Elmore County, Idaho: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry
Elmore County hosts some of the generating capacity Idaho runs on. Construction employs 421, up 99.5% since 2019. Elmore County is home to Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry. 200 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Clenera DevCo LLC (battery storage), the 3rd largest pipeline among Idaho's counties. Next door, Ada County has 13 data centers and 400 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 928 MW of capacity, 48% of it natural gas, the largest fleet in Idaho.
Cities and towns in Elmore County
Elmore County is home to Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Hammett, Mountain Home AFB.
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 Elmore County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Idaho |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 28,670 | 29,465 | ▲ 2.8% | 13th of 44 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,148 | 7,522 | ▲ 5.2% | 36th of 44 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,014 | $49,549 | ▲ 41.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 211 | 421 | ▲ 99.5% | 2nd of 33 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 84 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 200 MW | 22% of today's fleet | 3rd of 3 by size |
84 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Employers here counted 7,522 jobs in 2025, up 5.2% from 2019. Idaho Power Co is the largest utility serving Elmore County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.76¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.00¢ median for Idaho utilities. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. 29,465 people live here, up 2.8% since 2020.
Who powers Elmore County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +84 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Elmore 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% |
| 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 20
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 444 MW | 48% |
| Wind | 225 MW | 24% |
| Solar | 160 MW | 17% |
| Hydro | 55 MW | 6% |
| Battery storage | 44 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evander Andrews Power Complex | Idaho Power Co | Natural gas | 271 MW | 2001 |
| Bennett Mountain | Idaho Power Co | Natural gas | 173 MW | 2005 |
| Grand View Solar Two | Grand View PV Solar Two, LLC | Solar | 80 MW | 2016 |
| Black Mesa Solar, LLC | Black Mesa Solar, LLC | Solar | 40 MW | 2023 |
| Anderson Ranch | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Hydro | 40 MW | 1950 |
| Black Mesa BESS | Idaho Power Co | Battery storage | 40 MW | 2024 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson Orchard Solar and BESS | Batteries | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
| Crimson Orchard Solar and BESS | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
The Elmore County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,522 | $49,549 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 421 | $57,135 | 1.06 |
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 Elmore County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Elmore County. Idaho has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Elmore County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Elmore County, Ada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmore County | 29,465 | ▲ 5.2% | 928 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Ada County | 546,141 | ▲ 16.7% | 828 MW | 400 MW | 13 | — |
| Blaine County | 25,517 | ▲ 11.8% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Boise County | 8,545 | ▲ 5.4% | 9 MW | — | — | — |
| Camas County | 1,316 | ▲ 10.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Custer County | 4,636 | ▲ 5.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Gooding County | 16,446 | ▲ 9.0% | 188 MW | — | — | — |
| Owyhee County | 12,661 | ▲ 8.5% | 269 MW | — | — | — |
| Twin Falls County | 97,539 | ▲ 6.9% | 598 MW | — | — | — |
More of Idaho
Elmore County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Elmore County, Idaho?
2 utilities have service territory in Elmore County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Idaho Power Co, Bonneville Power Administration. The largest, Idaho Power Co, charged residential customers 11.76¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Mountain Home, ID in?
Mountain Home is in Elmore County, Idaho. About 16,779 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Elmore County?
20 operating plants with 928 MW of capacity. The largest is Evander Andrews Power Complex (271 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Elmore County?
200 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Clenera DevCo LLC.
Are there data centers in Elmore County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Elmore County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Ada County.
Is Elmore County adding jobs?
Employers counted 7,522 jobs in 2025 against 7,148 in 2019 (+5.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 211 to 421.
Does Elmore County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Elmore County. Idaho has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.