Who runs the utilities in New Mexico?
New Mexico has 885,148 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (95% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 77.8%. Cooperative 16.2%. Municipal 4.9%. State and federal 1.1%. New Mexico ranks 25th of 51 states, investor-owned.
New Mexico homes by utility type
New Mexico: customers by type, %
- 77.8Investor-owned
- 4.9Municipal
- 16.2Cooperative
- 1.1State and federal
| New Mexico type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 1 | 688,245 | 77.8% | 13.94 | not shown | 659 | 76% |
| Municipal | 7 | 43,732 | 4.9% | 12.95 | -0.99 (-7%) | 653 | 59% |
| Cooperative | 17 | 143,337 | 16.2% | 15.07 | +1.13 (+8%) | 650 | 74% |
| State and federal | 0 | 9,834 | 1.1% | not shown | not shown | 513 | 50% |
New Mexico: 11 short-form utilities with 60,284 customers (all sectors) have no residential split, so the sales file reaches 95% of homes.
New Mexico prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 12.9 cents, 1.0 cents (7%) below investor-owned at 13.9; cooperatives average 15.1 cents, 1.1 cents (8%) above investor-owned at 13.9.
New Mexico gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
New Mexico: which utilities set the averages
Cooperative at 15.1 cents and municipal utilities at 12.9 are the widest pair in New Mexico, 2.1 cents (16%).
Investor-owned: Public Service Co of NM holds 72% of priced customers at 15.6 cents, group average 13.9. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, El Paso Electric Co charges 10.2 and Public Service Co of NM 15.6, 5.4 cents apart.
Municipal: City of Farmington holds 82% of priced customers at 12.7 cents, group average 12.9. Among 2 with 5,000+ customers, City of Farmington charges 12.7 and Los Alamos County 14.1, 1.5 cents apart.
Cooperative: Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc holds 20% of priced customers at 15.4 cents, group average 15.1. Among 8 with 5,000+ customers, Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc charges 8.9 and Kit Carson Electric Coop, Inc 18.2, 9.3 cents apart.
New Mexico territory, rural or urban
New Mexico has 33 counties, 79% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 76% nonmetro; municipal territory is 59% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 74% nonmetro.
New Mexico: largest utilities
| Public Service Co of NM | Investor-owned | 492,945 | 15.57 | 574 | 67% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Public Service Co | Investor-owned | 100,540 | 11.98 | 996 | 100% |
| El Paso Electric Co | Investor-owned | 94,760 | 10.16 | 740 | 100% |
| City of Farmington | Municipal | 35,990 | 12.69 | 652 | 50% |
| Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 28,093 | 15.36 | 581 | 40% |
| Kit Carson Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 26,097 | 18.18 | 492 | 100% |
| Continental Divide El Coop Inc | Cooperative | 20,415 | 16.02 | 611 | 40% |
| Central New Mexico El Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 19,126 | 17.16 | 585 | 55% |
| Otero County Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 16,448 | 17.65 | 574 | 100% |
| Farmers Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 10,258 | 12.87 | 834 | 100% |
| Navajo Tribal Utility Authority | State and federal | 9,834 | 16.53 | 513 | 50% |
| Los Alamos County | Municipal | 7,742 | 14.15 | 661 | 100% |
| Lea County Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 7,217 | 10.07 | 1,131 | 100% |
| Central Valley Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 6,150 | 8.91 | 1,176 | 100% |
| Roosevelt County Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | 3,918 | 12.07 | 1,043 | 100% |
| Springer Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 2,453 | 19.00 | 510 | 100% |
| Navopache Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 1,493 | 14.94 | 452 | 100% |
| Southwestern Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 1,434 | 24.09 | 551 | 100% |
| Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 232 | 18.30 | 641 | 100% |
| Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (OK) | Cooperative | 3 | 38.00 | 139 | 100% |
Compare your New Mexico utility
- Pick a utility.
New Mexico next to its neighbors
New Mexico: municipal -7%, cooperative +8% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
More
Similar investor-owned share: Virginia 80%, California 79%, Indiana 78%, Oregon 77%
Sources
New Mexico: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most New Mexico homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 77.8% of 885,148 customers.
Do New Mexico co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 12.9 cents per kWh against 13.9 for investor-owned (-7%). Cooperatives averaged 15.1 cents per kWh against 13.9 for investor-owned (+8%).
How many utilities does New Mexico have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 25; residential sales are reported by 20.
Can New Mexico customers pick their utility?
No; New Mexico shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.