Scores by category

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

Safety16#13,089/15,637
Economy23#12,052/15,631
Housing34#9,861/14,977
Health24#11,903/15,609
Healthcare25#11,770/15,650
Environment61#5,961/15,453
Education23#12,039/15,649
Infrastructure22#12,149/15,650
Community29#11,046/15,651
Leisure & amenities53#7,286/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.3 µg/m³
95/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySierra County value
Public libraries · high2.6 /10k
94/100New Mexico 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSierra County value
Restaurants and bars · high14.0 /10k
94/100New Mexico 6.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSierra County value
Comfortable days · high33.4%
91/100New Mexico 31.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSierra County value
Average commute time · low12.0 min
91/100New Mexico 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Public EV charging ports · high14.9 /10k
91/100New Mexico 5.9 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergySierra County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high56.8 mi
0/100New Mexico 9.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSierra County value
Drought exposure · high100%
1/100New Mexico 84%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASierra County value
Injury deaths · high189 /100k
1/100New Mexico 134 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSierra County value
Flu vaccinations · low21.0%
1/100New Mexico 36.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSierra County value
Mammography screening · low29.0%
2/100New Mexico 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSierra County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100New Mexico 30.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,352 (2015-2019) → 1,790 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 23.9% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
50.5% (2015-2019) → 69.2% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.2% (2015-2019) → 75.1% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
11.5% (2015-2019) → 5.9% (2020-2024)
−5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Average commute timeImproving
15.9 min (2015-2019) → 12.0 min (2020-2024)
−24%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Elephant Butte, New Mexico improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Elephant Butte, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.9 min2015-2019	12.0 min2020-2024	−3.9 min	Within the margin of error	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.7%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	63.2%2015-2019	75.1%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Effective property tax rate	0.65%2015-2019	0.48%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
High school diploma or higher	94.4%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	67%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4292015-2019	0.3882020-2024	−0.041	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$43,8462015-2019	$53,4822020-2024	+22%	Within the margin of error	37%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	51.0%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	0 points	Little change	55%

“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 Elephant Butte, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Elephant Butte, 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, Elephant Butte, New Mexico itself moved +2.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,790 residents (±407)

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: 70–79 women (−9.3 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

1,790 residents (±407)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White78%1,399
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino18%†316

Education

1,577 residents (±354)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma5.1%†80
High school or GED30%†474
Some college33%

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

975 households (±240)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k20%†196
$25k–50k27%†263
$50k–75k22%†215
$75k–100k15%†148
$100k–150k6.3%†61
$150k–200k9.3%†91
$200k or more0.1%†1

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (+10.5 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 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

975 households (±240)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own78%757
Rent22%†218

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

117 households (±94)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $75039%†46
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50030%†35

Home values

757 homes (±212)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k41%†307
$150k–250k32%†239
$250k–400k25%†

Age of homes

1,595 homes (±234)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later9.4%†150
2000–200922%†357
1980–199956%888

Size of homes

1,595 homes (±234)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio2.1%†34
1 bedroom2.0%†32
2 bedrooms36%†572

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

537 workers (±230)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone87%†466
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.0%†32
Other7.3%†39

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

505 workers (±229)

Elephant Butte, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min48%†242
15–29 min52%†263
30–44 min0.0%0

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 Sierra County, the county holding most of Elephant Butte's residents.

Sierra County has 222 employer establishments, 192 for every 10,000 residents (0.77× the US rate of 248; 0.91× New Mexico's), with 2,180 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,550. The Census Bureau also counts 747 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 222; 747 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 192; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 2,180
Average annual pay: $36,550; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	21	18.2	0.99×About typical	314	$19,389	6
Traveler accommodation	17	14.7	8.16×More than typical	214	$18,121	7
Specialty trade contractors	14	12.1	0.78×Fewer than typical	179	$59,726	49
Full-service restaurants	12	10.4	1.35×More than typical	154	$19,714	—
Ambulatory health care services	10	8.7	0.42×Fewer than typical	138	$46,877	54
Gasoline stations	9	7.8	2.40×Too few to compare	87	$30,931	—
Limited-service restaurants	9	7.8	0.97×Too few to compare	160	$19,075	3
Construction of buildings	7	6.1	0.80×Too few to compare	27	$30,370	28
Religious organizations	7	6.1	1.09×Too few to compare	12	$18,167	—
Building equipment contractors	6	5.2	0.86×Too few to compare	17	$32,235	13
Lessors of real estate	6	5.2	0.42×Too few to compare	10	$46,300	74
Other specialty trade contractors	6	5.2	2.07×Too few to compare	160	$62,669	15

Rank places for an industry Open Sierra County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,548 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 $341.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Elephant Butte, New Mexico: $191 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $341.5K; −63% vs FY2025
Per resident: $191; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 78%; 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

Bureau of Reclamation$321.9K94%
Federal Highway Administration$19.6K5.8%

Top recipients

ORCOM, A DIVISION OF ORTEGA COMPANIES, INC$265K78%
ADVENCO LLC$44.2K13%
WHELCON CONTRACTORS LLC$19.6K5.8%
TALON SEPTIC LLC$11.1K3.2%
SIERRA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.$1,6060.5%

Spending by fiscal year

8.6KFY2018
2.6KFY2019
48KFY2020
31.7KFY2021
55.9KFY2022
1.6MFY2023
1.3MFY2024
921.8KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Utility system construction · 2371$265K78%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$44.2K13%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$19.6K5.8%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$11.1K3.2%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$1,6060.5%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Elephant Butte, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Elephant Butte, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Sierra County, NM ($11.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Sierra 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.

Elephant Butte, 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.

Sierra County16100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Sierra 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/3522720

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends