Census-designated place · Sandoval County, New Mexico

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico

Rio Rancho Estates is a census-designated place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, part of the Albuquerque, NM metro area. It has 1,571 residents. Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 29 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,074 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #41 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), home price to income ratio (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), restaurants and bars (low) and social associations (low).

29Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,074 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #41 of 163 in NM
Population: 1,571 (2020-2024)
Land area: 68 mi²
Density: 23.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3563530

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety31#10,769/15,637
Economy35#10,233/15,631
Housing71#4,270/14,977
Health53#7,381/15,609
Healthcare44#8,763/15,650
Environment84#2,546/15,453
Education10#14,137/15,649
Infrastructure23#12,111/15,650
Community22#12,278/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#15,075/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Preventable hospital stays · low1,682 /100k
93/100New Mexico 2,042 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSandoval County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.7×
93/100New Mexico 3.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077High uncertainty
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.7 µg/m³
93/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySandoval County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.49%
88/100New Mexico 0.63%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100New Mexico 4.3%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySandoval County value
Frequent mental distress · low15.7%
83/100New Mexico 17.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100New Mexico 84%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASandoval County value
Restaurants and bars · low2.8 /10k
1/100New Mexico 6.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSandoval County value
Social associations · low3.7 /10k
3/100New Mexico 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSandoval County value
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
6/100New Mexico 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSandoval County value
Job growth · low-3.1%
7/100New Mexico -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSandoval County value
Drug overdose deaths · high30.8 /100k
8/100New Mexico 46.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSandoval County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
37.9% (2016-2020) → 57.4% (2020-2024)
+20 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
64.0% (2016-2020) → 77.1% (2020-2024)
+13 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.5% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$55,714 (2016-2020) → $91,635 (2020-2024)
+64%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Child poverty rateWorsening
12.4% (2016-2020) → 22.4% (2020-2024)
+10 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.9% (2016-2020) → 87.3% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
30.8 min (2016-2020) → 42.6 min (2020-2024)
+38%4 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.

There is not enough history to compare Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico over five years.

Cities and towns like Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rio Rancho Estates, 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 Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

1,571 residents (±467)

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

† 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

1,571 residents (±467)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White29%†455
Black1.2%†19
Hispanic or Latino66%†1,039

Education

1,252 residents (±413)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma23%†287
High school or GED32%†403
Some college25%†311

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

536 households (±167)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k10%†55
$25k–50k18%†97
$50k–75k16%†88
$75k–100k11%†57
$100k–150k20%†108
$150k–200k22%†117
$200k or more2.6%†14

† 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

536 households (±167)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own91%†489
Rent8.8%†47

† 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

47 households (±52)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,500100%†47

Home values

489 homes (±168)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k48%†236
$150k–250k17%†83
$250k–400k19%†95

Age of homes

605 homes (±171)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later12%†72
2000–200934%†203
1980–199940%†241

Size of homes

605 homes (±171)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom2.3%†14
2 bedrooms27%†162

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

923 workers (±315)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone69%†641
Carpool16%†146
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home13%†122
Other1.5%†14

† 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

801 workers (±285)

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min12%†99
15–29 min16%†126
30–44 min33%†263

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

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 Albuquerque, 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 Sandoval County, the county holding most of Rio Rancho Estates's residents.

Sandoval County has 1,928 employer establishments, 124 for every 10,000 residents (0.50× the US rate of 248; 0.58× New Mexico's), with 27,552 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,158. The Census Bureau also counts 10,676 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,928; 10,676 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 124; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 27,552
Average annual pay: $54,158; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	207	13.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	1,666	$58,160	769
Specialty trade contractors	162	10.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	1,029	$57,386	565
Restaurants and other eating places	152	9.8	0.53×Fewer than typical	3,565	$20,699	66
Lessors of real estate	113	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	262	$50,821	909
Construction of buildings	87	5.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,212	$72,015	275
Limited-service restaurants	79	5.1	0.63×Fewer than typical	2,061	$18,676	28
Offices of other health practitioners	77	4.9	0.81×About typical	318	$47,799	389
Building equipment contractors	74	4.7	0.79×Fewer than typical	396	$59,982	140
Real estate agents and brokers	61	3.9	0.80×About typical	117	$58,154	431
Services to buildings and dwellings	60	3.9	0.57×Fewer than typical	325	$33,335	343
Offices of dentists	54	3.5	0.86×About typical	351	$51,593	25
Full-service restaurants	47	3	0.39×Fewer than typical	1,119	$24,747	23

Rank places for an industry Open Sandoval County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 155,833 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 $1.1M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico: $702 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $1.1M; +6.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $702; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 52%; 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

Federal Highway Administration$292.8K27%
Forest Service$255K23%
Department of the Air Force$122.1K11%
Indian Health Service$117.9K11%
Department of the Army$114.7K10%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$99.4K9.0%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$78.8K7.1%
Department of the Navy$10.8K1.0%

Top recipients

ROCKSOL CONSULTING GROUP, INC.$292.8K27%
HPI FEDERAL LLC$122.1K11%
SHIPPING, RECEIVING, FULFILLMENT SERVICES, INC.$117.9K11%
8D PHOTONICS LLC$78.8K7.1%
ADVANCED MATERIAL HANDLING LLC$72.9K6.6%

Spending by fiscal year

460.8KFY2017
823.3KFY2018
486.6KFY2019
676.2KFY2020
653.5KFY2021
530.1KFY2022
1.4MFY2023
1.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$292.8K27%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$222.9K20%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$122.1K11%
Warehousing and storage · 4931$117.9K11%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$78.8K7.1%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339

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 Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Sandoval County, NM ($12.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 8.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Rio Rancho Estates is mostly in Sandoval County.

See federal money in Sandoval 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.

Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Sandoval County51100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Albuquerque, NM39

Other cities and towns in Sandoval 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/3563530

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico five years ago that improved