Sweetwater County, Wyoming: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Rock Springs and Green River
Sweetwater County hosts some of the generating capacity Wyoming runs on. Sweetwater County is home to Rock Springs and Green River. Construction employs 1,325, down 19.1% since 2019. Its power plants have 2,500 MW of capacity, 49% of it coal, the largest fleet in Wyoming. Next door, Carbon County has 3,557 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 20,348 jobs in 2025, down 8.7% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Sweetwater County
Sweetwater County is home to Rock Springs and Green River.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Arrowhead Springs, Clearview Acres, Eden, Farson, James Town, Little America, McKinnon, North Rock Springs, Point of Rocks, Purple Sage, Reliance, Table Rock, Washam.
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 Sweetwater County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wyoming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 42,194 | 41,267 | ▼ 2.2% | 4th of 23 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22,293 | 20,348 | ▼ 8.7% | 20th of 23 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $60,281 | $70,405 | ▲ 16.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,638 | 1,325 | ▼ 19.1% | 13th of 14 by growth |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 77 | 103 | ▲ 33.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019. PacifiCorp is the largest utility serving Sweetwater County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.44¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.98¢ median for Wyoming utilities. 41,267 people live here, down 2.2% since 2020, 4th of 23 Wyoming counties by population.
Who powers Sweetwater County
Utilities with service territory in Sweetwater County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 118,130 | 13.44¢ | 16% |
| Bridger Valley Elec Assn, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 77% |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,233 MW | 49% |
| Natural gas | 1,164 MW | 47% |
| Solar | 92 MW | 4% |
| Other technologies | 12 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Bridger | PacifiCorp | Natural gas | 2,326 MW | 1974 |
| Sweetwater Solar | Onward Energy | Solar | 92 MW | 2018 |
| WE Soda Alkalai LLC | WE Soda Alkali | Coal | 41 MW | 1953 |
| General Chemical | Tata Chemicals Partners | Coal | 30 MW | 1968 |
| Simplot Phosphates | Simplot Phosphates LLC | Other technologies | 12 MW | 1986 |
The Sweetwater County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 20,348 | $70,405 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,325 | $74,153 | 1.23 |
| Power and communication line construction | 103 | $76,436 | 3.13 |
| Data processing and hosting | 6 | $143,388 | 0.09 |
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 Sweetwater County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sweetwater County. Wyoming has 2 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Moffat County.
Sweetwater County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Sweetwater County, Carbon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater County | 41,267 | ▼ 8.7% | 2,500 MW | — | — | — |
| Carbon County | 14,013 | ▼ 9.6% | 1,847 MW | 3,557 MW | — | — |
| Daggett County UT | 934 | ▲ 11.5% | 152 MW | — | — | — |
| Fremont County | 39,464 | ▲ 1.6% | 31 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lincoln County | 21,180 | ▲ 12.7% | 864 MW | 500 MW | — | — |
| Moffat County CO | 13,122 | ▼ 3.1% | 1,577 MW | 200 MW | — | 1 |
| Sublette County | 8,929 | ▼ 2.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Summit County UT | 43,141 | ▲ 15.6% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Uinta County | 20,728 | ● 0.0% | 285 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Wyoming
Sweetwater County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sweetwater County, Wyoming?
3 utilities have service territory in Sweetwater County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PacifiCorp, Bridger Valley Elec Assn, Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, PacifiCorp, charged residential customers 13.44¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Rock Springs, WY in?
Rock Springs is in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. About 22,936 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Green River, WY in?
Green River is in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. About 11,450 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sweetwater County?
5 operating plants with 2,500 MW of capacity. The largest is Jim Bridger (2,326 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Sweetwater County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sweetwater County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Carbon County.
Is Sweetwater County adding jobs?
Employers counted 20,348 jobs in 2025 against 22,293 in 2019 (-8.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,638 to 1,325.
Does Sweetwater County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sweetwater County. Wyoming has 2 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.