Jefferson County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lakewood, Arvada and Westminster
Jefferson County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Jefferson County, 3% of Colorado's total. Jefferson County is home to Lakewood, most of Arvada (120,108 of its 122,901 residents), part of Westminster (45,697 of its 116,182 residents) and Wheat Ridge. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Jefferson County data center moratorium”. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. Construction employs 17,720, down 1.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy.
Cities and towns in Jefferson County
Jefferson County is home to Lakewood, most of Arvada (120,108 of its 122,901 residents), part of Westminster (45,697 of its 116,182 residents) and Wheat Ridge.
- Arvada also extends into Adams County.
- Westminster also extends into Adams County.
- Littleton also extends into Arapahoe County, Douglas County.
- Bow Mar also extends into Arapahoe County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Applewood, Aspen Park, Brook Forest, Coal Creek, Columbine, Dakota Ridge, East Pleasant View, Evergreen, Fairmount, Genesee, Idledale, Indian Hills, Ken Caryl, Kittredge, West Pleasant View.
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 Jefferson County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 583,131 | 580,451 | ▼ 0.5% | 4th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 243,080 | 247,248 | ▲ 1.7% | 43rd of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $61,473 | $83,307 | ▲ 35.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,027 | 17,720 | ▼ 1.7% | 26th of 38 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,480 | 4,071 | ▼ 9.1% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 548 | 643 | ▲ 17.3% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,182 | 522 | ▼ 76.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 4.4% | ▲ 1.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 277 MW of capacity, 96% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 247,248 jobs in 2025, up 1.7% from 2019. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Jefferson County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024. Electrical contractors employ 4,071, down 9.1% since 2019 against up 9.0% statewide, at an average $91,336 a year. 580,451 people live here, down 0.5% since 2020, 4th of 64 Colorado counties by population.
Who powers Jefferson County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Jefferson 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% |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 165,067 | 15.04¢ | 32% |
| United Power, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 101,502 | 15.75¢ | 19% |
| 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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 267 MW | 96% |
| Hydro | 8 MW | 3% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plains End II LLC | Plains End Operating Services LLC | Natural gas | 118 MW | 2008 |
| Plains End | Plains End Operating Services LLC | Natural gas | 114 MW | 2002 |
| Colorado Energy Nations Company | Molson Coors USA LLC | Natural gas | 35 MW | 1976 |
| Gross Hydro Plant | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Hydro | 8 MW | 2007 |
| Mtn. Solar 4 (CSG) | Standard Solar | Solar | 2 MW | 2021 |
| Jeffco Community Solar Gardens LLC | SunShare Management | Solar | 1 MW | 2016 |
The Jefferson County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 247,248 | $83,307 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 17,720 | $88,507 | 1.35 |
| Electrical contractors | 4,071 | $91,336 | 2.28 |
| Electric utilities | 643 | $148,287 | 0.96 |
| Data processing and hosting | 522 | $193,001 | 0.68 |
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 Jefferson County
2 data centers in Jefferson County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County data center moratorium | In force | 2026-05 |
Jefferson County and its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Jefferson County, Arapahoe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 580,451 | ▲ 1.7% | 277 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Adams County | 554,668 | ▲ 10.6% | 1,767 MW | 8 MW | 4 | — |
| Arapahoe County | 673,820 | ▲ 1.8% | 336 MW | — | 17 | — |
| Boulder County | 328,560 | ▲ 1.6% | 266 MW | — | 3 | 1 |
| Broomfield County | 79,174 | ▲ 0.7% | 8 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Clear Creek County | 8,994 | ▲ 5.6% | 301 MW | — | — | — |
| Denver County | 740,613 | ▲ 6.0% | 218 MW | — | 17 | — |
| Douglas County | 399,396 | ▲ 14.3% | 4 MW | 8 MW | 8 | — |
| Gilpin County | 6,073 | ▲ 2.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Park County | 18,314 | ▲ 23.3% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Teller County | 24,756 | ▲ 9.3% | — | — | — | — |
More of Colorado
Jefferson County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Jefferson County, Colorado?
4 utilities have service territory in Jefferson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, CORE Electric Cooperative, United Power, Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Public Service Co of Colorado, charged residential customers 15.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lakewood, CO in?
Lakewood is in Jefferson County, Colorado. About 156,927 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Arvada, CO in?
Most of Arvada is in Jefferson County: 120,108 of its 122,901 residents, or 98%. The rest of the city lies in Adams County.
Is Westminster in Jefferson County?
Partly. 45,697 of Westminster's 116,182 residents (39%) live in Jefferson County; most of the city is in Adams County.
What power plants are in Jefferson County?
6 operating plants with 277 MW of capacity. The largest is Plains End II LLC (118 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Jefferson County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Jefferson County.
Is Jefferson County adding jobs?
Employers counted 247,248 jobs in 2025 against 243,080 in 2019 (+1.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 18,027 to 17,720.
Does Jefferson County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Jefferson County, 1 in force.