Cibola County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Grants and Milan
Cibola County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Cibola County is home to Grants and Milan. Next door, Bernalillo County has 14 data centers and 250 MW of planned generation. 106 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 7,268 jobs in 2025, down 4.8% from 2019. Its power plants have 114 MW of capacity, 56% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Cibola County
Cibola County is home to Grants and Milan.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Acomita Lake, Anzac Village, Bibo, Bluewater Village, Broadview, Candy Kitchen, Cubero, El Morro Valley, Encinal, Fence Lake, Golden Acres, Laguna, Las Tusas, Lobo Canyon, McCartys Village, Mesita, Moquino, Mount Taylor, Mountain View, North Acomita Village, Paguate, Paraje, Pinehill, San Fidel, San Mateo, San Rafael, Seama, Seboyeta, Skyline-Ganipa, South Acomita Village, Stoneridge, Timberlake.
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 Cibola County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 26,963 | 26,807 | ▼ 0.6% | 16th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,638 | 7,268 | ▼ 4.8% | 28th of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,623 | $50,188 | ▲ 37.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.1% | 6.0% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 106 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 23, at an average $54,866 a year. Public Service Co of NM is the largest utility serving Cibola County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.57¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 6.0% in August 2026, against 6.1% in 2019. 26,807 people live here, down 0.6% since 2020.
Who powers Cibola County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +106 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Cibola County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of NM | Investor Owned | Bundled | 492,945 | 15.57¢ | 39% |
| Continental Divide El Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,415 | 16.02¢ | 21% |
| Socorro Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 64 MW | 56% |
| Battery storage | 50 MW | 44% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 66 Energy Center, LLC | Route 66 Energy Center, LLC | Solar | 50 MW | 2022 |
| Route 66 Energy Storage | Route 66 Energy Storage | Battery storage | 50 MW | 2025 |
| Cibola | PNM Resources | Solar | 8 MW | 2015 |
| Grants CDEC 2 | Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2019 |
| Bluewater CDEC 1 | Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2019 |
The Cibola County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,268 | $50,188 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 23 | $54,866 | 0.44 |
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 Cibola County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cibola County. New Mexico has 12 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Socorro County.
Cibola County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Cibola County, Bernalillo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County | 26,807 | ▼ 4.8% | 114 MW | — | — | — |
| Apache County AZ | 64,445 | ▼ 5.0% | 2,604 MW | — | — | — |
| Bernalillo County | 667,601 | ▲ 4.0% | 1,247 MW | 250 MW | 14 | — |
| Catron County | 3,827 | ▲ 9.0% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
| McKinley County | 68,119 | ▼ 7.6% | 658 MW | 140 MW | — | — |
| Sandoval County | 159,565 | ▲ 13.4% | 467 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Socorro County | 15,838 | ▼ 5.4% | — | — | — | 2 |
| Valencia County | 82,013 | ▲ 17.0% | 621 MW | 203 MW | 6 | — |
More of New Mexico
Cibola County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cibola County, New Mexico?
3 utilities have service territory in Cibola County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NM, Continental Divide El Coop Inc, Socorro Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Public Service Co of NM, charged residential customers 15.57¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Cibola County?
5 operating plants with 114 MW of capacity. The largest is Route 66 Energy Center, LLC (50 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Cibola County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cibola County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Bernalillo County.
Is Cibola County adding jobs?
Employers counted 7,268 jobs in 2025 against 7,638 in 2019 (-4.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Cibola County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cibola County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.