City profile · New Mexico · Census ACS 2023

Sunland Park, NM

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

17,085
Residents
$52,147
Median income
$194,900
Median home
$1,129
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Sunland Park, NM

Sunland Park is a city in New Mexico with a population of 17,085 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $52,147 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 23.3%. Typical homes in Sunland Park are valued around $194,900, and the median resident age is 31.9 years. About 22.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 22 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 82% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 905.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, New Mexico registers 92.2 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,129 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $167 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 58.9 out of 100 (Moderate).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

17,085 residents

Census ACS 2023 — New Mexico

Median Household Income

$52,147 /yr

Poverty 23.3%

Cost of Living Index

92.2 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Sunland Park compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 23% higher than other cities
Home value 41% pricier than other cities
Median rent 39% pricier than other cities
Safety 68% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Sunland Park against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Sunland Park, NM Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Sunland Park, NM. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Sunland Park, NM — median $52,147/yr — Census ACS quintile shares 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%
Household income distribution for Sunland Park, NM — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 22.2%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 23.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 59.2%

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

Population
17,085
Median Income
$52,147
Median Home Value
$194,900
Median Age
31.9
Poverty Rate
23.3%
Labor force participation
59.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.2%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
905.8
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
327.9
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
577.9
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

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

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
22
housing units authorized
Single-Family
22
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 122
2020 128
2021 140
2022 115
2023 105
2024 22

Permit volume decreased 82% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
74.2%
Carpool
17.6%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
4.4%
Other
2.9%

Based on 7,397 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

New Mexico state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
92.2
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,129/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
58.9 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Sunland Park, 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 Sunland Park, NM — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% 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.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Sunland Park compares to nearby New Mexico cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Sunland Park) plus the nearest peer cities in New Mexico, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

NM

Sunland Park

52.15% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$52,147
Brackets
17
Selected

NM

Chaparral

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,660
Brackets
17
Selected

NM

Los Lunas

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,790
Brackets
18
Selected

NM

Deming

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,470
Brackets
15
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NM FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Sunland Park, NM?

What is the population of Sunland Park, NM? +

Sunland Park, NM has a population of 17,085 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Sunland Park, NM? +

The median household income in Sunland Park is $52,147 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Sunland Park? +

Sunland Park has a cost of living index of 92.2 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Sunland Park, NM safe? +

Sunland Park has a total crime rate of 905.8 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Sunland Park, NM? +

The median home value in Sunland Park is $194,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, 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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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