Post Office, 2008
Boles Acres’s story
Boles Acres in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
Explore the history →
Boles AcresNM
A town of 1,848.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: AllenS · Public domain
Population
1,848
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
47.1
years
Jobs based here
32
A commuter town
Is Boles Acres a good place to live?
Boles Acres’ best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. On walkability, just 6 of New Mexico’s 159 towns do worse. The median household income is $53K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Boles Acres. 24% of the land in Boles Acres is conserved, against 3.9% in New Mexico’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Boles Acres has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Boles Acres for work
Where Boles Acres’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
32jobs based in Boles Acres
0%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Boles Acres grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Boles Acres is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.3 of 20; 1.3% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Jobs & incomeDOpen →Cost of livingHome prices against what area households earnA−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →SchoolsBeat 68% of New Mexico districts on tests and graduationB+Open →HealthChristus Southern New Mexico 7.8 miles awayB−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 →
Nearby attractions
All 8 attractions →White Sands National Park and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Boles Acres. Close and well known come first.
10 mi National ParkWhite Sands National Park660K visitors a year
8 mi MuseumNew Mexico Museum of Space History5.0M visitors a year
32 mi National forestLincoln National Forest
6 mi Zoo & aquariumAlameda Park Zoo18 mi Ski areaSki Cloudcroft26 runs · 634 ft vertical
7 mi MuseumThe Toy Train DepotSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
White Sands National Park: uncredited NPS employee, Public domain · New Mexico Museum of Space History: AllenS, Public domain · Lincoln National Forest: Dsw3131, Public domain · Alameda Park Zoo: AllenS, Public domain · The Toy Train Depot: Original uploader was Madmaxmarchhare at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
Getting set up
Moving to Boles Acres: who provides what
Boles Acres is unincorporated, so Otero County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPNM16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBoles Acres Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesOtero CountyOtero 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 hereOtero County ClerkOtero County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2020
ZIP codes88311, 8831088311 53% · 88310 47%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 Boles Acres.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Boles Acres stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
0.2% of working residents work locally in Boles Acres, below both the New Mexico town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Since 2013, Boles Acres has lost 321 jobs, to 32 in 2023. The top destinations are Alamogordo (40%), Las Cruces (9%) and Albuquerque (5%).
0%work in town
| Boles Acres | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.2% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Boles Acres0%
Alamogordo40%
Las Cruces9%
Albuquerque5%
El Paso5%
20 mi
median commute distance
32
jobs based in Boles Acres
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 1% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsC
Boles Acres earns a C for the outdoors
4.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Boles Acres is 0.3 miles per square mile.
24%conserved
24%
conserved · 1,873 of 7,800 acres
4.1 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sacramento Escarpment Area of Critical Environmental Concern | — | 1,042 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Boles Acres faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireLightning
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than New Mexico overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (37% statewide). Boles Acres’ median age is 47.1 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
47.1median age · NM 39.4
| Boles Acres | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.1 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 23% | 29% |
Boles AcresNew MexicoUnited States
Ages · share of residents
22%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma10%
High school22%
Some college22%
Associate’s18%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.8 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 100% are men (NM 52%).
| Boles Acres | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.4% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.4% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 22.2% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.3% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.1% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.2% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.3% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.2% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Boles Acres, expect mild winters and hot summers
Boles Acres has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 94°, January nights drop to 27° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–58°
Spring45–77°
Summer64–94°
Fall46–76°
Nov 4
typical first frost
Apr 5
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
Residents of Boles Acres are less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
Boles Acres beats the New Mexico average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 41% of Boles Acres adults have high blood pressure. Only 4 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Boles Acres.
48%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Boles Acres | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 69% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
11 better14 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Boles Acres | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.4% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 16.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 7.4% |
Christus Southern New Mexico
7.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A−
A home in Boles Acres sells for about $358K at the median
$358Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Boles Acres
17pages on Boles Acres
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Boles Acres
About 0 of every 100 Boles Acres residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Boles Acres
CDP in New Mexico, United States
Boles Acres is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Boles Acres had a population of 1,788.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,104 ft
- Area code
- 575
Boles Acres’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Boles Acres.
AlamogordoBoles Acres
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boles Acres | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Alamogordo | #39 | C− | B− | C− | B+ | B− |
Boles Acres has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Boles Acres reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Boles Acres with a neighbor →