Doña Ana County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Las Cruces and Sunland Park, and the communities of Santa Teresa and White Sands
Doña Ana County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Doña Ana County, 19% of New Mexico's total. Construction employs 5,309, up 43.3% since 2019. Doña Ana County is home to Las Cruces, Sunland Park, Anthony and Mesilla, plus the unincorporated communities of Santa Teresa and White Sands. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Green Chile Project (gas pipeline for Project Jupiter). 155 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Santa Teresa Solar (battery storage), the 9th largest pipeline among New Mexico's counties. 155 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Doña Ana County
Doña Ana County is home to Las Cruces, Sunland Park, Anthony and Mesilla, plus the unincorporated communities of Santa Teresa and White Sands.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Santa Teresa, White Sands, Berino, Butterfield Park, Chamberino, Chaparral, Doña Ana, Fairacres, Garfield, La Mesa, La Union, Mesquite, Organ, Picacho Hills, Placitas, Radium Springs, Rincon, Rodey, Salem, San Miguel, San Pablo, San Ysidro, Tortugas, University Park, Vado.
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 Doña Ana County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 220,059 | 229,091 | ▲ 4.1% | 2nd of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 73,391 | 81,834 | ▲ 11.5% | 4th of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,581 | $52,236 | ▲ 32.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,706 | 5,309 | ▲ 43.3% | 3rd of 22 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.9% | 5.3% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 394 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 53 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 155 MW | 14% of today's fleet | 9th of 14 by size |
Employers here counted 81,834 jobs in 2025, up 11.5% from 2019 (the 4th fastest growth of 33 New Mexico counties). 394 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Owners plan to retire 216 MW more by 2035, led by Rio Grande in 2033. Its power plants have 1,085 MW of capacity, 59% of it natural gas, the 6th largest fleet in New Mexico. 53 MW has retired here since 2019, including Rio Grande (natural gas, 50 MW, 2025). Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 5.9% in 2019. Public Service Co of NM is the largest utility serving Doña Ana County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.57¢/kWh in 2024. 229,091 people live here, up 4.1% since 2020, 2nd of 33 New Mexico counties by population.
Who powers Doña Ana County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +341 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Doña Ana 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% |
| El Paso Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 94,760 | 10.16¢ | 49% |
| Columbus 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 14
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 640 MW | 59% |
| Solar | 369 MW | 34% |
| Battery storage | 76 MW | 7% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande | El Paso Electric Co | Natural gas | 348 MW | 1958 |
| Afton Generating Station | Public Service Co of NM | Natural gas | 287 MW | 2002 |
| Milagro Solar I | Milagro Solar I, LLC | Battery storage | 225 MW | 2025 |
| Santa Teresa Solar | Santa Teresa Solar | Solar | 150 MW | 2026 |
| Roadrunner Solar | NRG Solar Roadrunner | Solar | 20 MW | 2011 |
| SunE EPE2 LLC | SunE EPE2, LLC | Solar | 12 MW | 2012 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Teresa Solar | Batteries | 150 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Santa Teresa Solar |
| USS Jornada Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | USS Jornada Solar LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande | Natural gas | 50 MW | 2025 |
| Nodal Power | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2025 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande | Natural gas | 166 MW | 2033 |
| Rio Grande | Natural gas | 50 MW | 2027 |
The Doña Ana County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 81,834 | $52,236 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 5,309 | $63,854 | 1.22 |
| Electric utilities | 291 | $108,148 | 1.31 |
| Data processing and hosting | 108 | $67,375 | 0.42 |
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 Doña Ana County
5 data centers in Doña Ana County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Chile Project (gas pipeline for Project Jupiter) | denied | — |
Doña Ana County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Doña Ana County, El Paso 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doña Ana County | 229,091 | ▲ 11.5% | 1,085 MW | 155 MW | 5 | — |
| El Paso County TX | 877,858 | ▲ 8.4% | 1,928 MW | 500 MW | 3 | — |
| Luna County | 25,407 | ▲ 5.2% | 1,058 MW | 8 MW | — | — |
| Otero County | 70,368 | ▲ 0.8% | 193 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Sierra County | 11,395 | ▲ 8.3% | 31 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of New Mexico
Doña Ana County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Doña Ana County, New Mexico?
3 utilities have service territory in Doña Ana County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NM, El Paso Electric Co, Columbus Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Public Service Co of NM, charged residential customers 15.57¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Las Cruces, NM in?
Las Cruces is in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. About 116,978 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Sunland Park, NM in?
Sunland Park is in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. About 18,268 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Doña Ana County?
14 operating plants with 1,085 MW of capacity. The largest is Rio Grande (348 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Doña Ana County?
155 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 155 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Santa Teresa Solar.
Are there data centers in Doña Ana County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Doña Ana County.
Is Doña Ana County adding jobs?
Employers counted 81,834 jobs in 2025 against 73,391 in 2019 (+11.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,706 to 5,309.
Does Doña Ana County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Doña Ana County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.