Lea County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hobbs, Lovington and Eunice
New generation is lining up in Lea County. Lea County is home to Hobbs, Lovington, Eunice and Jal. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Google Lea County data center. 721 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Lydian Energy (solar), the 2nd largest pipeline among New Mexico's counties. 295 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 3,040, down 17.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.7 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Its power plants have 1,844 MW of capacity, 75% of it natural gas, the 4th largest fleet in New Mexico.
Cities and towns in Lea County
Lea County is home to Hobbs, Lovington, Eunice and Jal.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Monument, Nadine, North Hobbs.
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 Lea County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 74,634 | 74,749 | ▲ 0.2% | 7th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 33,028 | 34,047 | ▲ 3.1% | 13th of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $56,051 | $71,747 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,696 | 3,040 | ▼ 17.7% | 21st of 22 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 767 | 725 | ▼ 5.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 4.3% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 358 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 75 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 721 MW | 39% of today's fleet | 2nd of 14 by size |
Owners plan to retire 402 MW more by 2035, led by Cunningham in 2027. 358 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. 75 MW has retired here since 2019, including Cunningham (natural gas, 75 MW, 2024). Employers here counted 34,047 jobs in 2025, up 3.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Lea County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.98¢/kWh in 2024, below the 15.46¢ median for New Mexico utilities. Electrical contractors employ 725, down 5.5% since 2019 against up 18.1% statewide, at an average $94,805 a year. 74,749 people live here, up 0.2% since 2020, 7th of 33 New Mexico counties by population.
Who powers Lea County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +283 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lea 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% |
| 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% |
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 13
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,384 MW | 75% |
| Wind | 307 MW | 17% |
| Solar | 117 MW | 6% |
| Battery storage | 36 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbs Generating Station | Lea Power Partners LLC | Natural gas | 682 MW | 2008 |
| Cunningham | Southwestern Public Service Co | Natural gas | 444 MW | 1965 |
| Oso Grande Wind Farm | Tucson Electric Power Co | Wind | 250 MW | 2021 |
| Maddox | Southwestern Public Service Co | Natural gas | 212 MW | 1963 |
| Cunningham Solar I & BESS | Southwestern Public Service Co | Battery storage | 108 MW | 2026 |
| LCEC Generation LLVC | Western Farmers Elec Coop, Inc | Natural gas | 46 MW | 2012 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Ranch II | Solar Photovoltaic | 230 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | Lydian Energy |
| Tip Top Solar Energy Center LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 220 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Invenergy Services LLC |
| Cunningham Solar II | Solar Photovoltaic | 196 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | Southwestern Public Service Co |
| AC Ranch I | Solar Photovoltaic | 75 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Lydian Energy |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cunningham | Natural gas | 75 MW | 2024 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cunningham | Natural gas | 190 MW | 2027 |
| Maddox | Natural gas | 114 MW | 2028 |
| Maddox | Natural gas | 98 MW | 2034 |
The Lea County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 34,047 | $71,747 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,040 | $78,856 | 1.69 |
| Electrical contractors | 725 | $94,805 | 2.95 |
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 Lea County
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Lea County data center | pending review | — |
Lea County and its neighbors
Of the 9 counties that border Lea County, Yoakum 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea County | 74,749 | ▲ 3.1% | 1,844 MW | 721 MW | — | — |
| Andrews County TX | 18,914 | ▼ 2.6% | 1,298 MW | 223 MW | — | — |
| Chaves County | 63,364 | ▲ 3.0% | 194 MW | — | — | — |
| Cochran County TX | 2,546 | ▼ 0.3% | 150 MW | 120 MW | — | — |
| Eddy County | 62,509 | ▲ 2.8% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Gaines County TX | 23,956 | ▲ 9.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Loving County TX | 52 | ▲ 302.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Roosevelt County | 18,615 | ▼ 0.4% | 942 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Winkler County TX | 7,540 | ▲ 18.2% | 250 MW | — | — | — |
| Yoakum County TX | 7,438 | ▼ 12.7% | 1,016 MW | 507 MW | — | — |
More of New Mexico
Lea County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lea County, New Mexico?
3 utilities have service territory in Lea County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, Lea County Electric Coop, Inc - (NM), Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 11.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Hobbs, NM in?
Hobbs is in Lea County, New Mexico. About 40,863 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Lovington, NM in?
Lovington is in Lea County, New Mexico. About 11,620 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lea County?
13 operating plants with 1,844 MW of capacity. The largest is Hobbs Generating Station (682 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Lea County?
721 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 295 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Lydian Energy.
Are there data centers in Lea County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lea County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Yoakum County.
Is Lea County adding jobs?
Employers counted 34,047 jobs in 2025 against 33,028 in 2019 (+3.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,696 to 3,040.
Does Lea County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lea County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.