Columbia County, Washington: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Dayton
Columbia County hosts some of the generating capacity Washington runs on. Columbia County is home to Dayton. Next door, Umatilla County, Oregon, has 13 data centers and 604 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 1,326 jobs in 2025, down 10.8% from 2019. Its power plants have 1,467 MW of capacity, 55% of it hydro, the 8th largest fleet in Washington. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.7% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Columbia County
Columbia County is home to Dayton.
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 Columbia County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Washington |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,954 | 4,141 | ▲ 4.7% | 38th of 39 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,487 | 1,326 | ▼ 10.8% | 39th of 39 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,057 | $62,158 | ▲ 38.0% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22 | 31 | ▲ 40.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.7% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Columbia County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.08¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.07¢ median for Washington utilities. 4,141 people live here, up 4.7% since 2020.
Who powers Columbia County
Utilities with service territory in Columbia County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 114,453 | 11.08¢ | 38% |
| Inland Power & Light Company | Cooperative | Bundled | 41,684 | 8.98¢ | 20% |
| Columbia Rural Elec Assn, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,339 | 14.15¢ | 22% |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 810 MW | 55% |
| Wind | 657 MW | 45% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Goose | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 810 MW | 1970 |
| Tucannon River Wind Farm | Portland General Electric Co | Wind | 267 MW | 2014 |
| Marengo Wind Plant | PacifiCorp | Wind | 234 MW | 2007 |
| Hopkins Ridge Wind | Puget Sound Energy Inc | Wind | 157 MW | 2005 |
The Columbia County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,326 | $62,158 | 1.00 |
| Electric utilities | 31 | $192,535 | 8.64 |
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 Columbia County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Columbia County. Washington has 21 local measures on record statewide.
Columbia County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Columbia County, Umatilla 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County | 4,141 | ▼ 10.8% | 1,467 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County | 102,612 | ▲ 8.6% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Garfield County | 2,416 | ▼ 3.0% | 343 MW | 600 MW | — | — |
| Umatilla County OR | 81,119 | ▲ 4.6% | 2,719 MW | 604 MW | 13 | — |
| Walla Walla County | 62,361 | ▲ 1.6% | 1,592 MW | — | — | — |
| Wallowa County OR | 7,595 | ▲ 8.3% | 412 MW | — | — | — |
| Whitman County | 48,512 | ▼ 0.1% | 920 MW | — | — | — |
More of Washington
Columbia County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Columbia County, Washington?
3 utilities have service territory in Columbia County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp, Inland Power & Light Company, Columbia Rural Elec Assn, Inc. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 11.08¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Columbia County?
4 operating plants with 1,467 MW of capacity. The largest is Little Goose (810 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Columbia County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Columbia County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Umatilla County.
Is Columbia County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,326 jobs in 2025 against 1,487 in 2019 (-10.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Columbia County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Columbia County. Washington has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.