Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EPA eGRID, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Electric companies in Otero County, New Mexico

Otero County, NM ranks 3rd of 33 New Mexico counties for ice storm risk, FEMA score 79.1. Otero County, NM has 68,235 residents. Otero County, NM: 5 utilities listed by EIA. Otero County, NM: home electricity prices of 8.91 to 18.30 cents per kWh.

Otero County, NM on the map

Otero County, NM and nearby counties, shaded by storm eventsLunaSierraChavesLincolnEddyOtero

Otero County, NM darker: more storm events

Outage risk in Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 148 in all, 216.9 per 100,000 residents of 68,235, rank 18 of 33 New Mexico counties. Property damage in Otero County, NM: $876K, with 1 direct injuries or deaths.

Events by year in Otero County, NM

events a year, Otero County, NM

  1. 10'15
  2. 5'16
  3. 5'17
  4. 10'18
  5. 16'19
  6. 16'20
  7. 13'21
  8. 14'22
  9. 8'23
  10. 22'24
  11. 29'25

Events by type

events by type, Otero County, NM

  • Thunderstorm and high wind110
  • Winter storm and heavy snow34
  • Tornado3
  • Heat wave1
Otero County, NM outage-linked hazards
Otero County, NMFEMAScoreRankEventsPeakDamage
Otero County, NM, thunderstorm and high windRelatively Low38.410 of 331102025 (27)$586K
Otero County, NM, tornadoVery Low11.318 of 3332015 (1)$275K
Otero County, NM, hurricane and tropical stormVery Low23.66 of 160none$0
Otero County, NM, ice stormRelatively Moderate79.13 of 330none$0
Otero County, NM, winter storm and heavy snowRelatively High93.07 of 33342015 (6)$15K
Otero County, NM, heat waveRelatively Low68.710 of 3312023 (1)$0

Electric utilities in Otero County, NM

Utility listed for Otero County, NMTypeHome price ¢/kWhYearly bill at 654 kWhShare of Otero County, NM median income of $52,717
Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc in Otero County, NMCooperative8.91$6991.33%
El Paso Electric Co in Otero County, NMInvestor Owned10.16$7981.51%
Public Service Co of NM in Otero County, NMInvestor Owned15.57$1,2222.32%
Otero County Electric Coop Inc in Otero County, NMCooperative17.65$1,3862.63%
Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc in Otero County, NMCooperative18.30$1,4362.72%

Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price.

Facts about Otero County, NM

Residents of Otero County, NM, ACS 2023
68,2359 of 33 New Mexico counties
Households in Otero County, NM
24,2852.81 people each
Owner-occupied homes in Otero County, NM
65.0%15,794 owner and 8,491 renter households
Median household income in Otero County, NM
$52,71713 of 33 New Mexico counties
Housing units in Otero County, NM
32,4008,115 vacant or seasonal, 25.0% of the units
Homes heated by electricity in Otero County, NM
23.7%5,748 homes, 13 of 33 New Mexico counties
Utilities listed for Otero County, NM
55 with a home price: Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc, El Paso Electric Co, Public Service Co of NM
Lowest home price in Otero County, NM
8.91 ¢/kWhCentral Valley Elec Coop, Inc, 51.3% below the highest
Highest home price in Otero County, NM
18.30 ¢/kWhRio Grande Electric Coop, Inc
Monthly bill gap in Otero County, NM
$61between the two at 654 kWh, $737 a year, 1.40% of the Otero County, NM median income
ZIP areas touching Otero County, NM
1879837 to 88354
Outage-linked storm events in Otero County, NM
148NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
Homes built before 1980 in Otero County, NM
41.8%median year built 1984
Flood claims in Otero County, NM
19NFIP 2015 to 2025, $169K paid
Home energy burden in Otero County, NM
3.0%$1,058 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)

Electricity price since 2015 in Otero County, NM

Public Service Co of NM charged Otero County, NM homes 13.41 ¢/kWh in 2015. Otero County, NM: 15.57 ¢ in 2024, 16% up. Otero County, NM: against 14% up for the New Mexico average.

