Bonner County, Idaho: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sandpoint, Ponderay and Priest River
No data center or power plant project is on record in Bonner County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Bonner County is home to Sandpoint, Ponderay, Priest River and Dover. Construction employs 1,240, up 31.6% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Spokane County, Washington, has 7 data centers. Employers here counted 16,176 jobs in 2025, up 11.5% from 2019. 54,420 people live here, up 14.8% since 2020, 8th of 44 Idaho counties by population.
Cities and towns in Bonner County
Bonner County is home to Sandpoint, Ponderay, Priest River and Dover.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Blanchard, Coolin, Laclede.
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 Bonner County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Idaho |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 47,411 | 54,420 | ▲ 14.8% | 8th of 44 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14,508 | 16,176 | ▲ 11.5% | 21st of 44 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,233 | $54,212 | ▲ 45.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 942 | 1,240 | ▲ 31.6% | 23rd of 33 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10 | 28 | ▲ 180.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 4.3% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 307 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro, the 9th largest fleet in Idaho. Avista Corp is the largest utility serving Bonner County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.62¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.00¢ median for Idaho utilities. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019.
Who powers Bonner County
Utilities with service territory in Bonner County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avista Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 128,226 | 11.62¢ | 30% |
| Kootenai Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,378 | 12.21¢ | 24% |
| Northern Lights, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,511 | 11.49¢ | 16% |
| Inland Power & Light Company | Cooperative | Bundled | 2,115 | 8.92¢ | 11% |
| Bonneville Power Administration | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 307 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Gorge | Avista Corp | Hydro | 265 MW | 1952 |
| Albeni Falls | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 42 MW | 1955 |
The Bonner County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 16,176 | $54,212 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,240 | $57,859 | 1.45 |
| Electric utilities | 115 | $130,342 | 2.63 |
| Data processing and hosting | 28 | $144,184 | 0.56 |
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 Bonner County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Bonner County. Idaho has 4 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Kootenai County, Spokane County.
Bonner County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Bonner County, Spokane 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonner County | 54,420 | ▲ 11.5% | 307 MW | — | — | — |
| Boundary County | 13,997 | ▲ 11.7% | 42 MW | — | — | — |
| Kootenai County | 191,864 | ▲ 12.3% | 486 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Lincoln County MT | 22,328 | ▲ 10.6% | 525 MW | — | — | — |
| Pend Oreille County WA | 14,457 | ▲ 2.2% | 1,250 MW | — | — | — |
| Sanders County MT | 14,062 | ▲ 15.6% | 586 MW | — | — | — |
| Shoshone County | 14,130 | ▲ 8.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Spokane County WA | 558,344 | ▲ 6.7% | 192 MW | — | 7 | 1 |
More of Idaho
Bonner County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Bonner County, Idaho?
5 utilities have service territory in Bonner County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Avista Corp, Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Northern Lights, Inc, Inland Power & Light Company. The largest, Avista Corp, charged residential customers 11.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Sandpoint, ID in?
Sandpoint is in Bonner County, Idaho. About 10,645 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Bonner County?
2 operating plants with 307 MW of capacity. The largest is Cabinet Gorge (265 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Bonner County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Bonner County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Spokane County.
Is Bonner County adding jobs?
Employers counted 16,176 jobs in 2025 against 14,508 in 2019 (+11.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 942 to 1,240.
Does Bonner County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Bonner County. Idaho has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.