Santa Clara County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to San Jose and Sunnyvale, and the communities of Burbank and Stanford
The data center boom is not abstract in Santa Clara County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 197 data centers in Santa Clara County, 41% of California's total. Santa Clara County is home to San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Mountain View, plus the unincorporated communities of Burbank and Stanford. 50 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Kifer Energy Storage, LLC (battery storage). 50 MW of it is already under construction or built. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,887 MW of capacity, 81% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County is home to San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Mountain View, plus the unincorporated communities of Burbank and Stanford.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Burbank, Stanford, Alum Rock, Cambrian Park, East Foothills, Fruitdale, Lexington Hills, Loyola, San Martin.
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 Santa Clara County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,931,349 | 1,914,391 | ▼ 0.9% | 6th of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,119,639 | 1,119,582 | ● 0.0% | 44th of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $138,273 | $211,900 | ▲ 53.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 51,320 | 50,668 | ▼ 1.3% | 34th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,630 | 10,214 | ▲ 18.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,495 | 14,593 | ▲ 94.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 4.3% | ▲ 1.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 167 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 36 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 50 MW | 3% of today's fleet | 21st of 30 by size |
Electrical contractors employ 10,214, up 18.4% since 2019 against up 8.5% statewide, at an average $185,881 a year. 36 MW has retired here since 2019, including SJ/SC WPCP (natural gas, 8 MW, 2021). 167 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Construction employs 50,668, down 1.3% since 2019. Owners plan to retire 7 MW more by 2035, led by San Jose Cogeneration in 2030. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is the largest utility serving Santa Clara County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 39.62¢/kWh in 2024, above the 20.66¢ median for California utilities. Employers here counted 1,119,582 jobs in 2025, unchanged from 2019. 1,914,391 people live here, down 0.9% since 2020, 6th of 58 California counties by population.
Who powers Santa Clara County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +131 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Santa Clara 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% |
| City of Santa Clara - (CA) | Municipal | Bundled | 50,949 | 16.88¢ | 3% |
| City of Palo Alto - (CA) | Municipal | Bundled | 26,249 | 20.67¢ | 69% |
| 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 52
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,535 MW | 81% |
| Petroleum | 232 MW | 12% |
| Battery storage | 77 MW | 4% |
| Solar | 36 MW | 2% |
| Other technologies | 7 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metcalf Energy Center | Calpine Corp - Metcalf Energy Center | Natural gas | 635 MW | 2005 |
| Los Esteros Critical Energy Center | Los Esteros Critical Energy Facility LLC | Natural gas | 306 MW | 2003 |
| Donald Von Raesfeld Power Plant | City of Santa Clara - (CA) | Natural gas | 154 MW | 2005 |
| Gilroy Peaking Energy Center | Calpine Gilroy Cogen LP | Natural gas | 144 MW | 2001 |
| Gilroy Power Plant | Calpine Gilroy Cogen LP | Natural gas | 130 MW | 1987 |
| SC 1 Data Center, Phase 2 | Xeres Ventures LLC | Petroleum | 100 MW | 2011 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kifer BESS 1 | Batteries | 50 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Kifer Energy Storage, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| SJ/SC WPCP | Natural gas | 8 MW | 2021 |
| Santa Clara Cogen | Natural gas | 8 MW | 2024 |
| City of Palo Alto | Natural gas | 4 MW | 2024 |
| Yerba Buena | Battery storage | 4 MW | 2021 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose Cogeneration | Natural gas | 6 MW | 2030 |
| Sunnyvale City of WPCP | Other technologies | 1 MW | 2028 |
The Santa Clara County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,119,582 | $211,900 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 50,668 | $122,701 | 0.85 |
| Electrical contractors | 10,214 | $185,881 | 1.27 |
| Data processing and hosting | 14,593 | $582,287 | 4.19 |
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 Santa Clara County
197 data centers in Santa Clara County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Santa Clara County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Santa Clara County, Alameda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County | 1,914,391 | ● 0.0% | 1,887 MW | 50 MW | 197 | — |
| Alameda County | 1,636,630 | ▼ 1.3% | 1,348 MW | 477 MW | 30 | — |
| Merced County | 297,260 | ▲ 6.0% | 849 MW | 424 MW | — | — |
| San Benito County | 70,082 | ▲ 7.7% | 148 MW | — | — | — |
| San Mateo County | 743,568 | ▼ 1.1% | 29 MW | 3 MW | 10 | — |
| Santa Cruz County | 258,852 | ▼ 1.8% | 14 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Stanislaus County | 557,719 | ▲ 3.1% | 1,505 MW | 100 MW | 6 | 1 |
More of California
Santa Clara County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Santa Clara County, California?
4 utilities have service territory in Santa Clara County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pacific Gas & Electric Co., City of Santa Clara - (CA), City of Palo Alto - (CA), WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., charged residential customers 39.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is San Jose, CA in?
San Jose is in Santa Clara County, California. About 989,814 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Sunnyvale, CA in?
Sunnyvale is in Santa Clara County, California. About 156,577 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Santa Clara, CA in?
Santa Clara is in Santa Clara County, California. About 133,446 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Santa Clara County?
52 operating plants with 1,887 MW of capacity. The largest is Metcalf Energy Center (635 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Santa Clara County?
50 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 50 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Kifer Energy Storage, LLC.
Are there data centers in Santa Clara County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 197 data centers in Santa Clara County.
Is Santa Clara County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,119,582 jobs in 2025 against 1,119,639 in 2019 (-0.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 51,320 to 50,668.
Does Santa Clara County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Santa Clara County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.