Rich County, Utah: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Garden
No data center or power plant project is on record in Rich County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Rich County is home to Garden City. Construction employs 102, up 34.2% since 2019, and construction is 1.8 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Employers here counted 1,073 jobs in 2025, up 20.4% from 2019 (the 7th fastest growth of 29 Utah counties). Next door, Lincoln County, Wyoming, has 500 MW of planned generation. 58 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Rich County
Rich County is home to Garden City.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Garden.
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 Rich County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Utah |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,503 | 2,687 | ▲ 7.4% | 26th of 29 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 891 | 1,073 | ▲ 20.4% | 7th of 29 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $28,713 | $42,918 | ▲ 49.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 76 | 102 | ▲ 34.2% | 10th of 20 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.1% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 58 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 58 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Rich County. Its residential customers paid an average 12.52¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.39¢ median for Utah utilities. 2,687 people live here, up 7.4% since 2020. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019.
Who powers Rich County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +58 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Rich County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 947,246 | 12.52¢ | 42% |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 58 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Solar I-III | CI III VK I TE Partnership LLC | Solar | 58 MW | 2019 |
The Rich County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,073 | $42,918 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 102 | $56,005 | 1.79 |
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 Rich County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rich County. Utah has 10 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Cache County.
Rich County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Rich County, Lincoln 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich County | 2,687 | ▲ 20.4% | 58 MW | — | — | — |
| Bear Lake County ID | 6,727 | ▲ 18.1% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Cache County | 145,000 | ▲ 11.2% | 39 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Franklin County ID | 15,889 | ▲ 15.7% | 33 MW | — | — | — |
| Lincoln County WY | 21,180 | ▲ 12.7% | 864 MW | 500 MW | — | — |
| Morgan County | 13,383 | ▲ 41.7% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Summit County | 43,141 | ▲ 15.6% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Uinta County WY | 20,728 | ● 0.0% | 285 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Weber County | 278,174 | ▲ 13.0% | 16 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Utah
Rich County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rich County, Utah?
1 utility has service territory in Rich County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 12.52¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Rich County?
1 operating plant with 58 MW of capacity. The largest is Sage Solar I-III (58 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Rich County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rich County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lincoln County.
Is Rich County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,073 jobs in 2025 against 891 in 2019 (+20.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 76 to 102.
Does Rich County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rich County. Utah has 10 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.