Home of rehabilitation client. Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, 1936
Arroyo Seco’s story
222 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
- 1804Arroyo Seco is settled
Arroyo SecoNM
Population
2,112
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$610K
+0.9% in a year
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
60.1
years
Jobs based here
154
A commuter town
Is Arroyo Seco a good place to live?
Arroyo Seco’s best subject grade is an A− for health; its weakest is a D for cost of living. Arroyo Seco’s median age is 60.1 years, against 37.2 years in New Mexico’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 7 of New Mexico’s 156 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Arroyo Seco has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Arroyo Seco stand out
Where Arroyo Seco beats most towns.
32 measures vs. New Mexico
18 better13 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | Arroyo Seco | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 20.9% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 84% of U.S. towns
Beats NM on 18 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 1
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1804
A long history
A history going back 222 years.
A growing town
Arroyo Seco has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
1,785 counted in 2010 and 1,979 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Arroyo Seco grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Arroyo Seco is from typical.
Cost of livingDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 3.3% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthHoly Cross Hospital A Div of Taos Health Systems 9.2 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & income$62K median household incomeCOpen →Hazard riskavalanches tops the listCOpen →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Arroyo Seco: who provides what
Arroyo Seco is unincorporated, so Taos County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerKit Carson Electric Coop15.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLower Des Montes Mdwca water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesTaos CountyTaos County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New Mexico you can register online until 28 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTaos County ClerkTaos County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes87514, 8752987514 82% · 87529 18%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Arroyo Seco.
HousingCost of living grade D
Homes in Arroyo Seco are worth about $610K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Arroyo Seco home is worth about $610,000, up 0.9% in a year, 93% above the New Mexico typical home. Arroyo Seco’s median rent is $1,634 a month, where New Mexico’s towns sit at $940 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
$610KZillow home value
| Arroyo Seco | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,634 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Arroyo Seco$610K
New Mexico$316K
+0.9%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC+
Arroyo Seco’s public schools trail 60% of New Mexico districts
Its public schools are run by the Taos school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
40%of NM districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anansi Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 198 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, fewer of Arroyo Seco’s adults have obesity
25% of Arroyo Seco adults have obesity. Only 6 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Arroyo Seco. 13% of Arroyo Seco adults have diabetes.
84%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Arroyo Seco | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.4% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
18 better13 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Arroyo Seco | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 20.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 14.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.4% |
Holy Cross Hospital A Div of Taos Health Systems
9.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Arroyo Seco’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Arroyo Seco for work: only 4% work in town. 9% of residents live below the poverty line in Arroyo Seco. Jobs based in Arroyo Seco grew to 154 in 2023, 72 more than in 2013.
4%work in town
| Arroyo Seco | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Arroyo Seco4%
Taos28%
Taos Ski Valley19%
Albuquerque9%
Santa Fe4%
10 mi
median commute distance
154
jobs based in Arroyo Seco
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Arroyo Seco stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with a typical July afternoon cooler than most
Arroyo Seco’s July high is 83°F. Arroyo Seco has cold winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–41°
Spring30–61°
Summer49–81°
Fall32–63°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 19
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Arroyo Seco faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by avalanches
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.
60risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.7%conserved
| Arroyo Seco | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
2.7%
conserved · 116 of 4,349 acres
3.7 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carson National Forest | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Wheeler Peak and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Arroyo Seco. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MountainWheeler Peak8 mi Ski areaTaos Ski Valley103 runs · 2,468 ft vertical
27 mi National forestCarson National Forest16 mi Ski areaRed River Ski Area85 runs · 1,629 ft vertical21 mi Ski areaAngel Fire Resort101 runs · 2,205 ft vertical5 mi MuseumMillicent Rogers MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Wheeler Peak: Davishan99, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carson National Forest: David Herrera from Albuquerque, NM, Bernalillo, CC BY 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Arroyo Seco
18pages on Arroyo Seco
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Arroyo Seco
About 7 of every 100 Arroyo Seco residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Arroyo Seco for work
Where Arroyo Seco’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
154jobs based in Arroyo Seco
4%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Arroyo Seco’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Arroyo Seco.
Taos PuebloArroyo Seco
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Seco | — | — | D | — | C+ | A− |
| Taos Pueblo | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C− |
Arroyo Seco and Taos Pueblo have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Arroyo Seco and Taos Pueblo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Arroyo Seco with a neighbor →
Questions about Arroyo Seco
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Arroyo Seco, NM expensive?
Yes. That is 10.4 years of the area's median household income ($58,950 across the Taos, NM area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.