Chaves County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Roswell and Dexter
Chaves County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Chaves County is home to Roswell, Dexter and Hagerman. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Project Zenith (Roswell). Construction employs 695, down 10.4% since 2019. 35 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 194 MW of capacity, 92% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Chaves County
Chaves County is home to Roswell, Dexter and Hagerman.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Midway.
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 Chaves County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 65,154 | 63,364 | ▼ 2.7% | 10th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 21,219 | 21,847 | ▲ 3.0% | 14th of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,480 | $49,083 | ▲ 31.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 776 | 695 | ▼ 10.4% | 19th of 22 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.8% | 4.9% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 35 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 95, at an average $69,689 a year. Employers here counted 21,847 jobs in 2025, up 3.0% from 2019. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Chaves County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.98¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.46¢ median for New Mexico utilities. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 4.8% in 2019. 63,364 people live here, down 2.7% since 2020, 10th of 33 New Mexico counties by population.
Who powers Chaves County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +35 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Chaves County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Public Service Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 100,540 | 11.98¢ | 24% |
| Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,126 | 17.16¢ | 20% |
| Otero County Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 16,448 | 17.65¢ | 44% |
| Lea County Electric Coop, Inc - (NM) | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,217 | 10.07¢ | 45% |
| Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 6,150 | 8.91¢ | 5% |
| Roosevelt County Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,918 | 12.07¢ | 5% |
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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 179 MW | 92% |
| Wind | 15 MW | 8% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaves Solar, LLC | Chaves Solar LLC | Solar | 70 MW | 2016 |
| Roswell Solar, LLC | Roswell Solar, LLC | Solar | 70 MW | 2016 |
| Chaves County Solar II | Chaves County Solar II, LLC | Solar | 30 MW | 2023 |
| Anderson Wind II | Anderson Wind II LLC | Wind | 10 MW | 2014 |
| Anderson Wind I | Anderson Wind I LLC | Wind | 5 MW | 2014 |
| XCEL-1 Community Solar | Affordable Solar Silver City, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2026 |
The Chaves County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 21,847 | $49,083 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 695 | $55,362 | 0.60 |
| Electrical contractors | 95 | $69,689 | 0.60 |
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 Chaves County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Zenith (Roswell) | pending review | — |
Chaves County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Chaves County, Lea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaves County | 63,364 | ▲ 3.0% | 194 MW | — | — | — |
| De Baca County | 1,647 | ▲ 3.7% | — | 158 MW | — | — |
| Eddy County | 62,509 | ▲ 2.8% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Lea County | 74,749 | ▲ 3.1% | 1,844 MW | 721 MW | — | — |
| Lincoln County | 19,844 | ▲ 1.1% | 3,291 MW | — | — | — |
| Otero County | 70,368 | ▲ 0.8% | 193 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Roosevelt County | 18,615 | ▼ 0.4% | 942 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
More of New Mexico
Chaves County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Chaves County, New Mexico?
6 utilities have service territory in Chaves County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc, Otero County Electric Coop Inc, Lea County Electric Coop, Inc - (NM). The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 11.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Roswell, NM in?
Roswell is in Chaves County, New Mexico. About 46,878 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Chaves County?
8 operating plants with 194 MW of capacity. The largest is Chaves Solar, LLC (70 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Chaves County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Chaves County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lea County.
Is Chaves County adding jobs?
Employers counted 21,847 jobs in 2025 against 21,219 in 2019 (+3.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 776 to 695.
Does Chaves County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Chaves County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.