City · Guadalupe County, New Mexico

Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Santa Rosa is a city in Guadalupe County, New Mexico. It has 2,462 residents. Santa Rosa, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 21 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,357 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #50 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on mental health providers (high), students per teacher (low) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on traffic deaths (high), mammography screening (low) and arts, entertainment and recreation (low).

21Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,357 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #50 of 163 in NM
Population: 2,462 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 492.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 3570670

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.

Safety7#14,568/15,637
Economy20#12,527/15,631
Housing71#4,331/14,977
Health27#11,320/15,609
Healthcare43#8,995/15,650
Environment74#3,955/15,453
Education37#9,802/15,649
Infrastructure18#12,831/15,650
Community12#13,818/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#13,028/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Santa Rosa, New Mexico ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Guadalupe 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 · high1,596 /100k
100/100New Mexico 480 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGuadalupe County value
Students per teacher · low8.9×
100/100New Mexico 13.1×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsGuadalupe County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100New Mexico 22.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGuadalupe County value
Public EV charging ports · high41.5 /10k
99/100New Mexico 5.9 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyGuadalupe County value
Public libraries · high4.6 /10k
99/100New Mexico 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesGuadalupe County value
Job growth · high5.5%
98/100New Mexico -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataGuadalupe County value

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high196.5 /100k
0/100New Mexico 20.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataGuadalupe County value
Mammography screening · low22.0%
0/100New Mexico 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGuadalupe County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100New Mexico 4.0 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGuadalupe County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100New Mexico 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGuadalupe County value
Average weekly wage · low$836
2/100New Mexico $1,214United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGuadalupe County value
Drug overdose deaths · high42.9 /100k
3/100New Mexico 46.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataGuadalupe County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,379 (2015-2019) → 2,462 (2020-2024)
−27%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
37.5% (2015-2019) → 86.9% (2020-2024)
+49 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$27,917 (2015-2019) → $48,789 (2020-2024)
+75%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
33.8% (2015-2019) → 45.4% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
7.2% (2015-2019) → 18.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateWorsening
19.0% (2015-2019) → 29.3% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Santa Rosa, New Mexico improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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

Broadband+49 points37.5% → 86.9%
Household income+75%$27,917 → $48,789
Bachelor's++11 points7.2% → 18.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Santa Rosa, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.2 min2015-2019	14.8 min2020-2024	+2.7 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.2%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	92%
Broadband subscriptions	37.5%2015-2019	86.9%2020-2024	+49 points	Improved	100%
Child poverty rate	19.0%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.47%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
High school diploma or higher	85.3%2015-2019	83.4%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	−0.7×	Within the margin of error	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4782015-2019	0.5532020-2024	+0.074	Within the margin of error	9%
Median household income	$27,9172015-2019	$48,7892020-2024	+75%	Improved	96%
Poverty rate	14.3%2015-2019	23.2%2020-2024	+8.9 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent-burdened households	33.8%2015-2019	45.4%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	20%

“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 Santa Rosa, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Santa Rosa, 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, Santa Rosa, New Mexico itself moved +4.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

2,462 residents (±384)

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

757 households (±159)

Santa Rosa, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k29%†221
$25k–50k23%†173
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

757 households (±159)

Santa Rosa, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own67%†506
Rent33%†251

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

976 workers (±227)

Santa Rosa, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone80%780
Carpool18%†175
Public transit0.0%0

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 Guadalupe County, the county holding most of Santa Rosa's residents.

Guadalupe County has 91 employer establishments, 210 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.99× New Mexico's), with 971 paid employees at an average annual pay of $32,222. The Census Bureau also counts 181 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 91; 181 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 210; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 971
Average annual pay: $32,222; US $68,342

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

Traveler accommodation	16	37	20.5×More than typical	173	$23,532	5
Gasoline stations	9	20.8	6.42×Too few to compare	271	$29,565	—
Ambulatory health care services	7	16.2	0.78×Too few to compare	53	$54,396	13
Restaurants and other eating places	7	16.2	0.88×Too few to compare	171	$17,807	4
Full-service restaurants	4	9.2	1.20×Too few to compare	86	$15,721	—
Banks and credit unions	3	6.9	2.15×Too few to compare	6	$38,500	—
Construction of buildings	3	6.9	0.92×Too few to compare	24	$37,417	6
Heavy and civil engineering construction	3	6.9	6.05×Too few to compare	9	$61,556	—
Limited-service restaurants	3	6.9	0.86×Too few to compare	85	$19,918	—
Offices of other health practitioners	3	6.9	1.14×Too few to compare	15	$41,267	3
Religious organizations	3	6.9	1.25×Too few to compare	6	$22,000	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Guadalupe County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 4,325 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: Santa Rosa is mostly in Guadalupe County.

See federal money in Guadalupe 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.

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

House

Melanie A. StansburyD-NM-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 2.2%

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.

Guadalupe County18100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Guadalupe 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/3570670

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends