Census-designated place · New Mexico
Sheep Springs, New Mexico
Sheep Springs, census-designated place, in San Juan County, New Mexico. Sheep Springs had 262 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 360 (±129). GEOID 3572600.
Residents, 2020 Census
262
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 360 ±129
Median household income
$30,625
±$15,571 (90% margin)
New Mexico: $64,059
Median home value
$99,000
±$39,207 (90% margin)
New Mexico: $248,100
Median gross rent
$819
±$151 (90% margin)
New Mexico: $1,067
Where is Sheep Springs and what county is it in?
Sheep Springs is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in San Juan County, New Mexico. It covers 5.1 square miles of land, 51 residents per square mile in 2020.
Sheep Springs is in the Farmington, NM metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Sheep Springs, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 262 residents in Sheep Springs, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 360 (±129).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Sheep Springs is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | Sheep Springs | San Juan County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 360 ±129 | 120,942 | no clear change |
| Households | 81 ±20 | 41,732 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 4.44 ±1.17 | 2.86 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 98 ±19 | 48,255 | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Sheep Springs?
The median resident of Sheep Springs is 28.7 years old. The largest group is non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 97.2%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 2.8%.
| Measure | Sheep Springs | San Juan County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 28.7 ±6.0 | 38.3 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 31.9% ±9.1 pts | 24.9% | – |
| 65 years and over | 5.6% ±3.9 pts | 16.9% | – |
| Male | 53.6% ±7.0 pts | 49.3% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.8% ±3.0 pts | 19.8% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 36.2% | – |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 0.8% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 97.2% ±3.0 pts | 38.4% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 4.0% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 3.1% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 41.6% ±11.5 pts | 27.9% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 3.3% ±4.1 pts | 6.2% | – |
| With a disability | 12.5% ±5.6 pts | 16.2% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 19.7% ±9.9 pts | 12.9% | −15.5 pts |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 87.4% ±5.5 pts | 86.9% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 5.5% ±3.7 pts | 18.3% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 1.0% ±2.1 pts | 6.9% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 100.0% ±11.3 pts | 89.4% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±11.3 pts | 2.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Sheep Springs earn?
Half of Sheep Springs's 81 households earn less than $30,625 a year (±$15,571), against $55,872 in San Juan County and $64,059 in New Mexico. In 2015-2019 it was $38,844 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 36.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Sheep Springs | San Juan County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $30,625 ±$15,571 | $55,872 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $38,669 ±$8,278 | $76,826 | – |
| Per capita income | $10,999 ±$2,284 | $28,099 | −$5,486 |
| People below the poverty line | 36.1% ±13.1 pts | 23.1% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 31.3% ±23.3 pts | 30.2% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 42.0% ±11.5 pts | 23.1% | – |
| Households with a computer | 75.3% ±12.8 pts | 91.8% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 56.8% ±13.9 pts | 72.4% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Sheep Springs?
Owners occupy 66.7% of Sheep Springs's occupied homes and renters 33.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $99,000 by its owner (±$39,207). The median renter pays $819 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Sheep Springs | San Juan County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $99,000 ±$39,207 | $193,800 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $819 ±$151 | $956 | +$369 |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 13.0% ±15.8 pts | 35.2% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $925 ±$321 | $1,499 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 66.7% ±13.1 pts | 71.2% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 33.3% ±13.1 pts | 28.8% | – |
| Housing units | 98 ±19 | 48,255 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±46.1 pts | 1.8% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±65.3 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 94.9% ±4.8 pts | 56.7% | – |
| Mobile homes | 5.1% ±4.8 pts | 30.1% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±33.6 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 4.1% ±4.3 pts | 7.1% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 9.2% ±10.1 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 8.6% ±8.4 pts | 6.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Sheep Springs work and get to work?
92.0% of Sheep Springs's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 43.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 20.6%.
| Measure | Sheep Springs | San Juan County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 50.2% ±8.9 pts | 53.1% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 20.6% ±9.3 pts | 7.3% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 92.0% ±7.3 pts | 83.4% | – |
| Carpooled | 5.0% ±5.0 pts | 7.0% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±33.1 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Walked | 0.0% ±33.1 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Worked from home | 0.0% ±33.1 pts | 6.3% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 43.1 min ±7.6 | 24.2 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Sheep Springs?
No census tract lies mostly in Sheep Springs; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9429San Juan County | 4,226 | $33,472 |
| Tract 9431San Juan County | 1,942 | $31,875 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Sheep Springs) · Census block assignment files
How does Sheep Springs compare with other places in New Mexico?
Sheep Springs is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
Sheep Springs's figures with every place in New Mexico (CSV)
Every place in New Mexico, sortable · Compare Sheep Springs with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Sheep Springs?
26 of the 57 figures for Sheep Springs on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Sheep Springs are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.