City profile · New Mexico · Census ACS 2023

Kirtland AFB, NM

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Kirtland AFB - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

3,421
Residents
$79,301
Median income
$1,464
Median rent (state)

Kirtland AFB - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Kirtland AFB lands in the 61st percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

61st
percentile, household income
57th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Kirtland AFB, NM

3,421 people live in Kirtland AFB, New Mexico - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Kirtland AFB brings in $79,301 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.0%. The median resident age is 23.7 years. About 44.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 23.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Living costs in New Mexico run below the national norm: the state registers 92.2 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,464 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $167 across New Mexico, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 94.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

Population

3,421 residents

Census ACS 2023 - New Mexico

Median Household Income

$79,301 /yr

Poverty 11.0%

Cost of Living Index (state)

92.2 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, New Mexico average

How does Kirtland AFB compare to other US cities?

Where Kirtland AFB sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 61% higher than other cities
Median rent 57% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Kirtland AFB's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in New Mexico, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

61stIncome percentile

61st percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Kirtland AFB, NM Kirtland AFB, NM's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Kirtland AFB, NM-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Kirtland AFB, NM median $79,301/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Kirtland AFB, NM's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Kirtland AFB, NM. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 44.1%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 11.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 23.7%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
3,421
Median Income
$79,301
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
23.7
Poverty Rate
11.0%
Labor force participation
23.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
44.1%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
78.6%
Carpool
10.5%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
6.9%
Work from Home
1.7%
Other
2.1%

Based on 1,920 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for New Mexico - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$85
avg/month
Natural Gas
$40
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$167
estimated/month

Estimates reflect New Mexico state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a New Mexico state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Kirtland AFB sits in

Cost of Living Index
92.2
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,464/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
94.4 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in New Mexico

Peralta
3,385 people
Vado
3,185 people
El Cerro
3,093 people
Sandia Heights
3,083 people
La Cienega
3,780 people
Eunice
2,989 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Kirtland AFB's 3,421 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Humboldt Hill, CA
3,421 people
Rural Hall, NC
3,421 people
Hubbard, OR
3,421 people
North Wales, PA
3,421 people
Alexandria, AL
3,420 people
Hurley, NY
3,420 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Kirtland AFB's $79,301 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Brookwood, AL
$79,297 median income
Washburn, IL
$79,306 median income
Gardena, CA
$79,291 median income
Punta Gorda, FL
$79,291 median income
Kirkersville, OH
$79,286 median income
Washington, NJ
$79,280 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Kirtland AFB, NM Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Kirtland AFB, NM - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 57.8% 13.0% 7.4% 20.2% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 26.0% White 57.8% Black or African American 13.0% Asian 7.4% American Indian 0.5% Native Hawaiian 0.3% Some other race 0.8% Two or more races 20.2% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Kirtland AFB compares to nearby New Mexico cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Kirtland AFB (this city) 3,421 $79,301
Peralta 3,385 $67,703
Vado 3,185 $29,844
El Cerro 3,093 $112,174
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NM OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Kirtland AFB, NM?

What is the population of Kirtland AFB, NM? +

Kirtland AFB, NM has a population of 3,421 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Kirtland AFB, NM? +

Median annual household income in Kirtland AFB runs $79,301, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Kirtland AFB? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Kirtland AFB; the closest available measure is the New Mexico state average, a cost of living index of 92.2 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within New Mexico vary by metro area.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.