City profile · New Mexico · Census ACS 2023

White Sands, NM

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

1,577
Residents
$87,059
Median income
$1,042
Median rent (state)

White Sands - the verdict

Nationally, White Sands sits in the 68th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

68th
percentile, household income
24th
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: White Sands, NM

New Mexico's White Sands is a small town, with 1,577 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $87,059 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. The median resident age is 21.7 years. 43.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 33.4% 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). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,042 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts New Mexico's average monthly utility costs around $167 (state average). The average commute for White Sands workers runs 10.3 minutes, with 65.1% driving alone and 3.9% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 96.1 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).

Population

1,577 residents

Census ACS 2023 - New Mexico

Median Household Income

$87,059 /yr

Poverty 0.0%

Cost of Living Index (state)

92.2 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, New Mexico average

How does White Sands compare to other US cities?

Here's how White Sands stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 68% higher than other cities
Median rent 24% 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 White Sands'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.

68thIncome percentile

68th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - White Sands, NM White Sands, NM's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not White Sands, 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 White Sands, NM median $87,059/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%
White Sands, 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 White Sands, NM. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 43.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 33.4%

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

Population
1,577
Median Income
$87,059
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
21.7
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
33.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
43.3%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
10.3 minutes
Drive Alone
65.1%
Carpool
8.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
18.5%
Work from Home
3.9%
Other
3.6%

Based on 977 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 White Sands sits in

Cost of Living Index
92.2
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,042/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
96.1 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in New Mexico

Tano Road
1,581 people
Gamerco
1,583 people
Elephant Butte
1,586 people
South River
1,594 people
Barton
1,601 people
El Valle de Arroyo Seco
1,602 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to White Sands's 1,577 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Rockaway Beach, OR
1,577 people
Del Norte, CO
1,576 people
Gilman, IL
1,576 people
Rowley, MA
1,576 people
Harbor Beach, MI
1,576 people
Senath, MO
1,578 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to White Sands's $87,059 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Norton, OH
$87,060 median income
Oriole Beach, FL
$87,056 median income
Tracyton, WA
$87,064 median income
Rib Mountain, WI
$87,054 median income
Mount Sidney, VA
$87,076 median income
Plantation, FL
$87,077 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - White Sands, 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 White Sands, NM - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 68.5% 8.2% 19.3% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 11.8% White 68.5% Black or African American 3.3% Asian 8.2% American Indian 0.1% Native Hawaiian 0.5% Some other race 0.0% Two or more races 19.3% 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.

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

How White Sands 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
White Sands (this city) 1,577 $87,059
Tano Road 1,581 $166,649
Gamerco 1,583 $40,938
Elephant Butte 1,586 $45,179
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NM OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about White Sands, NM?

What is the population of White Sands, NM? +

1,577 people live in White Sands, NM according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in White Sands, NM? +

In White Sands, the typical household earns $87,059 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in White Sands? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for White Sands; 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.