Santa Fe County, New Mexico: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Santa Fe, Edgewood and Española
Santa Fe County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Santa Fe County, 4% of New Mexico's total. Santa Fe County is home to Santa Fe, Edgewood and part of Española (3,400 of its 10,458 residents). The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (2 in force); the latest is “18-month data center moratorium”. Construction employs 3,062, up 6.4% since 2019. 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Santa Fe County
Santa Fe County is home to Santa Fe, Edgewood and part of Española (3,400 of its 10,458 residents).
- Española also extends into Rio Arriba County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Agua Fria, Arroyo Hondo, Barton, Cañada de los Alamos, Cañoncito, Cedar Grove, Chimayo, Chupadero, Conejo, Cuartelez, Cundiyo, Cuyamungue, Cuyamungue Grant, El Rancho, El Valle de Arroyo Seco, Eldorado at Santa Fe, Encantado, Galisteo, Glorieta, Golden, Hyde Park, Jacona, Jaconita, La Bajada, La Cienega, La Cueva, La Puebla, La Tierra, Lamy, Las Campanas, Los Cerrillos, Madrid, Nambe, Peak Place, Pojoaque, Rio Chiquito, Rio en Medio, San Ildefonso Pueblo, San Pedro, Santa Cruz and 12 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 Santa Fe County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in New Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 155,068 | 156,907 | ▲ 1.2% | 4th of 33 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 62,595 | 61,880 | ▼ 1.1% | 23rd of 33 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,600 | $64,379 | ▲ 41.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,879 | 3,062 | ▲ 6.4% | 13th of 22 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19 | 69 | ▲ 263.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 4.2% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 14 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Public Service Co of NM is the largest utility serving Santa Fe County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.57¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 61,880 jobs in 2025, down 1.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 156,907 people live here, up 1.2% since 2020, 4th of 33 New Mexico counties by population.
Who powers Santa Fe County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +5 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Santa Fe 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% |
| Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,126 | 17.16¢ | 20% |
| 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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 14 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Solar Energy Center | PNM Resources | Solar | 10 MW | 2015 |
| Juniper Sol Solar CSG | Juniper Sol Solar | Solar | 5 MW | 2026 |
The Santa Fe County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 61,880 | $64,379 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,062 | $58,618 | 0.93 |
| Data processing and hosting | 69 | $158,743 | 0.36 |
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 Santa Fe County
1 data center in Santa Fe County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Local measures 2
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-month data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 | |
| Santa Fe County (yearlong data center moratorium advancing), NM data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 |
Santa Fe County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Santa Fe County, Bernalillo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe County | 156,907 | ▼ 1.1% | 14 MW | — | 1 | 2 |
| Bernalillo County | 667,601 | ▲ 4.0% | 1,247 MW | 250 MW | 14 | — |
| Los Alamos County | 19,407 | ▲ 30.7% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Mora County | 4,051 | ▼ 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Rio Arriba County | 39,832 | ▼ 2.8% | 338 MW | — | — | — |
| San Miguel County | 26,260 | ▼ 2.4% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Sandoval County | 159,565 | ▲ 13.4% | 467 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Torrance County | 16,100 | ▼ 2.5% | 2,170 MW | — | — | — |
More of New Mexico
Santa Fe County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Santa Fe County, New Mexico?
4 utilities have service territory in Santa Fe County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of NM, Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc, Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc, Mora-San Miguel Elec Coop. The largest, Public Service Co of NM, charged residential customers 15.57¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Santa Fe, NM in?
Santa Fe is in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. About 89,837 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Santa Fe County?
2 operating plants with 14 MW of capacity. The largest is Santa Fe Solar Energy Center (10 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Santa Fe County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Santa Fe County.
Is Santa Fe County adding jobs?
Employers counted 61,880 jobs in 2025 against 62,595 in 2019 (-1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,879 to 3,062.
Does Santa Fe County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Santa Fe County, 2 in force.