Lincoln County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs and Capitan
Lincoln County hosts some of the generating capacity New Mexico runs on. 3,288 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Electrical contractors employ 34, up 70.0% since 2019 against up 18.1% statewide, at an average $49,747 a year. Lincoln County is home to Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Capitan and Carrizozo. Its power plants have 3,291 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind, the largest fleet in New Mexico. Construction employs 381, up 21.3% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Lincoln County
Lincoln County is home to Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Capitan and Carrizozo.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Nogal.
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 Lincoln County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 20,308 | 19,844 | ▼ 2.3% | 19th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,640 | 6,713 | ▲ 1.1% | 18th of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $32,928 | $45,881 | ▲ 39.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 314 | 381 | ▲ 21.3% | 6th of 22 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 20 | 34 | ▲ 70.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.0% | 4.6% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3,288 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Next door, Otero County has 200 MW of planned generation. Public Service Co of NM is the largest utility serving Lincoln County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.57¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 6,713 jobs in 2025, up 1.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 5.0% in 2019. 19,844 people live here, down 2.3% since 2020.
Who powers Lincoln County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +3,288 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lincoln 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% |
| 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% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 3,288 MW | 100% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunZia Wind South | Pattern Operators LP | Wind | 2,561 MW | 2026 |
| Red Cloud Wind LLC | Pattern Operators LP | Wind | 350 MW | 2021 |
| Tecolote Wind LLC | Pattern Operators LP | Wind | 272 MW | 2021 |
| Duran Mesa LLC | Pattern Operators LP | Wind | 105 MW | 2021 |
| Carrizozo Solar | SoCore Energy LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2018 |
The Lincoln County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,713 | $45,881 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 381 | $46,440 | 1.07 |
| Electrical contractors | 34 | $49,747 | 0.70 |
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 Lincoln County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lincoln County. New Mexico has 12 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Sierra County, Socorro County.
Lincoln County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Lincoln County, Torrance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 19,844 | ▲ 1.1% | 3,291 MW | — | — | — |
| Chaves County | 63,364 | ▲ 3.0% | 194 MW | — | — | — |
| De Baca County | 1,647 | ▲ 3.7% | — | 158 MW | — | — |
| Guadalupe County | 4,343 | ▲ 3.3% | 235 MW | — | — | — |
| Otero County | 70,368 | ▲ 0.8% | 193 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Sierra County | 11,395 | ▲ 8.3% | 31 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Socorro County | 15,838 | ▼ 5.4% | — | — | — | 2 |
| Torrance County | 16,100 | ▼ 2.5% | 2,170 MW | — | — | — |
More of New Mexico
Lincoln County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lincoln County, New Mexico?
4 utilities have service territory in Lincoln County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NM, Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc, Otero County Electric 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 Lincoln County?
5 operating plants with 3,291 MW of capacity. The largest is SunZia Wind South (2,561 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Lincoln County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lincoln County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Otero County.
Is Lincoln County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,713 jobs in 2025 against 6,640 in 2019 (+1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 314 to 381.
Does Lincoln County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lincoln County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.