City · Colfax County, New Mexico

Raton, New Mexico

Raton is a city in Colfax County, New Mexico. It has 6,026 residents. Raton, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 28 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,198 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #42 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on mental health providers (high), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), mammography screening (low) and broadband subscriptions (low).

28Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,198 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #42 of 163 in NM
Population: 6,026 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 756.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 3562060

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.

Safety6#14,736/15,637
Economy18#12,804/15,631
Housing71#4,369/14,977
Health23#11,964/15,609
Healthcare29#11,160/15,650
Environment92#1,308/15,453
Education24#11,822/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,895/15,650
Community43#8,990/15,651
Leisure & amenities71#4,519/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mental health providers · high1,016 /100k
99/100New Mexico 480 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColfax County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.3 µg/m³
99/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyColfax County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,356 /100k
98/100New Mexico 2,042 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColfax County value
Pharmacies · high3.3 /10k
97/100New Mexico 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsColfax County value
Restaurants and bars · high17.2 /10k
97/100New Mexico 6.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsColfax County value
Students per teacher · low10.4×
97/100New Mexico 13.1×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsColfax County value

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high89.8 /100k
0/100New Mexico 46.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataColfax County value
Mammography screening · low29.0%
2/100New Mexico 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColfax County value
Broadband subscriptions · low78.2%
3/100New Mexico 86.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Math scores · low2.47
3/100New Mexico 2.70United States 3.032018University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColfax County value
Primary care shortage · high19.0
3/100New Mexico 16.1United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationColfax County value
Injury deaths · high150 /100k
3/100New Mexico 134 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColfax County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
33.8% (2015-2019) → 52.1% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$31,034 (2015-2019) → $52,641 (2020-2024)
+70%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
64.7% (2015-2019) → 78.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
13.1 min (2015-2019) → 19.3 min (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
54.9% (2015-2019) → 47.1% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
14.2% (2015-2019) → 21.3% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Raton, New Mexico improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 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.

Improved3

Household income+70%$31,034 → $52,641
Bachelor's++7.2 points14.2% → 21.3%
Broadband+13 points64.7% → 78.2%

Declined2

Child poverty+18 points33.8% → 52.1%
Uninsured+6.5 points7.3% → 13.8%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Raton, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.1 min2015-2019	19.3 min2020-2024	+6.2 min	Within the margin of error	7%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.2%2015-2019	21.3%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Improved	80%
Broadband subscriptions	64.7%2015-2019	78.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	75%
Child poverty rate	33.8%2015-2019	52.1%2020-2024	+18 points	Declined	5%
High school diploma or higher	87.0%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	85%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4442015-2019	0.4522020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	43%
Median household income	$31,0342015-2019	$52,6412020-2024	+70%	Improved	94%
Poverty rate	21.8%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.8%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent-burdened households	54.9%2015-2019	47.1%2020-2024	−7.9 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.3%2015-2019	13.8%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Declined	7%

“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 Raton, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Raton, 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, Raton, New Mexico itself moved +9.8 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

6,026 residents (±42)

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: 40–49 women (+3.6 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

6,026 residents (±42)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White37%2,240
Black0.4%†27
Hispanic or Latino59%3,555

Education

4,498 residents (±225)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma12%†539
High school or GED41%1,866
Some college15%681

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

2,683 households (±200)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k23%622
$25k–50k23%622
$50k–75k31%831
$75k–100k6.9%†186
$100k–150k11%†304
$150k–200k1.1%†30
$200k or more3.3%†88

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−18.7 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

2,683 households (±200)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own67%1,806
Rent33%877

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

716 households (±155)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $75052%†374
$750–1,00027%†195
$1,000–1,50015%†104

Home values

1,806 homes (±192)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k56%1,014
$150k–250k31%†557
$250k–400k9.7%†176

Age of homes

3,375 homes (±182)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later2.6%†87
2000–20095.3%†178
1980–199916%†532

Size of homes

3,375 homes (±182)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio1.5%†51
1 bedroom11%†371
2 bedrooms38%1,277

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

2,254 workers (±280)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone74%1,664
Carpool21%†470
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.5%†33
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.7%†60
Other1.2%†27

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

2,194 workers (±281)

Raton, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min72%1,576
15–29 min8.4%†184
30–44 min9.1%†199

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 Colfax County, the county holding most of Raton's residents.

Colfax County has 372 employer establishments, 302 for every 10,000 residents (1.21× the US rate of 248; 1.42× New Mexico's), with 3,329 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,728. The Census Bureau also counts 887 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 372; 887 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 302; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 3,329
Average annual pay: $36,728; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	34	27.6	1.50×More than typical	375	$18,133	8
Construction of buildings	24	19.5	2.57×More than typical	72	$36,569	27
Specialty trade contractors	23	18.6	1.20×About typical	67	$39,030	59
Gasoline stations	20	16.2	5.00×More than typical	175	$22,000	—
Full-service restaurants	18	14.6	1.90×More than typical	214	$17,724	—
Lessors of real estate	17	13.8	1.12×About typical	36	$60,611	109
Ambulatory health care services	16	13	0.62×Fewer than typical	98	$62,306	43
Traveler accommodation	15	12.2	6.74×More than typical	657	$25,896	12
Religious organizations	13	10.5	1.90×More than typical	39	$22,692	—
Building equipment contractors	11	8.9	1.48×More than typical	39	$27,692	18
Limited-service restaurants	10	8.1	1.01×About typical	143	$18,783	5
Other specialty trade contractors	9	7.3	2.91×Too few to compare	23	$53,826	27

Rank places for an industry Open Colfax County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,333 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: Raton is mostly in Colfax County.

See federal money in Colfax 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.

Raton, 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.

Colfax County39100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Colfax 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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