Scores by category

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

Safety2#15,255/15,637
Economy7#14,533/15,631
Housing38#9,320/14,977
Health14#13,479/15,609
Healthcare15#13,257/15,650
Environment82#2,826/15,453
Education23#12,051/15,649
Infrastructure15#13,236/15,650
Community8#14,360/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#15,045/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Median Air Quality Index · low16
99/100New Mexico 502024U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySocorro County value
Average commute time · low11.3 min
98/100New Mexico 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.1 µg/m³
96/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySocorro County value
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
90/100New Mexico 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSocorro County value
Comfortable days · high32.6%
89/100New Mexico 31.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSocorro County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100New Mexico 4.3%2024U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySocorro County value

Weaknesses

Food environment index · low4.2
0/100New Mexico 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSocorro County value
Broadband subscriptions · low64.6%
1/100New Mexico 86.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Injury deaths · high199 /100k
1/100New Mexico 134 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSocorro County value
Traffic deaths · high79.1 /100k
1/100New Mexico 20.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataSocorro County value
Premature death · high18,958 /100k
1/100New Mexico 12,175 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSocorro County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100New Mexico 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSocorro County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
39.5% (2015-2019) → 49.7% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.8% (2015-2019) → 64.6% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
86.1% (2015-2019) → 82.0% (2020-2024)
−4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.3× (2015-2019) → 3.9× (2020-2024)
+18%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
28.4% (2015-2019) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
−3.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateWorsening
30.9% (2015-2019) → 32.6% (2020-2024)
+1.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Socorro, New Mexico improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Socorro, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	11.2 min2015-2019	11.3 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.4%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	59.8%2015-2019	64.6%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Child poverty rate	39.5%2015-2019	49.7%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Effective property tax rate	0.74%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
High school diploma or higher	86.1%2015-2019	82.0%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	42%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4692015-2019	0.4892020-2024	+0.020	Within the margin of error	34%
Median household income	$41,2712015-2019	$39,3752020-2024	−4.6%	Within the margin of error	5%
Poverty rate	30.9%2015-2019	32.6%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Rent as share of income	32.2%2015-2019	32.2%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	55.7%2015-2019	57.1%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.2%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	38%

“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 Socorro, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Socorro, 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, Socorro, New Mexico itself moved −5.2 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

8,481 residents (±14)

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: Under 10 men (−5.0 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

8,481 residents (±14)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White28%2,338
Black0.6%†54
Hispanic or Latino48%4,079

Education

4,735 residents (±412)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma18%†854
High school or GED33%1,567
Some college19%884

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

2,289 households (±295)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k38%871
$25k–50k18%†406
$50k–75k17%†378
$75k–100k11%†241
$100k–150k8.4%†193
$150k–200k5.9%†134
$200k or more2.9%†66

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−10.3 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 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

2,289 households (±295)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own57%1,311
Rent43%978

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

959 households (±251)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $75055%†523
$750–1,00018%†176
$1,000–1,50018%†

Home values

1,311 homes (±244)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k49%642
$150k–250k38%†504
$250k–400k12%†151

Age of homes

3,145 homes (±235)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later4.1%†129
2000–200911%†340
1980–199930%958

Size of homes

3,145 homes (±235)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio4.2%†132
1 bedroom12%†370
2 bedrooms35%1,100

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

2,901 workers (±571)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone72%2,091
Carpool5.8%†167
Public transit0.0%0
Walk12%†348
Bike0.7%†21
Work from home9.1%†265
Other0.3%†9

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−8.7 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,636 workers (±620)

Socorro, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min86%2,259
15–29 min9.4%†249
30–44 min0.8%†20

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 Socorro County, the county holding most of Socorro's residents.

Socorro County has 221 employer establishments, 138 for every 10,000 residents (0.56× the US rate of 248; 0.65× New Mexico's), with 2,772 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,868. The Census Bureau also counts 834 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 221; 834 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 138; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 2,772
Average annual pay: $36,868; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	26	16.3	0.89×About typical	367	$19,169	—
Ambulatory health care services	20	12.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	432	$27,123	40
Full-service restaurants	15	9.4	1.22×About typical	195	$18,723	—
Gasoline stations	11	6.9	2.12×More than typical	88	$29,864	—
Specialty trade contractors	11	6.9	0.44×Fewer than typical	37	$41,649	52
Limited-service restaurants	9	5.6	0.70×Too few to compare	160	$20,250	—
Religious organizations	8	5	0.90×Too few to compare	22	$17,773	—
Building equipment contractors	7	4.4	0.73×Too few to compare	28	$40,000	15
General merchandise stores	7	4.4	2.48×Too few to compare	209	$32,086	4
Insurance agencies and brokerages	7	4.4	1.00×Too few to compare	22	$28,091	4
Traveler accommodation	7	4.4	2.43×Too few to compare	100	$29,920	10
Offices of other health practitioners	6	3.8	0.62×Too few to compare	310	$23,723	14

Rank places for an industry Open Socorro County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 15,988 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 $388.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Socorro, New Mexico: $45.76 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $388.1K; −81% vs FY2025
Per resident: $45.76; US $1,994
Sole-source: 42%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.9%; 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

Department of the Air Force$877.3K100%
Forest Service$21.6K5.6%
Bureau of Land Management$9,8392.5%
Defense Threat Reduction Agency$7,3811.9%

Top recipients

SERCO INC$717.7K100%
NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY$154.7K40%
JOHN DEERE SHARED SERVICES, LLC$81.6K21%
CATERPILLAR INC$59.7K15%
UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS LLC$32.5K8.4%

Spending by fiscal year

633.3KFY2017
1.1MFY2018
667.2KFY2019
1.4MFY2020
1.9MFY2021
1.3MFY2022
4.3MFY2023
1.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other telecommunications · 5179$717.7K100%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$158.8K41%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$143.4K37%
Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing · 3362$20.8K5.3%
Forest nurseries and gathering of forest products · 1132$20K5.2%
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 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 Socorro, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Socorro, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Socorro County, NM ($102M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Socorro 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.

Socorro, 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.

Socorro County4100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Socorro 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/3573540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends