Cassia County, Idaho: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Burley
Cassia 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. Cassia County is home to most of Burley (12,053 of its 12,409 residents) and Oakley. Construction employs 744, up 15.9% since 2019. Employers here counted 12,609 jobs in 2025, up 8.2% from 2019. 18 MW has retired here since 2019, including Raft River Geothermal Power Plant (other technologies, 18 MW, 2025). Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Cassia County
Cassia County is home to most of Burley (12,053 of its 12,409 residents) and Oakley.
- Burley also extends into Minidoka County.
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 Cassia County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Idaho |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 24,753 | 26,397 | ▲ 6.6% | 15th of 44 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,649 | 12,609 | ▲ 8.2% | 28th of 44 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,900 | $52,100 | ▲ 37.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 642 | 744 | ▲ 15.9% | 28th of 33 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 77 | 80 | ▲ 3.9% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 46 | 44 | ▼ 4.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 3.4% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 17 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 18 MW | — |
17 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly other technologies. Electrical contractors employ 80, up 3.9% since 2019 against up 66.6% statewide, at an average $47,053 a year. Its power plants have 132 MW of capacity, 45% of it hydro. Idaho Power Co is the largest utility serving Cassia County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.76¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.00¢ median for Idaho utilities. 26,397 people live here, up 6.6% since 2020.
Who powers Cassia County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Cassia County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 525,751 | 11.76¢ | 27% |
| United Electric Co-op, Inc - (ID) | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,100 | 7.89¢ | 20% |
| Raft Rural Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 1,391 | 9.18¢ | 30% |
| City of Albion - (ID) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Burley - (ID) | — | — | — | — | — |
| East End Mutual Elec Co Ltd | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Declo - (ID) | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Side Electric, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 60 MW | 45% |
| Wind | 53 MW | 40% |
| Other technologies | 20 MW | 15% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milner Hydro | Idaho Power Co | Hydro | 60 MW | 1992 |
| Burley Butte Windpark | Idaho Wind Partners 1 LLC | Wind | 21 MW | 2011 |
| Milner Dam Wind Park LLC | Idaho Wind Partners 1 LLC | Wind | 20 MW | 2011 |
| Raft River Geothermal Power Plant | US Geothermal Inc. | Other technologies | 16 MW | 2025 |
| Golden Valley Wind Park LLC | Idaho Wind Partners 1 LLC | Wind | 12 MW | 2011 |
| Milner Butte LFGE | Southern Idaho Solid Waste | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2018 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raft River Geothermal Power Plant | Other technologies | 18 MW | 2025 |
The Cassia County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,609 | $52,100 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 744 | $57,442 | 1.11 |
| Electrical contractors | 80 | $47,053 | 0.88 |
| Electric utilities | 44 | $121,403 | 1.29 |
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 Cassia County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cassia County. Idaho has 4 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Box Elder County.
Cassia County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Cassia County, Twin Falls 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cassia County | 26,397 | ▲ 8.2% | 132 MW | — | — | — |
| Blaine County | 25,517 | ▲ 11.8% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Box Elder County UT | 65,320 | ▲ 14.0% | 195 MW | 8 MW | — | 2 |
| Elko County NV | 54,815 | ● 0.0% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Jerome County | 26,362 | ▲ 17.7% | 53 MW | — | — | — |
| Minidoka County | 22,911 | ▲ 12.3% | 28 MW | — | — | — |
| Oneida County | 5,085 | ▲ 33.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Power County | 8,246 | ▲ 17.3% | 257 MW | — | — | — |
| Twin Falls County | 97,539 | ▲ 6.9% | 598 MW | — | — | — |
More of Idaho
Cassia County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cassia County, Idaho?
8 utilities have service territory in Cassia County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Idaho Power Co, United Electric Co-op, Inc - (ID), Raft Rural Elec Coop Inc, City of Albion - (ID). The largest, Idaho Power Co, charged residential customers 11.76¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Burley, ID in?
Most of Burley is in Cassia County: 12,053 of its 12,409 residents, or 97%. The rest of the city lies in Minidoka County.
What power plants are in Cassia County?
6 operating plants with 132 MW of capacity. The largest is Milner Hydro (60 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Cassia County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cassia County.
Is Cassia County adding jobs?
Employers counted 12,609 jobs in 2025 against 11,649 in 2019 (+8.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 642 to 744.
Does Cassia County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cassia County. Idaho has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.