El Paso County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to El Paso, Socorro and Horizon City
El Paso County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in El Paso County. El Paso County is home to El Paso, Socorro, Horizon City and San Elizario. 500 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Evlou Solar, LLC (solar). 500 MW of it is already under construction or built. Owners plan to retire 662 MW more by 2035, led by Newman in 2031. Its power plants have 1,928 MW of capacity, 91% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in El Paso County
El Paso County is home to El Paso, Socorro, Horizon City and San Elizario.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Agua Dulce, Butterfield, Canutillo, Fabens, Fort Bliss, Homestead Meadows North, Homestead Meadows South, Morning Glory, Prado Verde, Sparks, Tornillo, Westway.
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 El Paso County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 866,582 | 877,858 | ▲ 1.3% | 10th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 311,895 | 338,016 | ▲ 8.4% | 97th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,993 | $51,515 | ▲ 28.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 16,592 | 16,248 | ▼ 2.1% | 122nd of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,988 | 2,251 | ▲ 13.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,182 | 815 | ▼ 31.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 392 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 500 MW | 26% of today's fleet | 53rd of 149 by size |
392 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Employers here counted 338,016 jobs in 2025, up 8.4% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 2,251, up 13.2% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $56,496 a year. Construction employs 16,248, down 2.1% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. El Paso Electric Co is the largest utility serving El Paso County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.46¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.81¢ median for Texas utilities. 877,858 people live here, up 1.3% since 2020, 10th of 254 Texas counties by population.
Who powers El Paso County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +392 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in El Paso County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 312,576 | 13.46¢ | 47% |
| Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,298 | 18.51¢ | 23% |
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 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,748 MW | 91% |
| Solar | 180 MW | 9% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newman | El Paso Electric Co | Natural gas | 1,110 MW | 1960 |
| Montana Power Station | El Paso Electric Co | Natural gas | 527 MW | 2015 |
| Felina | El Paso Electric Co | Solar | 153 MW | 2025 |
| Copper | El Paso Electric Co | Natural gas | 87 MW | 1980 |
| Phelps Dodge Refining | Phelps Dodge Refining Corp | Natural gas | 20 MW | 1986 |
| Newman Solar | Newman Solar LLC | Solar | 10 MW | 2014 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evlou Solar, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 250 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2028 | Evlou Solar, LLC |
| Evlou Solar, LLC | Batteries | 250 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2028 | Evlou Solar, LLC |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newman | Natural gas | 412 MW | 2031 |
| Copper | Natural gas | 87 MW | 2030 |
| Newman | Natural gas | 82 MW | 2027 |
| Newman | Natural gas | 82 MW | 2028 |
The El Paso County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 338,016 | $51,515 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 16,248 | $60,396 | 0.91 |
| Electrical contractors | 2,251 | $56,496 | 0.92 |
| Power and communication line construction | 151 | $90,679 | 0.28 |
| Data processing and hosting | 815 | $60,719 | 0.78 |
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 El Paso County
3 data centers in El Paso County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
El Paso County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border El Paso County, Doña Ana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso County | 877,858 | ▲ 8.4% | 1,928 MW | 500 MW | 3 | — |
| Doña Ana County NM | 229,091 | ▲ 11.5% | 1,085 MW | 155 MW | 5 | — |
| Hudspeth County | 3,433 | ▼ 24.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Otero County NM | 70,368 | ▲ 0.8% | 193 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
El Paso County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in El Paso County, Texas?
2 utilities have service territory in El Paso County in the EIA-861 2024 report: El Paso Electric Co, Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, El Paso Electric Co, charged residential customers 13.46¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is El Paso, TX in?
El Paso is in El Paso County, Texas. About 683,012 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Socorro, TX in?
Socorro is in El Paso County, Texas. About 38,787 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Horizon City, TX in?
Horizon City is in El Paso County, Texas. About 25,118 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in El Paso County?
11 operating plants with 1,928 MW of capacity. The largest is Newman (1,110 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in El Paso County?
500 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 500 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Evlou Solar, LLC.
Are there data centers in El Paso County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in El Paso County.
Is El Paso County adding jobs?
Employers counted 338,016 jobs in 2025 against 311,895 in 2019 (+8.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 16,592 to 16,248.
Does El Paso County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for El Paso County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.