McKinley County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Gallup
McKinley County is living through the turnover of the U.S. power fleet. McKinley County is home to Gallup. Electrical contractors employ 105, up 54.4% since 2019 against up 18.1% statewide, at an average $67,974 a year. 140 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Solariant Capital, LLC (solar), the 10th largest pipeline among New Mexico's counties. Construction employs 717, up 18.7% since 2019. Next door, San Juan County has 1,729 MW of planned generation.
Cities and towns in McKinley County
McKinley County is home to Gallup.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Becenti, Black Hat, Black Rock, Bluewater, Borrego Pass, Brimhall Nizhoni, Catalpa Canyon, Church Rock, Continental Divide, Crestview, Crownpoint, Crystal, Fort Wingate, Gamerco, Haystack, Homer C Jones, Iyanbito, Jamestown, Manuelito, McGaffey, Nakaibito, Navajo, Ojo Encino, Pinedale, Pinehaven, Prewitt, Pueblo Pintado, Purty Rock, Ramah, Red Rock Ranch, Rock Springs, Sagar, Sundance, Thoreau, Timberlake, Tohatchi, Tse Bonito, Twin Lakes, Vanderwagen, White Cliffs and 3 more.
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 McKinley County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 72,540 | 68,119 | ▼ 6.1% | 9th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 20,948 | 19,353 | ▼ 7.6% | 31st of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,510 | $49,177 | ▲ 31.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 604 | 717 | ▲ 18.7% | 8th of 22 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 68 | 105 | ▲ 54.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.9% | 6.9% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 650 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 257 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 140 MW | 21% of today's fleet | 10th of 14 by size |
650 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. 257 MW has retired here since 2019, including Escalante (coal, 257 MW, 2020). Employers here counted 19,353 jobs in 2025, down 7.6% from 2019. Its power plants have 658 MW of capacity, 77% of it solar, the 9th largest fleet in New Mexico. Public Service Co of NM is the largest utility serving McKinley County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.57¢/kWh in 2024. 68,119 people live here, down 6.1% since 2020, 9th of 33 New Mexico counties by population. Unemployment was 6.9% in August 2026, against 6.9% in 2019.
Who powers McKinley County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +393 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in McKinley 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% |
| Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 28,093 | 15.36¢ | 41% |
| Continental Divide El Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,415 | 16.02¢ | 21% |
| Navajo Tribal Utility Authority | State | Bundled | 9,834 | 16.53¢ | 50% |
| City of Gallup - (NM) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 508 MW | 77% |
| Battery storage | 150 MW | 23% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Solar Energy Storage Hybrid | Arroyo Solar LLC | Battery storage | 450 MW | 2023 |
| Escalante (NM) | Origis Energy USA, Inc | Solar | 200 MW | 2024 |
| City of Gallup Solar | Standard Solar | Solar | 8 MW | 2018 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Solar Power Plant LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 90 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Solariant Capital, LLC |
| Wildcat Solar Power Plant LLC | Batteries | 50 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | Solariant Capital, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escalante | Coal | 257 MW | 2020 |
The McKinley County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 19,353 | $49,177 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 717 | $53,972 | 0.70 |
| Electrical contractors | 105 | $67,974 | 0.75 |
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 McKinley County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in McKinley County. New Mexico has 12 local measures on record statewide.
McKinley County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border McKinley County, San Juan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinley County | 68,119 | ▼ 7.6% | 658 MW | 140 MW | — | — |
| Apache County AZ | 64,445 | ▼ 5.0% | 2,604 MW | — | — | — |
| Cibola County | 26,807 | ▼ 4.8% | 114 MW | — | — | — |
| San Juan County | 120,340 | ▲ 2.4% | 2,052 MW | 1,729 MW | — | — |
| Sandoval County | 159,565 | ▲ 13.4% | 467 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
More of New Mexico
McKinley County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in McKinley County, New Mexico?
5 utilities have service territory in McKinley County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NM, Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc, Continental Divide El Coop Inc, Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. The largest, Public Service Co of NM, charged residential customers 15.57¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Gallup, NM in?
Gallup is in McKinley County, New Mexico. About 19,969 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in McKinley County?
3 operating plants with 658 MW of capacity. The largest is Arroyo Solar Energy Storage Hybrid (450 MW, battery storage).
How much new power is planned in McKinley County?
140 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Solariant Capital, LLC.
Are there data centers in McKinley County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in McKinley County. The nearest activity on record is next door in San Juan County.
Is McKinley County adding jobs?
Employers counted 19,353 jobs in 2025 against 20,948 in 2019 (-7.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 604 to 717.
Does McKinley County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for McKinley County. New Mexico has 12 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.