Weld County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Greeley, Windsor and Erie
Weld County hosts some of the generating capacity Colorado runs on. Weld County is home to Greeley, most of Windsor (34,551 of its 43,840 residents), most of Erie (25,509 of its 40,904 residents) and Evans. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Weld County commissioners approve permit for Global AI data center”. Electrical contractors employ 1,611, up 58.7% since 2019 against up 9.0% statewide, at an average $75,617 a year. 914 MW of new generation is planned here across 12 units, led by Public Service Co of Colorado (natural gas), the 2nd largest pipeline among Colorado's counties. 914 MW of it is already under construction or built. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Global AI data center (former Kodak/Carestream site, Windsor).
Cities and towns in Weld County
Weld County is home to Greeley, most of Windsor (34,551 of its 43,840 residents), most of Erie (25,509 of its 40,904 residents) and Evans.
And 5 smaller places.
- Windsor also extends into Larimer County.
- Erie also extends into Boulder County.
- Johnstown also extends into Larimer County.
- Longmont also extends into Boulder County.
- Brighton also extends into Adams County.
- Berthoud also extends into Larimer County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Aristocrat Ranchettes, Briggsdale.
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 Weld County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 331,434 | 378,426 | ▲ 14.2% | 7th of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 114,396 | 123,486 | ▲ 7.9% | 17th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $54,303 | $69,551 | ▲ 28.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,673 | 13,978 | ▲ 10.3% | 21st of 38 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,015 | 1,611 | ▲ 58.7% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 538 | 1,013 | ▲ 88.3% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 231 | 260 | ▲ 12.6% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 67 | 84 | ▲ 25.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 5.0% | ▲ 2.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 789 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 914 MW | 22% of today's fleet | 2nd of 18 by size |
Its power plants have 4,151 MW of capacity, 70% of it natural gas, the largest fleet in Colorado. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. Construction employs 13,978, up 10.3% since 2019, and construction is 2.1 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 789 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Next door, Laramie County, Wyoming, has 28 data centers and 1,485 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 123,486 jobs in 2025, up 7.9% from 2019. Owners plan to retire 101 MW more by 2035, led by Fort Lupton in 2028. 378,426 people live here, up 14.2% since 2020, 7th of 64 Colorado counties by population. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Weld County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024.
Who powers Weld County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +789 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Weld 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% |
| United Power, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 101,502 | 15.75¢ | 19% |
| Poudre Valley REA, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 49,587 | 12.21¢ | 28% |
| City of Longmont | Municipal | Bundled | 40,855 | 12.30¢ | 42% |
| Morgan County Rural Elec Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,825 | 14.37¢ | 54% |
| Highline Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,047 | 14.12¢ | 14% |
| High West Energy, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 670 | 15.15¢ | 2% |
| 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 57
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,914 MW | 70% |
| Wind | 866 MW | 21% |
| Solar | 306 MW | 7% |
| Battery storage | 63 MW | 2% |
| Other technologies | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort St Vrain | Public Service Co of Colorado | Natural gas | 1,148 MW | 1996 |
| Rocky Mountain Energy Center | Public Service Co of Colorado | Natural gas | 685 MW | 2004 |
| Spindle Hill Energy Center | Invenergy Services LLC | Natural gas | 420 MW | 2007 |
| JM Shafer Generating Station | Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc | Natural gas | 397 MW | 1994 |
| Cedar Creek Wind | Leeward Asset Management, LLC | Wind | 300 MW | 2007 |
| Cedar Creek II | Clearlight Energy Holdings LP | Wind | 248 MW | 2011 |
Planned generation 12
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort St Vrain | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 239 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| Fort St Vrain | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 239 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| Spindle BESS | Batteries | 199 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Spindle Battery LLC |
| Black Hollow Sun | Solar Photovoltaic | 107 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Contour Global |
| Weld Energy Storage | Batteries | 100 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Weld Energy Storage, LLC |
| Keenesburg | Solar Photovoltaic | 7 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | ENGIE Distributed Renewables Development LLC |
| Pivot Solar 36 | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Pivot Energy |
| Pivot Solar 33 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Pivot Energy |
| Pivot Solar 58 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pivot Energy |
| Pivot Solar 50 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pivot Energy |
| Pivot Solar 56 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 4 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Pivot Energy |
| Pivot Solar 60 LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Pivot Energy |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lupton | Natural gas | 101 MW | 2028 |
The Weld County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 123,486 | $69,551 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 13,978 | $80,123 | 2.14 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,611 | $75,617 | 1.81 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,013 | $113,195 | 5.08 |
| Electric utilities | 260 | $162,225 | 0.78 |
| Data processing and hosting | 84 | $142,271 | 0.22 |
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 Weld County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weld County commissioners approve permit for Global AI data center | In force | 2026-09 |
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global AI data center (former Kodak/Carestream site, Windsor) | approved amid opposition | — |
Weld County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Weld County, Laramie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weld County | 378,426 | ▲ 7.9% | 4,151 MW | 914 MW | — | 1 |
| Adams County | 554,668 | ▲ 10.6% | 1,767 MW | 8 MW | 4 | — |
| Boulder County | 328,560 | ▲ 1.6% | 266 MW | — | 3 | 1 |
| Broomfield County | 79,174 | ▲ 0.7% | 8 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Kimball County NE | 3,391 | ▲ 9.3% | 38 MW | — | — | — |
| Laramie County WY | 102,938 | ▲ 4.9% | 746 MW | 1,485 MW | 28 | — |
| Larimer County | 377,292 | ▲ 3.3% | 1,055 MW | 225 MW | — | 1 |
| Logan County | 20,654 | ▼ 1.8% | 1,016 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Morgan County | 30,306 | ▲ 4.6% | 1,145 MW | 808 MW | — | — |
More of Colorado
Weld County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Weld County, Colorado?
8 utilities have service territory in Weld County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, United Power, Inc, Poudre Valley REA, Inc, City of Longmont. The largest, Public Service Co of Colorado, charged residential customers 15.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Greeley, CO in?
Greeley is in Weld County, Colorado. About 115,073 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Windsor, CO in?
Most of Windsor is in Weld County: 34,551 of its 43,840 residents, or 79%. The rest of the city lies in Larimer County.
What county is Erie, CO in?
Most of Erie is in Weld County: 25,509 of its 40,904 residents, or 62%. The rest of the city lies in Boulder County.
What power plants are in Weld County?
57 operating plants with 4,151 MW of capacity. The largest is Fort St Vrain (1,148 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Weld County?
914 MW across 12 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 914 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Public Service Co of Colorado.
Are there data centers in Weld County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Weld County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Laramie County.
Is Weld County adding jobs?
Employers counted 123,486 jobs in 2025 against 114,396 in 2019 (+7.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 12,673 to 13,978.
Does Weld County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Weld County, 1 in force.