Jobs & Economy in Kemmerer
Kemmerer's economy runs on a real, genuinely distinctive combination of coal mining, a substantial and currently active nuclear-energy construction project, and heritage tourism.
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Learn moreA real, current coal-mining pillar
The Kemmerer Mine, operated by Westmoreland Coal Company, remains a real, current major local employer, continuing the town's coal-mining identity dating to its 1897 founding.
A real, current, and substantial nuclear-energy transition
TerraPower's Natrium project -- a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor -- is under active construction at the site of the retiring Naughton coal plant, with the NRC's first commercial reactor construction permit in nearly a decade. Field construction mobilized in April 2026, targeting approximately 1,600 construction jobs and approximately 250 permanent operating jobs by 2030.
JCPenney heritage tourism
The real, current JCPenney Mother Store, J.C. Penney House museum, and Fossil Butte National Monument (15 miles west) together draw a real, genuine heritage- and natural-history-tourism visitor base.
Key takeaways
- The Kemmerer Mine (Westmoreland Coal Company) remains a real, current major local employer.
- TerraPower's Natrium nuclear project is a real, current, substantial construction-and-jobs driver through 2030.
- Kemmerer's JCPenney-founding history and nearby Fossil Butte National Monument support a real heritage-tourism draw.
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