# Sherman County, Oregon: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Biggs Junction

Sherman County is where a large share of Oregon's next power plants are planned. Sherman County is home to Wasco, Moro and Rufus. 1,050 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by Cedar Island Solar LLC (solar), the 3rd largest pipeline among Oregon's counties. Its power plants have 3,426 MW of capacity, 63% of it hydro, the largest fleet in Oregon. 201 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. 2,051 people live here, up 9.1% since 2020.

1,050 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

3,426 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

-1.6%
total jobs since 2019, now 908

## Cities and towns in Sherman County

Sherman County is home to Wasco, Moro and Rufus.

Wasco457 residents
Moro403 residents
Rufus292 residents
Grass Valley170 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Biggs Junction.

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 Sherman County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,880 | 2,051 | ▲ 9.1% | 34th of 36 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 923 | 908 | ▼ 1.6% | 30th of 36 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,021 | $67,276 | ▲ 40.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 201 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,050 MW | 31% of today's fleet | 3rd of 11 by size |

Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. Employers here counted 908 jobs in 2025, down 1.6% from 2019. PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Sherman County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.02¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.02¢ median for Oregon utilities.

## Who powers Sherman County

### Utilities with service territory in Sherman County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 547,235 | 14.02¢ | 47% |
| Bonneville Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 100% |
| Columbia Basin Elec Cooperative, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wasco Electric Coop, 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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 2,160 MW | 63% |
| Wind | 1,256 MW | 37% |
| Solar | 10 MW | 0% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Day | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 2,160 MW | 1968 |
| Biglow Canyon Wind Farm | Portland General Electric Co | Wind | 450 MW | 2007 |
| Klondike Windpower III | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 298 MW | 2007 |
| Golden Hill Wind | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 201 MW | 2022 |
| Hay Canyon Wind Power LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 101 MW | 2009 |
| Star Point Wind Project LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 99 MW | 2010 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Island Solar LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 800 MW | Approvals pending | 2031 | Cedar Island Solar LLC |
| Biglow Solar Generation and BESS | Solar Photovoltaic | 125 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | BIGL bn, LLC |
| Biglow Solar Generation and BESS | Batteries | 125 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | BIGL bn, LLC |

## The Sherman County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 908 | $67,276 | 1.00 |

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 Sherman County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sherman County. Oregon has 7 local measures on record statewide.

## Sherman County and its neighbors

Of the 3 counties that border Sherman County, Wasco 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman County | 2,051 | ▼ 1.6% | 3,426 MW | 1,050 MW | — | — |
| Gilliam County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/gilliam-county) | 1,971 | ▲ 3.0% | 1,884 MW | 82 MW | — | — |
| Klickitat County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/washington/klickitat-county) WA | 24,331 | ▼ 4.3% | 1,708 MW | 300 MW | — | — |
| Wasco County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/wasco-county) | 26,310 | ▼ 2.0% | 2,038 MW | 2,103 MW | 4 | — |

## More of Oregon

[All Oregon countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon)[Wasco County26,310 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/wasco-county)[Gilliam County1,971 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/gilliam-county)

## Sherman County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Sherman County, Oregon?

4 utilities have service territory in Sherman County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp, Bonneville Power Administration, Columbia Basin Elec Cooperative, Inc, Wasco Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 14.02¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Sherman County?

10 operating plants with 3,426 MW of capacity. The largest is John Day (2,160 MW, hydro).

### How much new power is planned in Sherman County?

1,050 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Cedar Island Solar LLC.

### Are there data centers in Sherman County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sherman County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Wasco County.

### Is Sherman County adding jobs?

Employers counted 908 jobs in 2025 against 923 in 2019 (-1.6%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Sherman County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Sherman County. Oregon has 7 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

---
Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oregon/sherman-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/).