# Santa Cruz County, Arizona: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Nogales

Santa Cruz County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Santa Cruz County. Santa Cruz County is home to Nogales and Patagonia. Unemployment was 9.0% in August 2026, against 8.2% in 2019. Employers here counted 14,194 jobs in 2025, up 4.3% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 15 Arizona counties). Its power plants have 114 MW of capacity, 95% of it natural gas.

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

+4.3%
total jobs since 2019, now 14,194

114 MW
of operating power plants, mostly natural gas

## Cities and towns in Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County is home to Nogales and Patagonia.

Nogales19,495 residents
Patagonia771 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Amado, Beyerville, Elgin, Kino Springs, Rio Rico, Sonoita, Tubac, Tumacacori-Carmen.

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 Santa Cruz County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arizona |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 47,711 | 50,020 | ▲ 4.8% | 12th of 15 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,608 | 14,194 | ▲ 4.3% | 9th of 15 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,586 | $60,736 | ▲ 25.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 8.2% | 9.0% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Arizona Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Santa Cruz County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.45¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.49¢ median for Arizona utilities. 50,020 people live here, up 4.8% since 2020.

## Who powers Santa Cruz County

### Utilities with service territory in Santa Cruz County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Public Service Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,256,120 | 16.45¢ | 48% |
| UNS Electric, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 95,191 | 16.02¢ | 39% |
| Trico Electric Cooperative Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 52,450 | 14.17¢ | 27% |
| Sulphur Springs Valley E C Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 46,008 | 13.49¢ | 51% |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 108 MW | 95% |
| Solar | 6 MW | 5% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia | UNS Electric, Inc | Natural gas | 108 MW | 1989 |
| Rio Rico Solar | UNS Electric, Inc | Solar | 6 MW | 2014 |

## The Santa Cruz County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 14,194 | $60,736 | 1.00 |

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 Santa Cruz County

1 data center in Santa Cruz County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Santa Cruz County and its neighbors

Of the 2 counties that border Santa Cruz County, Pima 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County | 50,020 | ▲ 4.3% | 114 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Cochise County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arizona/cochise-county) | 126,332 | ▲ 1.3% | 1,666 MW | 351 MW | 1 | — |
| Pima County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arizona/pima-county) | 1,074,685 | ▲ 3.0% | 2,075 MW | — | 13 | 1 |

## More of Arizona

[All Arizona countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arizona)[Pima County1,074,685 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arizona/pima-county)[Cochise County126,332 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arizona/cochise-county)

## Santa Cruz County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Santa Cruz County, Arizona?

4 utilities have service territory in Santa Cruz County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Arizona Public Service Co, UNS Electric, Inc, Trico Electric Cooperative Inc, Sulphur Springs Valley E C Inc. The largest, Arizona Public Service Co, charged residential customers 16.45¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Nogales, AZ in?

Nogales is in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. About 19,495 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Santa Cruz County?

2 operating plants with 114 MW of capacity. The largest is Valencia (108 MW, natural gas).

### Are there data centers in Santa Cruz County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Santa Cruz County.

### Is Santa Cruz County adding jobs?

Employers counted 14,194 jobs in 2025 against 13,608 in 2019 (+4.3%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Santa Cruz County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Santa Cruz County. Arizona has 6 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arizona/santa-cruz-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).