CliffNM
Settled in 1894, this town now has 106 residents.
Is Cliff a good place to live?
Cliff’s age of the median resident is 69.5 years, against 37.2 years in New Mexico’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Only 7 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Cliff. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Commission Land, at 55 acres. Cliff has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Cliff stand out
Where Cliff beats most towns.
106 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Cliff: who provides what
Cliff is unincorporated, so Grant County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Cliff.
70% of residents are 65 or older
College graduates make up 29% of adults 25 and older, against 31% across New Mexico.
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.2 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| Cliff | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 0% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 0% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 24.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 50.9% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18.9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 14% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
The schools Cliff’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Silver City school district. Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Cliff teach 187 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 92 | – |
| Cliff HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 95 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Cliff has 2.1 jobs for every working resident, and 130 people commute in
Nearly a tenth of Cliff residents live below the poverty line. Most working residents leave Cliff for work: only 6% work in town. Employers in Cliff added 27 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 134. The town’s middle household income is $48,000.
| Cliff | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 9.4% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.2% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Cliff stands out in New Mexico and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
FEMA puts nearly two thirds of Cliff’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 30% to wildfires. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in Cliff brings mild winters and hot summers
Summer afternoons peak near 93° in July, and January nights bottom out around 23°; snowfall runs to about 2 inches a winter. Winters in Cliff are chilly and summers hot, with very little rain.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Cliff is
For adults in Cliff, the share who have obesity is 30%. Against the New Mexico average, Cliff comes out ahead on 11 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7. Two figures for adults locally: 30% feel lonely, 74% had a checkup this year. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who worry about having enough food than Cliff.
| Cliff | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 69% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| What stands out | Cliff | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.3% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 16.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.3% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Cliff has set aside 6.2% of its land for conservation
In Cliff, the trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile. 3.3 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve.
| Cliff | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.2% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Commission Land | — | 55 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Cliff
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Cliff; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Cliff residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Every workday, about 130 people come to Cliff for work
Where Cliff’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Cliff
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cliff, NM a good place to live?
Cliff has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.