Routt County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Steamboat Springs and Hayden
The power plants that defined Routt County are changing. Routt County is home to Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Oak Creek. Construction employs 1,533, up 20.0% since 2019, and construction is 1.8 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Carbon County, Wyoming, has 3,557 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 2.3% in 2019. Owners plan to retire 465 MW more by 2035, led by Hayden in 2027.
Cities and towns in Routt County
Routt County is home to Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Oak Creek.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Phippsburg.
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 Routt County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 24,837 | 25,329 | ▲ 2.0% | 23rd of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,582 | 16,323 | ▲ 4.8% | 31st of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,687 | $64,314 | ▲ 40.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,278 | 1,533 | ▲ 20.0% | 10th of 38 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.3% | 3.9% | ▲ 1.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 465 MW of capacity, 100% of it coal. Employers here counted 16,323 jobs in 2025, up 4.8% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 176, at an average $73,480 a year. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Routt County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024. 25,329 people live here, up 2.0% since 2020.
Who powers Routt County
Utilities with service territory in Routt 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% |
| Yampa Valley Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,253 | 16.76¢ | 23% |
| Mountain Parks Electric, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,183 | 15.98¢ | 38% |
| Town of Oak Creek - (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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 465 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden | Public Service Co of Colorado | Coal | 465 MW | 1965 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden | Coal | 275 MW | 2027 |
| Hayden | Coal | 190 MW | 2028 |
The Routt County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 16,323 | $64,314 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,533 | $74,335 | 1.77 |
| Electrical contractors | 176 | $73,480 | 1.50 |
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 Routt County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Routt County. Colorado has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Moffat County.
Routt County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Routt County, Carbon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Routt County | 25,329 | ▲ 4.8% | 465 MW | — | — | — |
| Carbon County WY | 14,013 | ▼ 9.6% | 1,847 MW | 3,557 MW | — | — |
| Eagle County | 54,291 | ▲ 4.9% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Garfield County | 63,474 | ▲ 6.0% | 82 MW | — | — | — |
| Grand County | 16,496 | ▲ 5.9% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 1,211 | ▼ 4.1% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Moffat County | 13,122 | ▼ 3.1% | 1,577 MW | 200 MW | — | 1 |
| Rio Blanco County | 6,683 | ▼ 0.1% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
More of Colorado
Routt County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Routt County, Colorado?
5 utilities have service territory in Routt County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, Yampa Valley Electric Assn Inc, Mountain Parks Electric, Inc, Town of Oak Creek - (CO). The largest, Public Service Co of Colorado, charged residential customers 15.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Steamboat Springs, CO in?
Steamboat Springs is in Routt County, Colorado. About 13,557 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Routt County?
1 operating plant with 465 MW of capacity. The largest is Hayden (465 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Routt County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Routt County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Carbon County.
Is Routt County adding jobs?
Employers counted 16,323 jobs in 2025 against 15,582 in 2019 (+4.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,278 to 1,533.
Does Routt County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Routt County. Colorado has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.