Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1900 and has 1,402 residents today.
Capitan’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for civic life; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Capitan’s midpoint age is 57.6 years, above both New Mexico’s towns (37.2 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Only 1 of New Mexico’s 161 towns score lower on hazard risk. The median household income is $53K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 12 of New Mexico’s 161 towns score lower on the outdoors. Capitan has 3 places on the National Register. On civic life, just 5 of New Mexico’s 62 towns do better. Capitan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Capitan beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Capitan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 932 in 1940, a low of 439 in 1970, 1,391 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 2 maps from 1934 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Capitan, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Capitan.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Capitan, 55% come from inland flooding and 40% from wildfires. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Its public schools are run by the Capitan school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitan ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 207 | – |
| Capitan HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 134 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Capitan: 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Capitan.
| Capitan | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 69% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 23% | 14% |
| What stands out | Capitan | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 20.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.5% | 16.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 21°; snowfall runs to about 27 inches a winter. Capitan has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of households in Capitan who are owner-occupiers: 94%. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 4% in value.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 2013, Capitan has added 110 jobs, to 289 in 2023. Only 10% of working residents stay in Capitan for work; the rest commute out. Also worth knowing: its typical journey to work is 28 minutes. The median commute is under 16 miles.
| Capitan | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Capitan's reported crime rate is well below New Mexico's. Its rate of reported violence is 2.2 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2024.
| Capitan | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Smokey Bear Historical Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Capitan
About 0 of every 100 Capitan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Village in New Mexico, United States
Capitan is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, located north of the Lincoln National Forest between the Capitan and Sacramento Mountains at an elevation of 6,350 feet (1,950 m). As of the 2020 census, Capitan had a population of 1,391. Capitan was founded in the 1890s and incorporated in 1941.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.