Salt Lake County, Utah: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Salt Lake City, West Valley City and West Jordan
Salt Lake County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 30 data centers in Salt Lake County, 61% of Utah's total. Salt Lake County is home to Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Proposed 180-day data center temporary land use regulation”. Construction employs 56,150, up 31.3% since 2019, and construction is 1.3 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Electrical contractors employ 9,291, up 40.6% since 2019 against up 29.8% statewide, at an average $85,780 a year.
Cities and towns in Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County is home to Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy.
- Draper also extends into Utah County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Granite.
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 Salt Lake County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Utah |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,187,009 | 1,220,916 | ▲ 2.9% | 1st of 29 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 720,626 | 808,479 | ▲ 12.2% | 20th of 29 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $57,446 | $80,225 | ▲ 39.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 42,774 | 56,150 | ▲ 31.3% | 14th of 20 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,610 | 9,291 | ▲ 40.6% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 618 | 838 | ▲ 35.6% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,068 | 4,862 | ▲ 58.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 3.7% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 240 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 94 MW | — |
Employers here counted 808,479 jobs in 2025, up 12.2% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. 94 MW has retired here since 2019, including Kennecott Power Plant (coal, 82 MW, 2019). 240 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Its power plants have 1,025 MW of capacity, 72% of it natural gas, the 5th largest fleet in Utah. PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Salt Lake County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.52¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.39¢ median for Utah utilities. 1,220,916 people live here, up 2.9% since 2020, 1st of 29 Utah counties by population.
Who powers Salt Lake County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +147 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Salt Lake County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 947,246 | 12.52¢ | 42% |
| City of Murray - (UT) | Municipal | Bundled | 17,000 | 11.06¢ | 57% |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 94% |
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 16
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 742 MW | 72% |
| Battery storage | 200 MW | 20% |
| Other technologies | 40 MW | 4% |
| Solar | 35 MW | 3% |
| Hydro | 8 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsby | PacifiCorp | Natural gas | 433 MW | 1951 |
| West Valley Generation Project | Utah Municipal Power Agency | Natural gas | 217 MW | 2001 |
| Dominguez Energy Storage | Dominguez Grid, LLC | Battery storage | 200 MW | 2025 |
| Murray Turbine | City of Murray - (UT) | Natural gas | 42 MW | 2001 |
| Kennecott Power Plant | Kennecott Utah Copper | Natural gas | 38 MW | 1995 |
| Tesoro SLC Cogeneration Plant | Tesoro Refng Marketing Co Mntn Region | Natural gas | 30 MW | 2004 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennecott Power Plant | Coal | 82 MW | 2019 |
| eBay - South Jordan | Natural gas | 10 MW | 2020 |
| Snowbird Power Plant | Natural gas | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Salt Lake County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 808,479 | $80,225 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 56,150 | $82,402 | 1.31 |
| Electrical contractors | 9,291 | $85,780 | 1.59 |
| Power and communication line construction | 838 | $90,287 | 0.64 |
| Electric utilities | 1,294 | $147,842 | 0.59 |
| Data processing and hosting | 4,862 | $169,891 | 1.94 |
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 Salt Lake County
30 data centers in Salt Lake County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed 180-day data center temporary land use regulation | In force | 2026-09 |
Salt Lake County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Salt Lake County, Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake County | 1,220,916 | ▲ 12.2% | 1,025 MW | — | 30 | 1 |
| Davis County | 381,227 | ▲ 8.2% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Morgan County | 13,383 | ▲ 41.7% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Summit County | 43,141 | ▲ 15.6% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Tooele County | 87,461 | ▲ 24.3% | 162 MW | — | — | — |
| Utah County | 759,859 | ▲ 19.5% | 2,014 MW | 150 MW | 12 | — |
| Wasatch County | 38,514 | ▲ 23.5% | 38 MW | — | — | — |
More of Utah
Salt Lake County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Salt Lake County, Utah?
3 utilities have service territory in Salt Lake County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp, City of Murray - (UT), WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 12.52¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Salt Lake City, UT in?
Salt Lake City is in Salt Lake County, Utah. About 218,428 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is West Valley City, UT in?
West Valley City is in Salt Lake County, Utah. About 137,491 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is West Jordan, UT in?
West Jordan is in Salt Lake County, Utah. About 116,812 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Salt Lake County?
16 operating plants with 1,025 MW of capacity. The largest is Gadsby (433 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Salt Lake County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 30 data centers in Salt Lake County.
Is Salt Lake County adding jobs?
Employers counted 808,479 jobs in 2025 against 720,626 in 2019 (+12.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 42,774 to 56,150.
Does Salt Lake County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Salt Lake County, 1 in force.