Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cloudcroft’s July high is 72°F, below both New Mexico’s towns (93°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Only 3 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher median age than Cloudcroft. Cloudcroft’s trail density is 2.3 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in New Mexico’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Cloudcroft has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Mexican Canyon Trestle. Cloudcroft has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Cloudcroft beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 251 in 1950, 750 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cloudcroft, 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 Cloudcroft.
Most working residents leave Cloudcroft for work: only 14% work in town. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Cloudcroft. Jobs based in Cloudcroft grew to 339 in 2023, 46 more than in 2013.
| Cloudcroft | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Cloudcroft school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudcroft ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 186 | A− |
| Cloudcroft HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 138 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Cloudcroft’s FEMA risk score is 100 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cloudcroft has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers. July afternoons reach 72°, January nights drop to 20° and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
9 crimes were reported in Cloudcroft in 2022: 7 property and 2 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Cloudcroft is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
42% of Cloudcroft adults have high blood pressure. Cloudcroft beats the New Mexico average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 25% of Cloudcroft adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Cloudcroft | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 69% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Cloudcroft | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.9% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.3% | 16.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Zenith Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Cloudcroft home is worth about $315,000, down 1.5% in a year, close to the New Mexico typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cloudcroft. Close and well known come first.
25 mi National ParkWhite Sands National Park660K visitors a year
17 mi National forestLincoln National Forest
11 mi MuseumNew Mexico Museum of Space History5.0M visitors a yearin town Ski areaSki Cloudcroft26 runs · 634 ft vertical
40 mi State parkFort Stanton31 mi Ski areaSki Apache46 runs · 1,796 ft verticalWhite Sands National Park: uncredited NPS employee, Public domain · Lincoln National Forest: Dsw3131, Public domain · New Mexico Museum of Space History: AllenS, Public domain · Fort Stanton: AllenS, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cloudcroft
About 7 of every 100 Cloudcroft residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
Where Cloudcroft’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States
Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, and is located within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 750 at the 2020 census. Its high elevation of 8,676 feet (2,644 m) allows for a mild summer, and the forested mountains make it a tourist attraction for the surrounding deserts. Tourism is the primary economy of the village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cloudcroft has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Ronny Cox and Jonathan Henry.
