Uvalde County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Uvalde and Sabinal
Uvalde County is a generation frontier for Texas. Uvalde County is home to Uvalde and Sabinal. 480 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by RWE Clean Energy (solar). 180 MW of it is already under construction or built. 204 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Construction employs 306, up 6.6% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 3.9% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Uvalde County
Uvalde County is home to Uvalde and Sabinal.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Knippa, Utopia, Uvalde Estates.
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 Uvalde County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 24,565 | 24,963 | ▲ 1.6% | 103rd of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,811 | 9,739 | ▼ 0.7% | 172nd of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,851 | $48,734 | ▲ 35.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 287 | 306 | ▲ 6.6% | 102nd of 155 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 92 | 84 | ▼ 8.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.9% | 4.9% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 204 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 480 MW | 158% of today's fleet | 55th of 149 by size |
Its power plants have 304 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. AEP Texas Central Company is the largest utility serving Uvalde County, one of 4 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers. Employers here counted 9,739 jobs in 2025, down 0.7% from 2019. 24,963 people live here, up 1.6% since 2020.
Who powers Uvalde County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +204 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Uvalde County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Texas Central Company | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 784,148 | — | — |
| Bandera Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 35,346 | 12.40¢ | 27% |
| Medina Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,205 | 12.10¢ | 20% |
| 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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 304 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Sunray LLC | AP Sunray LLC | Solar | 204 MW | 2024 |
| OCI Alamo 5 LLC | RWE Clean Energy | Solar | 100 MW | 2015 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uvalde Solar 2 | Solar Photovoltaic | 300 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | RWE Clean Energy |
| Nightfall Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 180 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Sol Systems |
The Uvalde County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,739 | $48,734 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 306 | $50,694 | 0.59 |
| Electric utilities | 84 | $123,600 | 3.19 |
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 Uvalde County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Uvalde County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Uvalde County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Uvalde County, Kinney 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uvalde County | 24,963 | ▼ 0.7% | 304 MW | 480 MW | — | — |
| Bandera County | 22,876 | ▲ 14.0% | 20 MW | 133 MW | — | — |
| Edwards County | 1,370 | ▼ 3.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Frio County | 18,823 | ▼ 16.7% | 744 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Kinney County | 3,128 | ▼ 3.9% | 340 MW | 467 MW | — | — |
| Maverick County | 58,823 | ▲ 5.5% | 143 MW | 186 MW | 1 | — |
| Medina County | 56,881 | ▲ 12.3% | — | 180 MW | 3 | — |
| Real County | 2,745 | ▲ 8.9% | 2 MW | 10 MW | — | — |
| Zavala County | 9,037 | ▼ 5.8% | — | 425 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
Uvalde County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Uvalde County, Texas?
4 utilities have service territory in Uvalde County in the EIA-861 2024 report: AEP Texas Central Company, Bandera Electric Coop, Inc, Medina Electric Coop, Inc, Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc.
What county is Uvalde, TX in?
Uvalde is in Uvalde County, Texas. About 15,455 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Uvalde County?
2 operating plants with 304 MW of capacity. The largest is AP Sunray LLC (204 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Uvalde County?
480 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 180 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is RWE Clean Energy.
Are there data centers in Uvalde County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Uvalde County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Kinney County.
Is Uvalde County adding jobs?
Employers counted 9,739 jobs in 2025 against 9,811 in 2019 (-0.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 287 to 306.
Does Uvalde County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Uvalde County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.