Census-designated place · Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Dulce, New Mexico

Dulce is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, part of the Española, NM metro area. It has 3,218 residents. Dulce, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 3 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,146 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #142 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and home price to income ratio (low). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), premature death (high) and injury deaths (high).

3Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,146 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #142 of 163 in NM
Population: 3,218 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 250.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 3521390

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.

Safety1#15,522/15,637
Economy6#14,665/15,631
Housing—
Health0#15,565/15,609
Healthcare25#11,728/15,650
Environment77#3,562/15,453
Education12#13,777/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,451/15,650
Community13#13,685/15,651
Leisure & amenities14#13,419/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Rent as share of income · low13.3%
100/100New Mexico 30.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.0 µg/m³
99/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRio Arriba County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.3×
99/100New Mexico 3.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Average commute time · low10.0 min
99/100New Mexico 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Students per teacher · low10.1×
98/100New Mexico 13.1×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsRio Arriba County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,644 /100k
94/100New Mexico 2,042 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRio Arriba County value

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high168.0 /100k
0/100New Mexico 46.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRio Arriba County value
Premature death · high21,216 /100k
1/100New Mexico 12,175 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRio Arriba County value
Injury deaths · high221 /100k
1/100New Mexico 134 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRio Arriba County value
Math scores · low2.26
1/100New Mexico 2.70United States 3.032018University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRio Arriba County value
Broadband subscriptions · low72.9%
1/100New Mexico 86.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Adult smoking · high26.9%
1/100New Mexico 15.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,750 (2015-2019) → 3,218 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
46.9% (2015-2019) → 72.9% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
19.9% (2015-2019) → 40.1% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateImproving
24.8% (2015-2019) → 5.9% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Home price to income ratioImproving
2.3× (2015-2019) → 1.3× (2020-2024)
−41%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.5% (2015-2019) → 91.9% (2020-2024)
+5.4 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, Dulce, New Mexico improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved2

Broadband+26 points46.9% → 72.9%
Price / income−0.9×2.3× → 1.3×

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Dulce, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.3 min2015-2019	10.0 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	39%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.0%2015-2019	11.4%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	46.9%2015-2019	72.9%2020-2024	+26 points	Improved	96%
Child poverty rate	19.9%2015-2019	40.1%2020-2024	+20 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	86.5%2015-2019	91.9%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	1.3×2020-2024	−0.9×	Improved	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4062015-2019	0.4112020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	45%
Median household income	$42,7682015-2019	$39,7732020-2024	−7%	Within the margin of error	4%
Poverty rate	22.0%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent as share of income	13.4%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.6%2015-2019	9.6%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	77%

“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 Dulce, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dulce, 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, Dulce, New Mexico itself moved +1.9 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

3,218 residents (±403)

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

1,236 households (±177)

Dulce, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k25%†310
$25k–50k40%†489
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,236 households (±177)

Dulce, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own66%814
Rent34%†422

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

1,380 workers (±272)

Dulce, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone79%1,094
Carpool12%†170
Public transit0.0%0

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 Española, 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 Rio Arriba County, the county holding most of Dulce's residents.

Rio Arriba County has 541 employer establishments, 136 for every 10,000 residents (0.55× the US rate of 248; 0.64× New Mexico's), with 5,426 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,954. The Census Bureau also counts 2,240 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 541; 2,240 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 136; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 5,426
Average annual pay: $38,954; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	42	10.5	0.51×Fewer than typical	662	$41,801	312
Specialty trade contractors	42	10.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	109	$44,138	130
Restaurants and other eating places	40	10	0.55×Fewer than typical	694	$21,352	14
Construction of buildings	29	7.3	0.96×About typical	153	$43,392	67
Building equipment contractors	25	6.3	1.04×About typical	70	$45,014	42
Religious organizations	23	5.8	1.04×About typical	100	$23,300	—
Limited-service restaurants	20	5	0.62×Fewer than typical	412	$19,080	7
Gasoline stations	17	4.3	1.31×More than typical	126	$30,659	—
Full-service restaurants	16	4	0.52×Fewer than typical	242	$25,537	7
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	15	3.8	1.52×More than typical	52	$46,615	22
Traveler accommodation	15	3.8	2.08×More than typical	416	$30,721	20
Lessors of real estate	14	3.5	0.28×Fewer than typical	26	$29,077	97

Rank places for an industry Open Rio Arriba County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 39,900 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 $298.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Dulce, New Mexico: $92.75 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $298.5K; +225% vs FY2025
Per resident: $92.75; US $1,994
Sole-source: 11%; 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

Indian Health Service$286.3K96%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$12.2K4.1%

Top recipients

BAY AREA ANESTHESIA LLC$166.6K56%
CHENHALLS STAFFING SERVICES, INC.$52.9K18%
AKICITA CYBER LLC$22.8K7.6%
PRIME TRI PROVIDERS LLC$11.7K3.9%
SHARESTAFF LLC$7,4012.5%

Spending by fiscal year

66.5KFY2017
45.7KFY2018
47.8KFY2019
80.1KFY2020
92.4KFY2021
127KFY2022
36.3KFY2023
177.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

Offices of physicians · 6211$142.3K48%
Offices of other health practitioners · 6213$59.7K20%
Office administrative services · 5611$52.9K18%
Offices of dentists · 6212$12.1K4.1%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$7,2192.4%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341

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 Dulce, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Dulce, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Rio Arriba County, NM ($25.5M 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: Dulce is mostly in Rio Arriba County.

See federal money in Rio Arriba 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.

Dulce, 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.

Rio Arriba County15100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Española, NM19

Other cities and towns in Rio Arriba 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/3521390

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends