City profile · New Mexico · Census ACS 2023

Ruidoso Downs, NM

Ruidoso Downs's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

2,629
Residents
$31,413
Median income
$55,400
Median home
$1,129
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Ruidoso Downs.

Place dossier plate

Sheet NM-RUIDOSO-DOWNS-NM · Ruidoso Downs, NM 2,629 pop · income 3rd pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 2,629
  • INC-LOW $31,413
  • COL-BELOW 92.2
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 3rd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Collinsville
  • HOME-LOW $55,400
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Collinsville, AL ( $2 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Ruidoso Downs

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ruidoso Downs on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ruidoso Downs on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,629.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $31,413. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Ruidoso Downs - the verdict

Nationally, Ruidoso Downs sits in the 3rd percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

3rd
percentile, household income
1st
percentile, home value
39th
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: Ruidoso Downs, NM

New Mexico's Ruidoso Downs is a small town, with 2,629 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Ruidoso Downs brings in $31,413 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 20.7%. Typical homes in Ruidoso Downs are valued around $55,400, and the median resident age is 35.3 years. About 10.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 52.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 3 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Low Activity).

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 $1,129 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 58.9 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Ruidoso Downs's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Ruidoso Downs, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history. No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Ruidoso Downs?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 20.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 2

Is Ruidoso Downs growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -70 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 3 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.

See the national growth ranking →

3. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Ruidoso Downs?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within New Mexico, the closest population matches are Tularosa (2,584 residents, $45,147 income); Clayton (2,680 residents, $40,192 income); University Park (2,699 residents, $25,433 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Paia, HI (2,629 residents); Jarrettsville, MD (2,629 residents); Waverly, VA (2,629 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 4

What does the journey to work look like in Ruidoso Downs?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

2,629 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$31,413 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 20.7% (High poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

92.2 (US=100)

Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, New Mexico average

City profile score · Ruidoso Downs, NM

24/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living B+
92.2 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Poverty rate F
20.7%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share F
10.5%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income F
$31,413

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Ruidoso Downs profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Household income. Cost of livingPoverty rateBachelor's+ shareHousehold income 24 F
Ruidoso Downs profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 77/100 (B+) · 92.2 index
  • Poverty rate: 12/100 (F) · 20.7%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 8/100 (F) · 10.5%
  • Household income: 0/100 (F) · $31,413

How does Ruidoso Downs compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 3% higher than other cities
Home value 1% pricier than other cities
Median rent 39% 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

Each percentile compares Ruidoso Downs against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to New Mexico only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

New Mexico-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Ruidoso Downs near the bottom of New Mexico's cities

Among the 409 New Mexico cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ruidoso Downs ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ruidoso Downs only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#286 of 324
12th percentile in New Mexico
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 409
0th percentile in New Mexico
Median Home Value
#297 of 324
8th percentile in New Mexico
Poverty Rate
#134 of 408
67th percentile in New Mexico
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#275 of 409
33rd percentile in New Mexico
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within New Mexico only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

3rdIncome percentile
Gauge source note

3rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Ruidoso Downs's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$55,400 Among the most affordable more affordable than 99% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Above this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Ruidoso Downs $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Ruidoso Downs's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.8×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#910 of 15,516
More affordable than 94% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#882 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 1.8×, Ruidoso Downs sits in the affordable band: national rank #910 of 15,516 and #882 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$31,413 Ruidoso Downs, NM median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Ruidoso Downs, NM Ruidoso Downs, NM's median household income ($31,413) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Ruidoso Downs, NM-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Ruidoso Downs, NM median $31,413/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%
Ruidoso Downs, NM median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Ruidoso Downs, NM.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 10.5%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 20.7%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 52.3%

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

Population
2,629
Median Income
$31,413
Median Home Value
$55,400
Median Age
35.3
Poverty Rate
20.7%
Labor force participation
52.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
10.5%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
2,550 residents2,600 residents2,650 residents2,700 residents 202020212022202320242025 2,658 residents 2,588 residents ▼ -2.6%
Ruidoso Downs's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 2,658 residents
2021 2,670 residents
2022 2,663 residents
2023 2,609 residents
2024 2,624 residents
2025 2,588 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 0
2020 2
2021 3
2022 0
2023 4
2024 3

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
81.9%
Carpool
8.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
0.0%
Other
9.4%

Based on 971 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

New Mexico statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $167

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across New Mexico at $167 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $42 ).

These are New Mexico statewide averages, not a meter reading for Ruidoso Downs. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

New Mexico's BEA cost-of-living index is 92.2 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Ruidoso Downs is $1,129/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to New Mexico statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 58.9 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a New Mexico statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Ruidoso Downs sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Ruidoso Downs compares to similar-size New Mexico cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Ruidoso Downs (this city) 2,629 $31,413
Tularosa 2,584 $45,147
Clayton 2,680 $40,192
University Park 2,699 $25,433
Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census BPS 2024, 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.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

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.

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