Multnomah County, Oregon: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Portland, Gresham and Troutdale
Multnomah County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 12 data centers in Multnomah County, 10% of Oregon's total. Multnomah County is home to Portland, Gresham, Troutdale and Fairview. Unemployment was 5.1% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,588 MW of capacity, 75% of it hydro, the 6th largest fleet in Oregon. 401 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage.
Cities and towns in Multnomah County
Multnomah County is home to Portland, Gresham, Troutdale and Fairview.
- Lake Oswego also extends into Clackamas County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cedar Mill, Dunthorpe, Orient, West Haven-Sylvan.
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 Multnomah County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 816,261 | 795,391 | ▼ 2.6% | 1st of 36 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 520,002 | 494,307 | ▼ 4.9% | 35th of 36 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $62,064 | $84,123 | ▲ 35.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25,393 | 23,706 | ▼ 6.6% | 24th of 25 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,367 | 4,522 | ▲ 3.5% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 610 | 684 | ▲ 12.1% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,055 | 2,062 | ▲ 0.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 5.1% | ▲ 1.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 401 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — |
Construction employs 23,706, down 6.6% since 2019. 5 MW has retired here since 2019, including Ground Water Pumping Station (hydro, 5 MW, 2019). Employers here counted 494,307 jobs in 2025, down 4.9% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 4,522, up 3.5% since 2019 against up 12.8% statewide, at an average $125,344 a year. Portland General Electric Co is the largest utility serving Multnomah County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 18.19¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.02¢ median for Oregon utilities. 795,391 people live here, down 2.6% since 2020, 1st of 36 Oregon counties by population.
Who powers Multnomah County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +396 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Multnomah County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland General Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 828,857 | 18.19¢ | 33% |
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 547,235 | 14.02¢ | 47% |
| Columbia River Peoples Ut Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 16,378 | 9.27¢ | 20% |
| Bonneville Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 100% |
| City of Cascade Locks - (OR) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 1,186 MW | 75% |
| Battery storage | 400 MW | 25% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 1,162 MW | 1938 |
| Seaside BESS | Portland General Electric Co | Battery storage | 200 MW | 2025 |
| Sundial (Troutdale) BESS | Troutdale Grid, LLC | Battery storage | 200 MW | 2024 |
| PHP 1 | City of Portland (OR) | Hydro | 24 MW | 1982 |
| Oregon Convention Center | Tesla Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2016 |
| Goodling Community Solar | Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) | Solar | 1 MW | 2025 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Water Pumping Station | Hydro | 5 MW | 2019 |
The Multnomah County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 494,307 | $84,123 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 23,706 | $108,813 | 0.91 |
| Electrical contractors | 4,522 | $125,344 | 1.27 |
| Electric utilities | 684 | $163,052 | 0.51 |
| Data processing and hosting | 2,062 | $216,982 | 1.34 |
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 Multnomah County
12 data centers in Multnomah County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Multnomah County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Multnomah County, Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County | 795,391 | ▼ 4.9% | 1,588 MW | — | 12 | — |
| Clackamas County | 426,280 | ▲ 3.2% | 278 MW | — | 3 | 1 |
| Clark County WA | 532,119 | ▲ 11.2% | 248 MW | — | — | — |
| Columbia County | 54,091 | ▲ 4.2% | 1,319 MW | — | — | — |
| Hood River County | 23,720 | ▼ 3.7% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Skamania County WA | 12,669 | ▲ 4.5% | 240 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Washington County | 611,708 | ▼ 0.2% | 99 MW | 200 MW | 46 | 1 |
More of Oregon
Multnomah County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Multnomah County, Oregon?
5 utilities have service territory in Multnomah County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Portland General Electric Co, PacifiCorp, Columbia River Peoples Ut Dist, Bonneville Power Administration. The largest, Portland General Electric Co, charged residential customers 18.19¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Portland, OR in?
Portland is in Multnomah County, Oregon. About 632,627 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Gresham, OR in?
Gresham is in Multnomah County, Oregon. About 111,513 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Troutdale, OR in?
Troutdale is in Multnomah County, Oregon. About 15,776 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Multnomah County?
6 operating plants with 1,588 MW of capacity. The largest is Bonneville (1,162 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Multnomah County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 12 data centers in Multnomah County.
Is Multnomah County adding jobs?
Employers counted 494,307 jobs in 2025 against 520,002 in 2019 (-4.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 25,393 to 23,706.
Does Multnomah County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Multnomah County. Oregon has 7 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.