Population
252 residents
Census ACS 2023 - New Mexico
City profile · New Mexico · Census ACS 2023
Ponderosa, NM
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Ponderosa - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 252
- Residents
- $49,583
- Median income
- $1,464
- Median rent (state)
Ponderosa - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Ponderosa places in the 19th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
- 19th
- 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: Ponderosa, NM
252 people live in Ponderosa, New Mexico - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Ponderosa brings in $49,583 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 25.0%. The median resident age is 54.2 years. Educational attainment runs 12.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 49.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in New Mexico run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts New Mexico at 92.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). 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. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 77.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
Median Household Income
$49,583 /yr
Poverty 25.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
92.2 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, New Mexico average
How does Ponderosa compare to other US cities?
Here's how Ponderosa stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 19% 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 Ponderosa'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.
19th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 12.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 25.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 49.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
252
Median Income
$49,583
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
54.2
Poverty Rate
25.0%
Labor force participation
49.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.5%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
67.5%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
25.0%
Other
7.5%
Based on 120 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 Ponderosa 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
77.0 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in New Mexico
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Ponderosa's 252 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Ponderosa's $49,583 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Ponderosa 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ponderosa (this city) | 252 | $49,583 |
| Nakaibito | 251 | $31,250 |
| Turley | 250 | $46,900 |
| Villanueva | 250 | $28,665 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NM OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Ponderosa, NM?
What is the population of Ponderosa, NM? +
252 people live in Ponderosa, NM according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Ponderosa, NM? +
Ponderosa households earn a median of $49,583 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Ponderosa? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Ponderosa; 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 EditorialEvery 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.