Village · Luna County, New Mexico

Columbus, New Mexico

Columbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, part of the Deming, NM metro area. It has 1,196 residents. Columbus, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 4 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,989 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #134 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on job growth (high), median Air Quality Index (low) and distance to an Amtrak station (low). It ranks worst on distance to an emergency room (high), suicide rate (high) and median household income (low).

4Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,989 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #134 of 163 in NM
Population: 1,196 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 256.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3517050

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety2#15,365/15,637
Economy5#14,846/15,631
Housing61#5,819/14,977
Health13#13,572/15,609
Healthcare4#15,051/15,650
Environment71#4,499/15,453
Education3#15,116/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,468/15,650
Community3#15,218/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#12,932/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Columbus, New Mexico ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Luna 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

Job growth · high6.9%
99/100New Mexico -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataLuna County value
Median Air Quality Index · low17
98/100New Mexico 502025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLuna County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
98/100New Mexico 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLuna County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.1 µg/m³
96/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLuna County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,788 /100k
91/100New Mexico 2,042 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLuna County value
Comfortable days · high33.1%
90/100New Mexico 31.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLuna County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high47.4 mi
0/100New Mexico 9.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLuna County value
Suicide rate · high43.5 /100k
1/100New Mexico 22.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLuna County value
Median household income · low$26,090
1/100New Mexico $67,838United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Food environment index · low4.3
1/100New Mexico 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLuna County value
Mammography screening · low25.0%
1/100New Mexico 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLuna County value
Flu vaccinations · low21.0%
1/100New Mexico 36.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLuna County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,118 (2015-2019) → 1,196 (2020-2024)
+7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
50.8% (2015-2019) → 20.6% (2020-2024)
−30 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
44.0% (2015-2019) → 22.7% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
58.2% (2015-2019) → 38.8% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
21.0 min (2015-2019) → 37.6 min (2020-2024)
+79%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
High school diploma or higherImproving
36.6% (2015-2019) → 46.5% (2020-2024)
+9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Columbus, New Mexico improved on 2 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 5 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.

Improved2

Poverty−21 points44.0% → 22.7%
Household income+25%$20,926 → $26,090

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Columbus, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Broadband subscriptions	48.5%2015-2019	57.4%2020-2024	+8.9 points	Within the margin of error	54%
High school diploma or higher	36.6%2015-2019	46.5%2020-2024	+9.9 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	28%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3792015-2019	0.4482020-2024	+0.069	Within the margin of error	10%
Median household income	$20,9262015-2019	$26,0902020-2024	+25%	Improved	43%
Poverty rate	44.0%2015-2019	22.7%2020-2024	−21 points	Improved	99%
Rent as share of income	31.8%2015-2019	28.5%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“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 Columbus, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Columbus, 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.

No place that looked like Columbus, New Mexico five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Columbus, New Mexico itself moved −4.2 points in standing on average over the same 6 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

1,196 residents (±467)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

432 households (±148)

Columbus, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k42%†182
$25k–50k43%†184
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

432 households (±148)

Columbus, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own54%†235
Rent46%†197

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

429 workers (±193)

Columbus, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone77%†332
Carpool11%†49
Public transit

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Deming, NM

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 Luna County, the county holding most of Columbus's residents.

Luna County has 371 employer establishments, 145 for every 10,000 residents (0.59× the US rate of 248; 0.69× New Mexico's), with 4,845 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,970. The Census Bureau also counts 1,227 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 371; 1,227 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 145; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 4,845
Average annual pay: $38,970; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	35	13.7	0.75×Fewer than typical	537	$17,153	13
Ambulatory health care services	27	10.6	0.51×Fewer than typical	474	$47,019	37
Specialty trade contractors	22	8.6	0.56×Fewer than typical	144	$44,882	98
Limited-service restaurants	18	7	0.88×About typical	331	$16,882	—
Construction of buildings	15	5.9	0.78×Fewer than typical	82	$68,159	62
Full-service restaurants	15	5.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	198	$17,480	10
Lessors of real estate	15	5.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	35	$25,143	60
Traveler accommodation	13	5.1	2.82×More than typical	170	$19,371	4
Building equipment contractors	12	4.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	52	$37,692	28
Automotive repair and maintenance	11	4.3	0.86×About typical	36	$36,222	30
Child day care services	11	4.3	1.77×More than typical	68	$30,956	29
Gasoline stations	11	4.3	1.33×More than typical	184	$29,908	—

Rank places for an industry Open Luna County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,537 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

In FY2026, an estimated $4,663 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Columbus, New Mexico: $3.90 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,663
Per resident: $3.90; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Public Buildings Service$4,663100%

Top recipients

CAPITAL BRAND GROUP LLC$4,663100%

Spending by fiscal year

1.7MFY2017
139.1KFY2018
27KFY2019
9.9MFY2020
21.6KFY2021
47.6KFY2022
9.5KFY2023
6.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$4,663100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Columbus, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Columbus, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Luna County, NM ($375.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 1.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Luna 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.

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

House

Gabe VasquezD-NM-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 89%Missed 0.7%

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.

Luna County4100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Deming, NM3

Other cities and towns in Luna 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

JSON · /api/v1/places/3517050

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends