Bowlin's Old Crater Trading Post · National Register of Historic Places
Bluewater Village’s story
Bluewater Village in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Bluewater VillageNM
This town in New Mexico has a population of 133.
Bowlin's Old Crater Trading Post · Photo: MRobison · CC BY-SA 4.0
Is Bluewater Village a good place to live?
Only 3 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Bluewater Village. Bowlin's Old Crater Trading Post is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bluewater Village has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
133 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Bluewater Village: who provides what
Bluewater Village is unincorporated, so Cibola County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerContinental Divide El Coop16.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBluewater Water and Sanitation DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers67% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesCibola CountyCibola 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 hereCibola County ClerkCibola County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code8700587005 100%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 Bluewater Village.
Schools
The schools Bluewater Village’s kids attend
The Grants school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. Bluewater Village’s only public school teaches 63 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluewater ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 63 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most of Bluewater Village’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
The median commute is under 43 miles. Jobs based in Bluewater Village grew to 86 in 2023, 41 more than in 2013. Also worth knowing: only 1% of working residents stay in Bluewater Village for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Grants (20%), Albuquerque (15%) and Gallup (12%).
1%work in town
Where working residents work
In Bluewater Village1%
Grants20%
Albuquerque15%
Gallup12%
Milan9%
43 mi
median commute distance
86
jobs based in Bluewater Village
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Bluewater Village: four seasons and hot summers
The town’s midsummer high stands at 89°F, below New Mexico’s towns (93°F) but above U.S. towns (85°F).
31″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–48°
Spring31–67°
Summer52–87°
Fall34–68°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 24
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Bluewater Village is
Among adults in Bluewater Village, 20% say their health is fair or poor, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 19%. Against the New Mexico average, Bluewater Village comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 3. In Bluewater Village, 70% of adults had a checkup this year.
| Bluewater Village | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 69% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 27% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 16% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
5 better24 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Bluewater Village | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.8% | 16.5% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.1% | 11.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.7% | 14.2% |
Cibola General Hospital
11.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Bluewater Village, mostly inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 59% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Bluewater Village, 67% come from inland flooding and 13% from wildfires.
59risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
2.6% of the land in Bluewater Village is protected from building
5.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. In Bluewater Village, the trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
2.6%conserved
| Bluewater Village | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
2.6%
conserved · 124 of 4,811 acres
5.5 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cibola National Forest | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bluewater Village
16pages on Bluewater Village
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bluewater Village
About 0 of every 100 Bluewater Village residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Bluewater Village for work
Where Bluewater Village’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
86jobs based in Bluewater Village
1%of working residents work in town
43 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Bluewater Village
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Bluewater Village is a census-designated place in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bluewater Village had a population of 464.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 10 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,749 ft
Questions about Bluewater Village
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bluewater Village, NM a good place to live?
Bluewater Village has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.