City · Sierra County, New Mexico

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Truth or Consequences is a city in Sierra County, New Mexico. It has 6,019 residents. Truth or Consequences, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 15 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,321 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #61 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on distance to an emergency room (high), drought exposure (high) and injury deaths (high).

15Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,321 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #61 of 163 in NM
Population: 6,019 (2020-2024)
Land area: 28 mi²
Density: 215.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3579840

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.

Safety16#13,089/15,637
Economy9#14,281/15,631
Housing64#5,467/14,977
Health4#15,047/15,609
Healthcare25#11,706/15,650
Environment61#5,961/15,453
Education19#12,714/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,200/15,650
Community26#11,582/15,651
Leisure & amenities53#7,286/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Truth or Consequences, 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

Average commute time · low11.5 min
98/100New Mexico 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
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
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
Median household income · low$33,788
2/100New Mexico $67,838United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.0% (2015-2019) → 83.2% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateImproving
10.7% (2015-2019) → 1.6% (2020-2024)
−9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.2% (2015-2019) → 88.6% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$23,988 (2015-2019) → $33,788 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeImproving
15.5 min (2015-2019) → 11.5 min (2020-2024)
−25%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
51.4% (2015-2019) → 46.7% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved1

Broadband+20 points63.0% → 83.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.5 min2015-2019	11.5 min2020-2024	−3.9 min	Within the margin of error	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.8%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Broadband subscriptions	63.0%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	90%
Child poverty rate	39.3%2015-2019	39.0%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	47%
High school diploma or higher	80.2%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5482015-2019	0.4672020-2024	−0.080	Within the margin of error	93%
Median household income	$23,9882015-2019	$33,7882020-2024	+41%	Within the margin of error	75%
Poverty rate	33.4%2015-2019	31.7%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	30.8%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Rent-burdened households	51.4%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.3%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“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 Truth or Consequences, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Truth or Consequences, 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, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico itself moved +9.4 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

6,019 residents (±33)

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

2,598 households (±208)

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k37%954
$25k–50k25%650
$50k–75k14%†364

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,598 households (±208)

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own58%1,511
Rent42%1,087

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

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,973 workers (±262)

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone75%1,486
Carpool6.5%†129
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 Sierra County, the county holding most of Truth or Consequences'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 $539.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico: $89.64 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $539.6K; −58% vs FY2025
Per resident: $89.64; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 64%; 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$483.8K90%
Federal Highway Administration$25.6K4.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs$16.6K3.1%
Federal Aviation Administration$13.7K2.5%

Top recipients

ORCOM, A DIVISION OF ORTEGA COMPANIES, INC$345K64%
ADVENCO LLC$57.5K11%
LANFORD EXCAVATION, LLC$52.3K9.7%
WHELCON CONTRACTORS LLC$25.6K4.7%
BEN ARCHER HEALTH CENTER, INC.$16.6K3.1%

Spending by fiscal year

16.9KFY2017
25.9KFY2018
44KFY2019
143.3KFY2020
195.8KFY2021
104.9KFY2022
2.1MFY2023
1.7MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Utility system construction · 2371$358.7K66%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$57.5K11%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$52.3K9.7%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$25.6K4.7%
Outpatient care centers · 6214$16.6K3.1%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$14.4K

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 Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Sierra County, NM ($11.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.6% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Truth or Consequences 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.

Truth or Consequences, 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
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/3579840

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends