Garfield County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Rifle, Glenwood Springs and Carbondale
Garfield 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. Garfield County is home to Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and New Castle. Construction employs 3,859, up 18.4% since 2019, and construction is 2.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Mesa County has 202 MW of planned generation. Electrical contractors employ 548, up 18.4% since 2019 against up 9.0% statewide, at an average $68,864 a year. 90 MW has retired here since 2019, including Rifle Generating Station (natural gas, 84 MW, 2022).
Cities and towns in Garfield County
Garfield County is home to Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and New Castle.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Battlement Mesa, Catherine, Cattle Creek, Chacra, Mulford, No Name.
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 Garfield County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 61,793 | 63,474 | ▲ 2.7% | 13th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,321 | 27,898 | ▲ 6.0% | 24th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $50,856 | $67,435 | ▲ 32.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,259 | 3,859 | ▲ 18.4% | 12th of 38 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 463 | 548 | ▲ 18.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6 | 7 | ▲ 16.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 3.6% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 64 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 90 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. 64 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 27,898 jobs in 2025, up 6.0% from 2019. Its power plants have 82 MW of capacity, 55% of it solar. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Garfield County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024. 63,474 people live here, up 2.7% since 2020.
Who powers Garfield County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −26 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Garfield County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,365,053 | 15.05¢ | 44% |
| Holy Cross Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 49,982 | 12.04¢ | 41% |
| Grand Valley Power | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,268 | 15.94¢ | 29% |
| White River Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 2,633 | 13.78¢ | 5% |
| Moon Lake Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 1,526 | 9.35¢ | 4% |
| City of Glenwood Springs - (CO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 72% |
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 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 45 MW | 55% |
| Battery storage | 22 MW | 27% |
| Hydro | 14 MW | 18% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Mesa CO | AES Clean Energy | Battery storage | 22 MW | 2025 |
| Mamm Creek | AES Clean Energy | Battery storage | 22 MW | 2025 |
| Shoshone (CO) | Public Service Co of Colorado | Hydro | 14 MW | 1909 |
| Wheeler Gulch Solar, LLC | Standard Solar | Solar | 10 MW | 2023 |
| Ameresco HCE Solar LLC | Ameresco HCE Solar LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2023 |
| Oak Leaf Solar XXXII (CSG) | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Solar | 2 MW | 2019 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle Generating Station | Natural gas | 84 MW | 2022 |
| Ameresco HCE Solar LLC | Battery storage | 6 MW | 2024 |
The Garfield County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 27,898 | $67,435 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,859 | $74,444 | 2.61 |
| Electrical contractors | 548 | $68,864 | 2.72 |
| Power and communication line construction | 34 | $94,460 | 0.75 |
| Data processing and hosting | 7 | $98,675 | 0.08 |
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 Garfield County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Garfield County. Colorado has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Grand County, Mesa County.
Garfield County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Garfield County, Mesa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County | 63,474 | ▲ 6.0% | 82 MW | — | — | — |
| Eagle County | 54,291 | ▲ 4.9% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Grand County UT | 9,790 | ▲ 12.6% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Mesa County | 162,845 | ▲ 5.1% | 56 MW | 202 MW | — | 1 |
| Pitkin County | 16,625 | ▲ 5.7% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Rio Blanco County | 6,683 | ▼ 0.1% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Routt County | 25,329 | ▲ 4.8% | 465 MW | — | — | — |
| Uintah County UT | 38,278 | ▲ 20.2% | 512 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Colorado
Garfield County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Garfield County, Colorado?
7 utilities have service territory in Garfield County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, Holy Cross Electric Assn, Inc, Grand Valley Power, White River Electric Assn, Inc. The largest, Public Service Co of Colorado, charged residential customers 15.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Rifle, CO in?
Rifle is in Garfield County, Colorado. About 10,844 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Glenwood Springs, CO in?
Glenwood Springs is in Garfield County, Colorado. About 10,395 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Garfield County?
11 operating plants with 82 MW of capacity. The largest is High Mesa CO (22 MW, battery storage).
Are there data centers in Garfield County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Garfield County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Mesa County.
Is Garfield County adding jobs?
Employers counted 27,898 jobs in 2025 against 26,321 in 2019 (+6.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,259 to 3,859.
Does Garfield County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Garfield County. Colorado has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.