Scores by category

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

Safety10#14,093/15,637
Economy76#3,787/15,631
Housing—
Health57#6,692/15,609
Healthcare48#8,206/15,650
Environment26#11,372/15,453
Education56#6,824/15,649
Infrastructure96#623/15,650
Community4#15,049/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,206/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Rent as share of income · low17.7%
99/100New Mexico 30.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Broadband subscriptions · high100.0%
99/100New Mexico 86.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Rent-burdened households · low14.1%
99/100New Mexico 50.2%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070High uncertainty
Average commute time · low10.6 min
99/100New Mexico 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100New Mexico 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.280
98/100New Mexico 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Days with unhealthy air · high13.1%
3/100New Mexico 4.3%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDoña Ana County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
4/100New Mexico 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDoña Ana County value
High ozone days · high12 days
5/100New Mexico 4 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDoña Ana County value
Median Air Quality Index · high61
5/100New Mexico 502025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDoña Ana County value
Property crime rate · high2,402 /100k
6/100New Mexico 2,240 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationDoña Ana County value
Food environment index · low6.3
6/100New Mexico 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDoña Ana County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,246 (2015-2019) → 1,609 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
31.3% (2015-2019) → 14.1% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
88.0% (2015-2019) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$56,250 (2015-2019) → $89,565 (2020-2024)
+59%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
34.6% (2015-2019) → 45.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
23.9% (2015-2019) → 17.7% (2020-2024)
−6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, White Sands, New Mexico improved on 3 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 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+59%$56,250 → $89,565
Rent / income−6.2 points23.9% → 17.7%
Broadband+12 points88.0% → 100.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of White Sands, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.9 min2015-2019	10.6 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	39%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.6%2015-2019	45.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Broadband subscriptions	88.0%2015-2019	100.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	69%
Child poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
High school diploma or higher	97.4%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3372015-2019	0.2802020-2024	−0.057	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$56,2502015-2019	$89,5652020-2024	+59%	Improved	90%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Improved	86%

“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 White Sands, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of White Sands, 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, White Sands, New Mexico itself moved +7.3 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

1,609 residents (±323)

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: 20–29 men (+17.1 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

1,609 residents (±323)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White65%1,040
Black3.0%†48
Hispanic or Latino11%†181
Asian11%†172
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†2
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.4%†6
Other or two or more races9.9%†160

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (−19.6 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

583 residents (±149)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma4.6%†27
High school or GED13%†76
Some college27%†157
Associate degree10%†59
Bachelor's degree21%†123
Graduate degree24%†141

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 B15003View 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.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

414 households (±113)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k3.6%†15
$25k–50k9.7%†40
$50k–75k15%†62
$75k–100k34%†139
$100k–150k20%†82
$150k–200k12%†50
$200k or more6.3%†26

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+12.1 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

414 households (±113)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own0.0%0
Rent100%414

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

414 households (±113)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0005.3%†22
$1,000–1,50060%†248

Home values

8 homes (±13)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k100%†8
$250k–400k0.0%0

Age of homes

481 homes (±107)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later27%†131
2000–200940%†192
1980–19993.1%†15

Size of homes

481 homes (±107)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.6%†3
2 bedrooms6.2%†30

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

1,091 workers (±185)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone63%685
Carpool14%†154
Public transit0.0%0
Walk16%†180
Bike3.6%†39
Work from home3.0%†33
Other0.0%0

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

1,058 workers (±182)

White Sands, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min87%920
15–29 min1.6%†17
30–44 min3.6%†38

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 Las Cruces, 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 Doña Ana County, the county holding most of White Sands's residents.

Doña Ana County has 3,798 employer establishments, 168 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.79× New Mexico's), with 55,834 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,231. The Census Bureau also counts 16,213 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,798; 16,213 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 168; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 55,834
Average annual pay: $41,231; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	424	18.8	0.90×About typical	6,502	$51,274	1,039
Specialty trade contractors	298	13.2	0.85×About typical	2,417	$45,085	1,294
Restaurants and other eating places	273	12.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	6,904	$19,980	118
Lessors of real estate	181	8	0.65×Fewer than typical	609	$34,302	1,327
Offices of physicians	147	6.5	1.00×About typical	1,834	$83,959	149
Construction of buildings	139	6.2	0.81×About typical	655	$45,864	760
Limited-service restaurants	131	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	3,135	$18,064	37
Offices of other health practitioners	116	5.1	0.84×About typical	1,269	$44,403	382
Full-service restaurants	105	4.6	0.61×Fewer than typical	3,136	$21,943	47
Building equipment contractors	101	4.5	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,191	$50,322	286
Religious organizations	96	4.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	598	$24,065	—
Building finishing contractors	88	3.9	1.02×About typical	419	$31,869	381

Rank places for an industry Open Doña Ana County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 225,966 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 $7.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in White Sands, New Mexico: $4,649 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7.5M; −55% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,649; US $1,994
Sole-source: 29%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.1%; 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 Army$6.2M83%
Departmental Offices$412.7K5.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$409.8K5.5%
Department of the Navy$215.5K2.9%
Defense Threat Reduction Agency$106.8K1.4%
Defense Information Systems Agency$64.4K0.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$33K0.4%
Missile Defense Agency$7,6590.1%

Top recipients

SOUTHWEST RANGE SERVICES LLC$3.2M43%
TRESCO INC$730.1K9.8%
SKOOKUM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS$529.2K7.1%
NEMEAN TRIDEUM JOINT VENTURE II, LLC$439.5K5.9%
MERCO INC$412.7K5.5%

Spending by fiscal year

12.9MFY2017
13.3MFY2018
15.5MFY2019
15MFY2020
20.3MFY2021
15.9MFY2022
16.7MFY2023
18.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$4.5M60%
Facilities support services · 5612$948.9K13%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$507.2K6.8%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$359.3K4.8%
Other specialty trade contractors · 2389$284.5K3.8%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629

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 White Sands, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

White Sands, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Doña Ana County, NM ($386.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Doña Ana 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.

White Sands, 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.

Doña Ana County19100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Las Cruces, NM19

Other cities and towns in Doña Ana 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/3584845

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends