sacramento County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sacramento County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.