Walla Walla County, Washington: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Walla Walla, College Place and Waitsburg
Walla Walla County hosts some of the generating capacity Washington runs on. Walla Walla County is home to Walla Walla, College Place and Waitsburg. Construction employs 1,132, up 30.7% since 2019. Next door, Umatilla County, Oregon, has 13 data centers and 604 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 1,592 MW of capacity, 89% of it hydro, the 7th largest fleet in Washington. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 5.1% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Walla Walla County
Walla Walla County is home to Walla Walla, College Place and Waitsburg.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Burbank, Dixie, Garrett, Touchet, Walla Walla East, Wallula.
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 Walla Walla County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Washington |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 62,620 | 62,361 | ▼ 0.4% | 21st of 39 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 27,862 | 28,319 | ▲ 1.6% | 26th of 39 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,186 | $59,136 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 866 | 1,132 | ▲ 30.7% | 4th of 33 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22 | 20 | ▼ 9.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.1% | 4.2% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 137, at an average $74,981 a year. Employers here counted 28,319 jobs in 2025, up 1.6% from 2019. PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Walla Walla County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.08¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.07¢ median for Washington utilities. 62,361 people live here, down 0.4% since 2020.
Who powers Walla Walla County
Utilities with service territory in Walla Walla 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% |
| 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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 1,415 MW | 89% |
| Wind | 177 MW | 11% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Monumental | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 810 MW | 1969 |
| Ice Harbor | USACE Northwestern Division | Hydro | 603 MW | 1962 |
| FPL Energy Vansycle LLC (WA) | FPL Energy Vansycle LLC | Wind | 177 MW | 2001 |
| Twin Reservoirs | City of Walla Walla - (WA) | Hydro | 2 MW | 1988 |
The Walla Walla County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 28,319 | $59,136 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,132 | $69,560 | 0.75 |
| Electrical contractors | 137 | $74,981 | 0.67 |
| Data processing and hosting | 20 | $100,775 | 0.23 |
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 Walla Walla County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Walla Walla County. Washington has 21 local measures on record statewide.
Walla Walla County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Walla Walla 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walla Walla County | 62,361 | ▲ 1.6% | 1,592 MW | — | — | — |
| Benton County | 221,722 | ▲ 8.9% | 1,322 MW | 1,200 MW | 1 | — |
| Columbia County | 4,141 | ▼ 10.8% | 1,467 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County | 102,612 | ▲ 8.6% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Umatilla County OR | 81,119 | ▲ 4.6% | 2,719 MW | 604 MW | 13 | — |
More of Washington
Walla Walla County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Walla Walla County, Washington?
4 utilities have service territory in Walla Walla County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp, Inland Power & Light Company, Columbia Rural Elec Assn, Inc, Bonneville Power Administration. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 11.08¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Walla Walla, WA in?
Walla Walla is in Walla Walla County, Washington. About 34,058 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Walla Walla County?
4 operating plants with 1,592 MW of capacity. The largest is Lower Monumental (810 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Walla Walla County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Walla Walla County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Umatilla County.
Is Walla Walla County adding jobs?
Employers counted 28,319 jobs in 2025 against 27,862 in 2019 (+1.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 866 to 1,132.
Does Walla Walla County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Walla Walla County. Washington has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.