Summit County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Silverthorne, Breckenridge and Frisco
Summit 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. Summit County is home to Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco and Keystone. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 1.9% in 2019. Construction employs 1,251, down 9.2% since 2019. Its power plants have 28 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Summit County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Summit County
Summit County is home to Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco and Keystone.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Copper Mountain, Heeney, Keystone.
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 Summit County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 31,237 | 31,517 | ▲ 0.9% | 19th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22,204 | 22,480 | ▲ 1.2% | 45th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,873 | $59,922 | ▲ 43.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,378 | 1,251 | ▼ 9.2% | 32nd of 38 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 165 | 146 | ▼ 11.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.9% | 4.0% | ▲ 2.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 22,480 jobs in 2025, up 1.2% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 146, down 11.5% since 2019 against up 9.0% statewide, at an average $74,825 a year. 31,517 people live here, up 0.9% since 2020.
Who powers Summit County
Utilities with service territory in Summit 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% |
| Mountain Parks Electric, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,183 | 15.98¢ | 38% |
| 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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 28 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Mountain | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Hydro | 26 MW | 1943 |
| Dillon Hydro Plant | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Hydro | 2 MW | 1987 |
The Summit County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 22,480 | $59,922 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,251 | $81,837 | 1.05 |
| Electrical contractors | 146 | $74,825 | 0.90 |
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 Summit County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Summit County. Colorado has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Summit County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Summit County, Clear Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit County | 31,517 | ▲ 1.2% | 28 MW | — | — | — |
| Clear Creek County | 8,994 | ▲ 5.6% | 301 MW | — | — | — |
| Eagle County | 54,291 | ▲ 4.9% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Grand County | 16,496 | ▲ 5.9% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Lake County | 7,552 | ▲ 22.0% | 202 MW | — | — | — |
| Park County | 18,314 | ▲ 23.3% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
More of Colorado
Summit County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Summit County, Colorado?
3 utilities have service territory in Summit County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, Mountain Parks Electric, 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 Summit County?
2 operating plants with 28 MW of capacity. The largest is Green Mountain (26 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Summit County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Summit County.
Is Summit County adding jobs?
Employers counted 22,480 jobs in 2025 against 22,204 in 2019 (+1.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,378 to 1,251.
Does Summit County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Summit County. Colorado has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.