Town · Union County, New Mexico

Clayton, New Mexico

Clayton is a town in Union County, New Mexico. It has 2,753 residents. Clayton, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 30 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,904 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #39 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), public EV charging ports (high) and mental health providers (high). It ranks worst on flu vaccinations (low), dentists (low) and mammography screening (low).

30Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,904 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #39 of 163 in NM
Population: 2,753 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 361.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3515720

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety49#7,982/15,637
Economy4#15,039/15,631
Housing71#4,366/14,977
Health30#10,936/15,609
Healthcare26#11,531/15,650
Environment71#4,498/15,453
Education49#7,962/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,488/15,650
Community29#11,121/15,651
Leisure & amenities50#7,823/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clayton, New Mexico ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Union County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Students per teacher · low9.0×
100/100New Mexico 13.1×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsUnion County value
Public EV charging ports · high31.2 /10k
99/100New Mexico 5.9 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyUnion County value
Mental health providers · high892 /100k
98/100New Mexico 480 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.28%
98/100New Mexico 0.63%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.8 µg/m³
97/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyUnion County value
Public libraries · high2.5 /10k
94/100New Mexico 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesUnion County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low11.0%
0/100New Mexico 36.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100New Mexico 70 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Mammography screening · low25.0%
1/100New Mexico 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Distance to an airport · high180 mi
1/100New Mexico 56 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauUnion County value
Median household income · low$34,500
3/100New Mexico $67,838United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100New Mexico 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
3,184 (2015-2019) → 2,753 (2020-2024)
−14%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
48.7% (2015-2019) → 19.7% (2020-2024)
−29 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.7% (2015-2019) → 79.7% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
21.7% (2015-2019) → 39.1% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
78.7% (2015-2019) → 89.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
21.4% (2015-2019) → 28.1% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Clayton, New Mexico improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+20 points59.7% → 79.7%

Declined1

Rent / income+6.7 points21.4% → 28.1%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Clayton, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.1 min2015-2019	11.8 min2020-2024	−4.3 min	Within the margin of error	87%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.2%2015-2019	13.8%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	59.7%2015-2019	79.7%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	78.7%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5452015-2019	0.5632020-2024	+0.018	Within the margin of error	35%
Median household income	$29,9482015-2019	$34,5002020-2024	+15%	Within the margin of error	24%
Poverty rate	25.1%2015-2019	20.5%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	21.4%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Declined	16%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.8%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Clayton, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clayton, New Mexico in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Clayton, New Mexico itself moved −0.1 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,753 residents (±288)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (−5.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,753 residents (±288)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White41%1,139
Black1.3%†37
Hispanic or Latino52%1,419
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native3.1%†86
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.6%†72

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,054 residents (±248)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma10%†208
High school or GED49%1,003
Some college23%†472
Associate degree4.2%†87
Bachelor's degree11%†225
Graduate degree2.9%†59

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−11.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

962 households (±161)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k35%†340
$25k–50k27%†259
$50k–75k17%†161
$75k–100k11%†110
$100k–150k6.3%†61
$150k–200k2.1%†20
$200k or more1.1%†11

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

962 households (±161)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own73%698
Rent27%†264

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

238 households (±93)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $75067%†159
$750–1,00018%†44
$1,000–1,5002.1%†5

Home values

698 homes (±148)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k72%502
$150k–250k15%†108
$250k–400k4.9%†34

Age of homes

1,267 homes (±152)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later0.6%†8
2000–20098.8%†112
1980–199920%†254

Size of homes

1,267 homes (±152)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio2.0%†25
1 bedroom17%†215
2 bedrooms31%399

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

763 workers (±221)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone90%683
Carpool2.6%†20
Public transit0.0%0
Walk4.2%†32
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.6%†12
Other2.1%†16

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+16.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

751 workers (±221)

Clayton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min83%†626
15–29 min10%†78
30–44 min0.9%†7

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Union County, the county holding most of Clayton's residents.

Union County has 89 employer establishments, 224 for every 10,000 residents (0.90× the US rate of 248; 1.06× New Mexico's), with 694 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,682. The Census Bureau also counts 276 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 89; 276 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 224; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 694
Average annual pay: $36,682; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Union County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	9	22.7	1.47×Too few to compare	30	$35,267	24
Religious organizations	5	12.6	2.27×Too few to compare	14	$13,571	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	10.1	2.00×Too few to compare	5	$46,200	10
Gasoline stations	4	10.1	3.11×Too few to compare	86	$28,802	—
Lessors of real estate	4	10.1	0.82×Too few to compare	8	$37,875	33
Other specialty trade contractors	4	10.1	4.02×Too few to compare	9	$34,444	11
Restaurants and other eating places	4	10.1	0.55×Too few to compare	38	$18,526	—
Traveler accommodation	4	10.1	5.59×Too few to compare	94	$19,202	5
Banks and credit unions	3	7.6	2.34×Too few to compare	23	$79,217	—
Building equipment contractors	3	7.6	1.26×Too few to compare	9	$37,333	5
Construction of buildings	3	7.6	1.00×Too few to compare	4	$49,750	5
Full-service restaurants	3	7.6	0.98×Too few to compare	28	$17,036	—

Rank places for an industry Open Union County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,967 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Clayton is mostly in Union County.

See federal money in Union County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Clayton, New Mexico is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Teresa Leger FernandezD-NM-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 8.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Union County34100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Union County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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