Guadalupe County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Santa Rosa
Guadalupe 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. Guadalupe County is home to Santa Rosa. 145 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 235 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Employers here counted 1,487 jobs in 2025, up 3.3% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 5.5% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Guadalupe County
Guadalupe County is home to Santa Rosa.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Anton Chico, Llano del Medio, Newkirk, Pastura, Puerto de Luna.
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 Guadalupe County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 4,440 | 4,343 | ▼ 2.2% | 27th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,439 | 1,487 | ▲ 3.3% | 12th of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,691 | $43,481 | ▲ 37.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.5% | 4.9% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 145 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Guadalupe County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.16¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.46¢ median for New Mexico utilities. 4,343 people live here, down 2.2% since 2020.
Who powers Guadalupe County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +145 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Guadalupe County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,126 | 17.16¢ | 20% |
| Farmers Electric Coop, Inc - (NM) | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,258 | 12.87¢ | 27% |
| Mora-San Miguel Elec Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 235 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aragonne Wind LLC | Leeward Asset Management, LLC | Wind | 235 MW | 2006 |
The Guadalupe County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,487 | $43,481 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 47 | $42,486 | 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 Guadalupe County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Guadalupe County. New Mexico has 12 local measures on record statewide.
Guadalupe County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Guadalupe County, Lincoln 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe County | 4,343 | ▲ 3.3% | 235 MW | — | — | — |
| De Baca County | 1,647 | ▲ 3.7% | — | 158 MW | — | — |
| Lincoln County | 19,844 | ▲ 1.1% | 3,291 MW | — | — | — |
| Quay County | 8,454 | ▼ 1.1% | 409 MW | — | — | — |
| San Miguel County | 26,260 | ▼ 2.4% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Torrance County | 16,100 | ▼ 2.5% | 2,170 MW | — | — | — |
More of New Mexico
Guadalupe County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Guadalupe County, New Mexico?
3 utilities have service territory in Guadalupe County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc, Farmers Electric Coop, Inc - (NM), Mora-San Miguel Elec Coop. The largest, Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 17.16¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Guadalupe County?
1 operating plant with 235 MW of capacity. The largest is Aragonne Wind LLC (235 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Guadalupe County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Guadalupe County.
Is Guadalupe County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,487 jobs in 2025 against 1,439 in 2019 (+3.3%, BLS QCEW).
Does Guadalupe County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Guadalupe County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.