Otero County, NM: a 654 kWh month at that price. Otero County, NM: $88 in 2015, $102 in 2024. Otero County, NM: $1,222 a year, 2.3% of the $52,717 median income.

Otero: 10 yearly prices
YearPublic Service Co of NM, Otero County, NMOtero: Gap to New Mexico averageOtero: Gap to U.S. average
2015, Otero13.41+0.94+0.76
2016, Otero12.36+0.33-0.19
2017, Otero13.37+0.49+0.48
2018, Otero13.32+0.64+0.45
2019, Otero13.26+0.75+0.25
2020, Otero14.04+1.10+0.89
2021, Otero14.52+1.00+0.86
2022, Otero14.39+0.55-0.65
2023, Otero15.21+1.36-0.79
2024, Otero15.57+1.37-0.91

Otero County, NM: EIA-861 home prices, 2015 to 2024, not a Otero County, NM price.

CSV

Housing and heating in Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM: 13,551 of 32,400 homes were built before 1980 and 6,814 in 2000 or later. Otero County, NM has 18,987 detached houses, 970 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 9,418 mobile homes, and 8,491 of 24,285 households rent.

Age of homes in Otero County, NM

% of homes by decade built, Otero County, NM

  1. 3pre-40
  2. 240s
  3. 750s
  4. 1160s
  5. 1970s
  6. 1880s
  7. 1990s
  8. 1300s
  9. 810s
  10. 020+

Heating fuel in Otero County, NM

% of homes by main fuel, Otero County

  • Utility gas51.6
  • Electricity23.7
  • Propane12.2
  • Wood9.1
  • Other fuel1.5
  • Fuel oil1.4
Otero County, NM housing against New Mexico counties
Otero County, NMValueState medianGapRank (1 = highest)
Otero County, NM, median year built19841980+4 years8 of 33
Otero County, NM, built before 198041.8%50.7%-8.9 points25 of 33
Otero County, NM, built 2000 or later21.0%18.1%+3.0 points11 of 33
Otero County, NM, detached houses58.6%64.1%-5.5 points26 of 33
Otero County, NM, apartments in 5+ unit buildings3.0%4.1%-1.1 points25 of 33
Otero County, NM, mobile homes29.1%23.9%+5.1 points11 of 33
Otero County, NM, renter households35.0%27.3%+7.7 points4 of 33
Otero County, NM, median home value$149,500$160,800-$11,30019 of 33
Otero County, NM, median gross rent a month$926$810+$11610 of 33
Otero County, NM, people per household2.662.59+0.0711 of 33

Cost of living with electricity in Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM: electricity $1,058 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $1,747, 3.0% of $59,271 income. 23,832 households in Otero County, NM spend about $25.2 million a year on electricity and $41.6 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Otero County, NM ($13,937 a year) spend 9.9% of income, 3.3 times the all-home figure.

Energy burden in Otero County, NM

% of income on energy, Otero County, NM

  • All households3.0
  • Lower income9.9
  • Owners3.0
  • Renters2.9
  • New Mexico counties2.3
Otero County, NM home energy cost by household group
Otero County, NMHomesIncomePowerGasOtherBurden
Otero County, NM, all households23,832$59,271$1,058$578$1113.0%
Otero County, NM, lower income6,167$13,937$837$448$939.9%
Otero County, NM, owners15,649$70,677$1,210$725$1583.0%
Otero County, NM, renters8,183$37,457$766$297$222.9%

Flood claims and flood insurance in Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM: 19 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $169K paid, median paid claim $14,881.

757 of 28,117 residential structures in Otero County, NM carry an NFIP contract. 924 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Otero County, NM on 8 Sep 2026.

Otero County, NM: claims history, not an outage count.

Otero County, NM flood claims and flood insurance
Otero County, NMValueMedian countyRank (1 = highest)
Otero County, NM, claims 2015-202519—10 of 16
Otero County, NM, paid 2015-2025$169K—12 of 16
Otero County, NM, median paid claim$14,881——
Otero County, NM, claims per 1,000 homes0.70.89 of 16
Otero County, NM, homes with flood insurance2.7%0.6%5 of 31
Otero County, NM, policies in force924——
Otero County, NM, repetitive-loss properties<5——

Otero County, NM: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.

