# 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.

12
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 10% of Oregon's

1,588 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

5 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

## Cities and towns in Multnomah County

Multnomah County is home to Portland, Gresham, Troutdale and Fairview.

Portland632,627 residents
Gresham111,513 residents
Troutdale15,776 residents
Fairview10,762 residents
Wood Village4,706 residents
Lake Oswego2,498 residents · 6% of the city
Maywood Park808 residents
- Lake Oswego also extends into [Clackamas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/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

| 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

### 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 

| 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](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/clackamas-county) | 426,280 | ▲ 3.2% | 278 MW | — | 3 | 1 |
| Clark County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/washington/clark-county) WA | 532,119 | ▲ 11.2% | 248 MW | — | — | — |
| Columbia County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/columbia-county) | 54,091 | ▲ 4.2% | 1,319 MW | — | — | — |
| Hood River County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/hood-river-county) | 23,720 | ▼ 3.7% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Skamania County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/washington/skamania-county) WA | 12,669 | ▲ 4.5% | 240 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Washington County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/washington-county) | 611,708 | ▼ 0.2% | 99 MW | 200 MW | 46 | 1 |

## More of Oregon

[All Oregon countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon)[Washington County611,708 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/washington-county)[Clackamas County426,280 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/clackamas-county)[Columbia County54,091 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/columbia-county)[Hood River County23,720 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/hood-river-county)

## 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.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/multnomah-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
