Lewis County, Washington: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Centralia, Chehalis and Winlock
Lewis County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Lewis County is home to Centralia, Chehalis, Winlock and Napavine. 730 MW has retired here since 2019, including Transalta Centralia Generation (coal, 730 MW, 2020). Next door, Pierce County has 6 data centers and 200 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 1,883 MW of capacity, 39% of it coal, the 4th largest fleet in Washington. Construction employs 1,417, up 7.9% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Lewis County
Lewis County is home to Centralia, Chehalis, Winlock and Napavine.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Fords Prairie, Mineral, Onalaska, Packwood.
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 Lewis County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Washington |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 82,551 | 88,062 | ▲ 6.7% | 15th of 39 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,820 | 27,423 | ▲ 2.2% | 22nd of 39 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,680 | $60,885 | ▲ 36.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,313 | 1,417 | ▲ 7.9% | 15th of 33 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.5% | 5.6% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 730 MW | — |
Unemployment was 5.6% in August 2026, against 6.5% in 2019. Employers here counted 27,423 jobs in 2025, up 2.2% from 2019. City of Tacoma - (WA) is the largest utility serving Lewis County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 10.81¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.07¢ median for Washington utilities. 88,062 people live here, up 6.7% since 2020.
Who powers Lewis County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −730 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lewis County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Tacoma - (WA) | Municipal | Bundled | 180,357 | 10.81¢ | 7% |
| PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 39,881 | 12.52¢ | 34% |
| PUD No 1 of Lewis County | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 29,417 | 9.48¢ | 20% |
| Benton Rural Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,422 | 9.27¢ | 28% |
| City of Centralia - (WA) | Municipal | Bundled | 9,068 | 9.88¢ | 13% |
| Bonneville Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 56% |
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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 730 MW | 39% |
| Natural gas | 593 MW | 32% |
| Hydro | 560 MW | 30% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transalta Centralia Generation | TransAlta Centralia Gen LLC | Coal | 730 MW | 1973 |
| Chehalis Generating Facility | PacifiCorp | Natural gas | 593 MW | 2003 |
| Mossyrock | City of Tacoma - (WA) | Hydro | 300 MW | 1968 |
| Mayfield | City of Tacoma - (WA) | Hydro | 162 MW | 1963 |
| Cowlitz Falls | PUD No 1 of Lewis County - (WA) | Hydro | 70 MW | 1994 |
| Packwood | Energy Northwest - Packwood | Hydro | 28 MW | 1964 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transalta Centralia Generation | Coal | 730 MW | 2020 |
The Lewis County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 27,423 | $60,885 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,417 | $69,032 | 0.98 |
| Data processing and hosting | 18 | $158,309 | 0.21 |
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 Lewis County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lewis County. Washington has 21 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Pierce County, Skamania County, Yakima County.
Lewis County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Lewis County, Pierce 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County | 88,062 | ▲ 2.2% | 1,883 MW | — | — | — |
| Cowlitz County | 114,885 | ▲ 4.1% | 768 MW | — | — | — |
| Grays Harbor County | 78,144 | ▲ 2.6% | 767 MW | — | — | — |
| Pacific County | 24,357 | ▼ 0.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Pierce County | 946,288 | ▲ 6.4% | 641 MW | 200 MW | 6 | 1 |
| Skamania County | 12,669 | ▲ 4.5% | 240 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Thurston County | 304,261 | ▲ 9.6% | 149 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Wahkiakum County | 4,873 | ▼ 4.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Yakima County | 259,185 | ▼ 0.4% | 194 MW | 80 MW | 1 | 1 |
More of Washington
Lewis County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lewis County, Washington?
6 utilities have service territory in Lewis County in the EIA-861 2024 report: City of Tacoma - (WA), PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, Benton Rural Electric Assn. The largest, City of Tacoma - (WA), charged residential customers 10.81¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Centralia, WA in?
Centralia is in Lewis County, Washington. About 19,375 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lewis County?
6 operating plants with 1,883 MW of capacity. The largest is Transalta Centralia Generation (730 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Lewis County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lewis County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Pierce County.
Is Lewis County adding jobs?
Employers counted 27,423 jobs in 2025 against 26,820 in 2019 (+2.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,313 to 1,417.
Does Lewis County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lewis County. Washington has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.