Otero County, NM: flood claims by state, flood hub.

Climate and electric heating in Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM totals 3,567 heating degree days and 1,180 cooling degree days a year (1991-2020 normal).

For heating, Otero County, NM is the 27th coldest of 33 counties in New Mexico: 3,567 against a median of 4,510. For cooling, Otero County, NM is the 12th hottest: 1,180 against a median of 844.

Otero County, NM runs furnace and air conditioner, 2,387 degree days apart.

Otero County, NM: 3,361 heating degree days in 2016-2025, 3,567 on the normal, 6% under.

In Otero County, NM, 23.7% of 24,285 homes heat with electricity; the other 76.3% use another main heating fuel.

Otero County, NM

  • Heating degree days, 3,567 vs 4,51079
  • Cooling degree days, 1,180 vs 844140
  • Electric heat, 23.7% vs 14.9%159
  • NM median county100
Otero County, NM: degree days, electric heat
Otero County, NMValueNM median countyOtero County, NM, rank (1 = highest)
Otero County, NM, heating degree days, 1991-2020 normal3,5674,51027 of 33
Otero County, NM, heating degree days, 2016-2025 mean3,3614,26327 of 33
Otero County, NM, cooling degree days, 1991-2020 normal1,18084412 of 33
Otero County, NM, cooling degree days, 2016-2025 mean1,3421,00512 of 33
Otero County, NM, electric heating, ACS 2019-202323.7%14.9%13 of 33

Otero County, NM: ACS B25040, 24,285 homes; NOAA nClimDiv, retrieved 7 Oct 2026.

Analyst note on Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM touches 18 ZIP areas, 79837 to 88354, about 3,791 residents each. Otero County, NM counts 68,235 residents in 24,285 households. 5,748 of the 24,285 homes in Otero County, NM heat with electricity.

Household income in Otero County, NM is $52,717; 15,794 of its 24,285 households own. Otero County, NM has 32,400 housing units, 8,115 (25.0%) vacant or seasonal, and 8,491 rented homes. Otero County, NM logged 148 storm events for its 68,235 residents.

The median home in Otero County, NM dates from 1984. Homes in Otero County, NM pay $1,058 a year for electricity. Otero County, NM home electricity prices run Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc to Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc, $61 a month apart at 654 kWh.

Bill and heat pump calculator, Otero County, NM

Compare Otero County, NM with its neighbours

Cities in Otero County, NM

ZIP codes in Otero County, NM

New Mexico: home prices since 2001, planned plants. 200 MW planned in this county.

Questions on Otero County, NM

Otero County, NM: what do homes pay for electricity?

Otero County, NM homes paid 8.91 to 18.30 cents per kWh in 2024 across 5 listed utilities: $58 to $120 a month at 654 kWh, 1.33% to 2.72% of Otero County, NM income.

Otero County, NM: how many homes heat with electricity?

Otero County, NM: 5,748 of 24,285 occupied homes, 23.7%, rank 13 of 33.

Otero County, NM: median household income?

$52,717 in Otero County, NM, rank 13 of 33; 68,235 residents, 24,285 households.

Otero County, NM: outage-linked storms since 2015?

Otero County, NM: 148 NWS events, peak year 2025.

Otero County, NM: flood insurance claims since 2015?

Otero County, NM: 19 NFIP flood claims, $169K paid, 0.7 per 1,000 homes, 2.7% of homes insured.

How old are the homes in Otero County, NM?

Otero County, NM: median home built 1984; 41.8% predate 1980, 58.6% detached, 3.0% in 5+ unit buildings.

Otero County, NM: share of income for energy?

Otero County, NM homes spend $1,058 a year on electricity, $1,747 on all energy: 3.0% of $59,271; 9.9% for lower incomes.

Primary sources for Otero County, NM

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Otero County, NM ranks 3rd of 33 New Mexico counties for ice storm risk, FEMA score 79.1.