La Plata County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Durango and Bayfield
La Plata 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. La Plata County is home to Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio. Construction employs 2,003, down 11.9% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, San Juan County, New Mexico, has 1,729 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in La Plata County
La Plata County is home to Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Marvel, Southern Ute.
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 La Plata County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 55,679 | 56,898 | ▲ 2.2% | 14th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,169 | 27,353 | ▲ 4.5% | 35th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,936 | $64,315 | ▲ 34.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,274 | 2,003 | ▼ 11.9% | 34th of 38 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17 | 68 | ▲ 300.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 4.1% | ▲ 1.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 27,353 jobs in 2025, up 4.5% from 2019. Its power plants have 18 MW of capacity, 57% of it hydro. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving La Plata County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024. 56,898 people live here, up 2.2% since 2020.
Who powers La Plata County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in La Plata 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% |
| La Plata Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 39,931 | 16.71¢ | 29% |
| 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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 10 MW | 57% |
| Other technologies | 6 MW | 34% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 9% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Ignacio Natural Gas Plant | Harvest Midstream Co | Other technologies | 6 MW | 1984 |
| Vallecito Hydroelectric | Ptarmigan Res & Engy Inc | Hydro | 6 MW | 1989 |
| Tacoma | Public Service Co of Colorado | Hydro | 5 MW | 1905 |
| LPEA Sunnyside Solar 1 Facility | La Plata Electric Assn, Inc | Solar | 2 MW | 2024 |
The La Plata County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 27,353 | $64,315 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,003 | $68,493 | 1.38 |
| Data processing and hosting | 68 | $168,413 | 0.80 |
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 La Plata County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in La Plata County. Colorado has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Archuleta County.
La Plata County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border La Plata County, San Juan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Plata County | 56,898 | ▲ 4.5% | 18 MW | — | — | — |
| Archuleta County | 14,306 | ▲ 14.4% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Dolores County | 2,466 | ▼ 3.7% | 110 MW | — | — | — |
| Hinsdale County | 753 | ▲ 10.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Montezuma County | 26,678 | ▲ 1.1% | 22 MW | 140 MW | — | — |
| San Juan County | 813 | ▲ 28.2% | — | — | — | — |
| San Juan County NM | 120,340 | ▲ 2.4% | 2,052 MW | 1,729 MW | — | — |
More of Colorado
La Plata County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in La Plata County, Colorado?
3 utilities have service territory in La Plata County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, La Plata Electric Assn, 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 Durango, CO in?
Durango is in La Plata County, Colorado. About 19,733 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in La Plata County?
4 operating plants with 18 MW of capacity. The largest is Williams Ignacio Natural Gas Plant (6 MW, other technologies).
Are there data centers in La Plata County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in La Plata County. The nearest activity on record is next door in San Juan County.
Is La Plata County adding jobs?
Employers counted 27,353 jobs in 2025 against 26,169 in 2019 (+4.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,274 to 2,003.
Does La Plata County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for La Plata County. Colorado has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.