# Ouray County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Ridgway No data center or power plant project is on record in Ouray County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Ouray County is home to Ridgway and Ouray. Construction employs 147, down 21.8% since 2019. Employers here counted 2,194 jobs in 2025, up 13.0% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 64 Colorado counties). Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. +13.0% total jobs since 2019, now 2,194 8 MW of operating power plants, mostly hydro 15.05¢ per kWh for Public Service Co of Colorado residential customers, 2024 ## Cities and towns in Ouray County Ouray County is home to Ridgway and Ouray. Ridgway1,324 residents Ouray929 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Colona, Loghill Village, Portland. 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 Ouray County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 4,879 | 5,265 | ▲ 7.9% | 52nd of 64 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,941 | 2,194 | ▲ 13.0% | 9th of 64 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,956 | $52,282 | ▲ 34.2% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 188 | 147 | ▼ 21.8% | 37th of 38 by growth | | Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18 | 12 | ▼ 33.3% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 4.3% | ▲ 1.4pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Ouray County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024. 5,265 people live here, up 7.9% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 12, down 33.3% since 2019 against up 9.0% statewide, at an average $58,284 a year. ## Who powers Ouray County ### Utilities with service territory in Ouray 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% | | Delta Montrose Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 32,575 | 14.97¢ | 26% | | San Miguel Power Assn, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 12,154 | 16.32¢ | 45% | | 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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Hydro | 8 MW | 100% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Tri-County Water Hydropower Project | Tri-County Water Conservancy District | Hydro | 8 MW | 2014 | ## The Ouray County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 2,194 | $52,282 | 1.00 | | Construction | 147 | $68,506 | 1.26 | | Electrical contractors | 12 | $58,284 | 0.76 | 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 Ouray County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ouray County. Colorado has 25 local measures on record statewide. ## Ouray County and its neighbors Of the 5 counties that border Ouray County, Montrose 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Ouray County | 5,265 | ▲ 13.0% | 8 MW | — | — | — | | Gunnison County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/gunnison-county) | 17,439 | ▲ 8.3% | 86 MW | — | — | — | | Hinsdale County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/hinsdale-county) | 753 | ▲ 10.6% | — | — | — | — | | Montrose County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/montrose-county) | 44,591 | ▲ 12.7% | 228 MW | — | — | — | | San Juan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/san-juan-county) | 813 | ▲ 28.2% | — | — | — | — | | San Miguel County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/san-miguel-county) | 7,753 | ▲ 6.6% | 4 MW | — | — | — | ## More of Colorado [All Colorado countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado)[Montrose County44,591 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/montrose-county)[Gunnison County17,439 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/gunnison-county)[San Miguel County7,753 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/san-miguel-county)[San Juan County813 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/san-juan-county)[Hinsdale County753 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/hinsdale-county) ## Ouray County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Ouray County, Colorado? 4 utilities have service territory in Ouray County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, Delta Montrose Electric Assn, San Miguel Power 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 power plants are in Ouray County? 1 operating plant with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is Tri-County Water Hydropower Project (8 MW, hydro). ### Are there data centers in Ouray County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ouray County. ### Is Ouray County adding jobs? Employers counted 2,194 jobs in 2025 against 1,941 in 2019 (+13.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 188 to 147. ### Does Ouray County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Ouray County. Colorado has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/ouray-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).