El Santuario de Chimayo · National Register of Historic Places
Chimayo’s story
132 years in pictures
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1894Chimayo is settled
ChimayoNM
A town of 2,390, settled in 1894.
2 bordering townsMap →
El Santuario de Chimayo · Photo: Andrea Stawitcke · CC BY 2.5
Population
2,390
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$319K
+10.7% in a year
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
48.8
years
Jobs based here
111
A commuter town
Is Chimayo a good place to live?
Chimayo’s best subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and a B for history; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Only 14 of New Mexico’s 159 towns score lower on walkability. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 6 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Chimayo. 46% of the land in Chimayo is conserved, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 3.9% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Chimayo has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them El Santuario de Chimayo and Plaza del Cerro. Chimayo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Chimayo stand out
Where Chimayo beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Chimayo for work
Where Chimayo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
111jobs based in Chimayo
3%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Chimayo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Chimayo is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.9 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 78% of U.S. towns; Presbyterian Espanola Hospital 7.8 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsC−Open →Jobs & income$56K median household income; 111 jobs based hereCOpen →Cost of livingB+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.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 48.8; 9% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Chimayo: who provides what
Chimayo is unincorporated, so Rio Arriba County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerJemez Mountains Elec Coop15.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGreater Chimayo Mdwca water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRio Arriba CountyRio Arriba 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 hereRio Arriba County ClerkRio Arriba County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2023
ZIP code8752287522 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 Chimayo.
OutdoorsB−
Chimayo keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
3.8 miles of trail. Chimayo’s concentration of trails is 0.5 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in New Mexico’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
45.5%conserved
45.5%
conserved · 2,245 of 4,932 acres
3.8 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC−
Chimayo’s schools rank behind 78% of New Mexico districts
The Espanola school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. Chimayo’s only public school teaches 112 students.
22%of NM districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chimayo ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 112 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in Chimayo, with inland flooding at the top
78% of Chimayo’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 14%.
85risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, more of Chimayo’s adults have diabetes
Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Chimayo. Chimayo: a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression. In Chimayo, 32% of adults say their health is fair or poor, and 30% worry about having enough food.
22%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Chimayo | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 23% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
5 better16 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Chimayo | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.5% | 14.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 13.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 24% | 15.6% |
Presbyterian Espanola Hospital
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
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Chimayo’s workers commute out
Among working residents in Chimayo, 2.7% work locally. The median commute is under 22 miles. The average commute in the town is 32 minutes. The top destinations are Los Alamos (23%), Albuquerque (16%) and Santa Fe (11%).
3%work in town
| Chimayo | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.7% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Chimayo3%
Los Alamos23%
Albuquerque16%
Santa Fe11%
Española10%
22 mi
median commute distance
111
jobs based in Chimayo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Chimayo, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 18°, with about 11 inches of snow a winter.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–46°
Spring34–67°
Summer54–86°
Fall36–68°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B+
Zillow puts the typical Chimayo home at about $319K
The rent at the middle of the market for Chimayo comes to $873 a month. Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026. 78% of households live in a home they own in the town.
$319KZillow home value
| Chimayo | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $873 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Chimayo$319K
New Mexico$316K
+10.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 31 attractions →Bandelier National Monument and 25 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chimayo. Close and well known come first.
17 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
26 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year
21 mi MuseumGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
17 mi Ski areaSki Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Q3855588 runs · 1,753 ft vertical
31 mi National Historical ParkPecos National Historical Park37K visitors a year
22 mi Park & preserveSanta Fe PlazaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Bandelier National Monument: Andrew Dunn (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Valles Caldera National Preserve: Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, Public domain · Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Ski Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Q38555: Ybratcher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pecos National Historical Park: Mosamiazaz at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Santa Fe Plaza: See above, CC BY 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Chimayo
17pages on Chimayo
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chimayo
About 2 of every 100 Chimayo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Chimayo’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Chimayo.
Rio ChiquitoLa PueblaChimayo
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chimayo | — | — | B+ | — | C− | C− |
| Rio Chiquito | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| La Puebla | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Chimayo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Chimayo reports no FBI crime data of its own. Rio Chiquito and La Puebla aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Chimayo with a neighbor →
Questions about Chimayo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chimayo, NM expensive?
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 B+.