Hudspeth County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Acala and Fort Hancock
Hudspeth County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Hudspeth County is home to Dell City. Employers here counted 1,133 jobs in 2025, down 24.8% from 2019. Next door, El Paso County has 3 data centers and 500 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 5.8% in 2019. El Paso Electric Co is the largest utility serving Hudspeth 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.
Cities and towns in Hudspeth County
Hudspeth County is home to Dell City.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Acala, Fort Hancock, Sierra Blanca.
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 Hudspeth County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,189 | 3,433 | ▲ 7.7% | 212th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,506 | 1,133 | ▼ 24.8% | 248th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $60,645 | $82,230 | ▲ 35.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.8% | 4.3% | ▼ 1.5pts | — |
3,433 people live here, up 7.7% since 2020.
Who powers Hudspeth County
Utilities with service territory in Hudspeth 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.
No operating power plant is located in Hudspeth County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Hudspeth County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,133 | $82,230 | 1.00 |
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 Hudspeth County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Hudspeth County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Hudspeth County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Hudspeth County, El Paso 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudspeth County | 3,433 | ▼ 24.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Culberson County | 2,267 | ▲ 33.0% | 492 MW | 36 MW | — | — |
| El Paso County | 877,858 | ▲ 8.4% | 1,928 MW | 500 MW | 3 | — |
| Jeff Davis County | 1,711 | ▼ 7.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Otero County NM | 70,368 | ▲ 0.8% | 193 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Presidio County | 5,433 | ▼ 5.7% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Hudspeth County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Hudspeth County, Texas?
2 utilities have service territory in Hudspeth 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.
Are there data centers in Hudspeth County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Hudspeth County. The nearest activity on record is next door in El Paso County.
Is Hudspeth County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,133 jobs in 2025 against 1,506 in 2019 (-24.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Hudspeth County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Hudspeth County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.