Umatilla County, Oregon: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hermiston, Pendleton and Umatilla
Umatilla County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 13 data centers in Umatilla County, 11% of Oregon's total. Umatilla County is home to Hermiston, Pendleton, Umatilla and Milton-Freewater. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Umatilla County Eastern Oregon Data Center Moratorium Petition. Electrical contractors employ 221, up 53.5% since 2019 against up 12.8% statewide, at an average $103,913 a year. 604 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Nolin Hills Wind, LLC (solar), the 4th largest pipeline among Oregon's counties. 4 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Umatilla County
Umatilla County is home to Hermiston, Pendleton, Umatilla and Milton-Freewater.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cayuse, Gopher Flats, Green Meadows, Kirkpatrick, McKay, Meacham, Mission, Riverside, Tutuilla, Umapine.
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 Umatilla County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 79,892 | 81,119 | ▲ 1.5% | 14th of 36 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 31,532 | 32,978 | ▲ 4.6% | 10th of 36 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,577 | $59,613 | ▲ 43.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,198 | 1,584 | ▲ 32.2% | 5th of 25 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 144 | 221 | ▲ 53.5% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 150 | 194 | ▲ 29.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.1% | 5.1% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 13 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 604 MW | 22% of today's fleet | 4th of 11 by size |
Construction employs 1,584, up 32.2% since 2019. Its power plants have 2,719 MW of capacity, 48% of it natural gas, the 2nd largest fleet in Oregon. 13 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Employers here counted 32,978 jobs in 2025, up 4.6% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 36 Oregon counties). PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Umatilla County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.02¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.02¢ median for Oregon utilities. Unemployment was 5.1% in August 2026, against 5.1% in 2019. 81,119 people live here, up 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Umatilla County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +13 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Umatilla County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 547,235 | 14.02¢ | 47% |
| Umatilla Electric Coop Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 12,620 | 9.84¢ | 89% |
| Columbia Rural Elec Assn, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 44 | 12.94¢ | 2% |
| Bonneville Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 100% |
| Columbia Basin Elec Cooperative, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Columbia Power Coop Assn Inc - (OR) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Hermiston | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Milton-Freewater- (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 17
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,311 MW | 48% |
| Hydro | 990 MW | 36% |
| Wind | 407 MW | 15% |
| Solar | 11 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McNary | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 990 MW | 1953 |
| Hermiston Power Partnership | Hermiston Power Partnership | Natural gas | 689 MW | 2002 |
| Hermiston Generating Plant | Hermiston Generating Co LP | Natural gas | 621 MW | 1996 |
| FPL Energy Vansycle LLC (OR) | FPL Energy Vansycle LLC | Wind | 123 MW | 2001 |
| Vansycle II Wind Energy Center | FPL Energy Stateline II Inc | Wind | 102 MW | 2009 |
| Eurus Combine Hills Turbine Ranch 2 | Eurus Combine Hills II LLC | Wind | 66 MW | 2010 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nolin Hills | Onshore Wind Turbine | 300 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Nolin Hills Wind, LLC |
| Nolin Hills | Solar Photovoltaic | 300 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Nolin Hills Wind, LLC |
| Buckaroo Solar 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Buckaroo Solar 1, LLC |
| Tutuilla Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Tutuilla Solar, LLC |
The Umatilla County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 32,978 | $59,613 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,584 | $76,751 | 0.91 |
| Electrical contractors | 221 | $103,913 | 0.93 |
| Electric utilities | 194 | $158,075 | 2.17 |
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 Umatilla County
13 data centers in Umatilla County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umatilla County Eastern Oregon Data Center Moratorium Petition | pending review | — |
Umatilla County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Umatilla County, Morrow 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umatilla County | 81,119 | ▲ 4.6% | 2,719 MW | 604 MW | 13 | — |
| Benton County WA | 221,722 | ▲ 8.9% | 1,322 MW | 1,200 MW | 1 | — |
| Columbia County WA | 4,141 | ▼ 10.8% | 1,467 MW | — | — | — |
| Grant County | 7,075 | ▼ 5.3% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Morrow County | 12,602 | ▲ 8.6% | 1,943 MW | 2,765 MW | 15 | — |
| Union County | 25,900 | ▲ 1.7% | 101 MW | — | — | — |
| Walla Walla County WA | 62,361 | ▲ 1.6% | 1,592 MW | — | — | — |
| Wallowa County | 7,595 | ▲ 8.3% | 412 MW | — | — | — |
More of Oregon
Umatilla County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Umatilla County, Oregon?
8 utilities have service territory in Umatilla County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp, Umatilla Electric Coop Assn, Columbia Rural Elec Assn, Inc, Bonneville Power Administration. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 14.02¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Hermiston, OR in?
Hermiston is in Umatilla County, Oregon. About 19,906 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Pendleton, OR in?
Pendleton is in Umatilla County, Oregon. About 16,989 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Umatilla County?
17 operating plants with 2,719 MW of capacity. The largest is McNary (990 MW, hydro).
How much new power is planned in Umatilla County?
604 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 4 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Nolin Hills Wind, LLC.
Are there data centers in Umatilla County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 13 data centers in Umatilla County.
Is Umatilla County adding jobs?
Employers counted 32,978 jobs in 2025 against 31,532 in 2019 (+4.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,198 to 1,584.
Does Umatilla County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Umatilla County. Oregon has 7 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.