NMMap-doton-Dexter, 2004
Dexter’s story
124 years in pictures
Census counts: 242 in 1910, 1,074 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and a map from 1950 on.
- 1902Dexter is settled
DexterNM
A town of 1,049, settled in 1902.
Population
1,049
2025 Census estimate · −1.3% since 2020
Typical home
$140K
−5.2% in a year
Household income
$44K
median
Median age
31.5
years
Jobs based here
329
Balanced
Is Dexter a good place to live?
Dexter’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 2 of New Mexico’s 161 towns score lower on the outdoors. Dexter's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Only 10 of New Mexico’s 161 towns score lower on history. Dexter has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Dexter stand out
Where Dexter beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A shrinking town
Dexter has shrunk 16% since 2010
1,266 counted in 2010 and 1,074 in 2020; an estimated 1,049 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Dexter grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Dexter is from typical.
Jobs & income$44K median household incomeD−Open →HealthLovelace Regional Hospital - Roswell 17.6 miles awayDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskdrought tops the listC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.5 of 20; 8.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryD−Open →Civic life1.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
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 31.5; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Dexter: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dexter, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy12.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDexter Municipal Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Dexter’s trash rules yet
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 hereChaves County ClerkChaves County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2021
ZIP code8823088230 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 Dexter.
HealthD
Dexter is less healthy than nine in ten U.S. towns
37% of adults have high blood pressure in Dexter. CDC measures, 32 in all: Dexter beats New Mexico on 1 and trails on 17. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Dexter. Two figures for adults here: 35% worry about having enough food, 37% get no exercise outside work.
7%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Dexter | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 26% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 23% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 27% | 25% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better14 too close to call17 worse
| What stands out | Dexter | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 7.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 27.2% | 15.6% |
Lovelace Regional Hospital - Roswell
17.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB
Dexter’s schools rank ahead of 63% of New Mexico districts
Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list. The Dexter school district runs its public schools.
63%of NM districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 330 | – |
| Dexter HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 264 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A
Dexter’s typical home value is about $140K
Dexter’s rent at the middle of the market is $673 a month, below both the New Mexico town median ($940 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 5.2%. The share of households in Dexter who live in a home they own: 77%.
$140KZillow home value
| Dexter | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $673 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Dexter$140K
New Mexico$316K
−5.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
The biggest natural risk in Dexter is drought, at a high overall level
Compared with 76% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Dexter is higher. 53% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from drought, followed by inland flooding at 29%. One declared disaster, in 2024, has brought federal aid to Dexter households.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingStrong wind
2
paid flood claims since 2024
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Dexter is hotter
Expect chilly winters and hot summers in Dexter, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 97°, January nights drop to 25° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
10″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–59°
Spring44–80°
Summer65–96°
Fall45–77°
Nov 7
typical first frost
Mar 29
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
A larger share of residents in Dexter live below the poverty line than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
Dexter’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, against 23 minutes in New Mexico’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Commuting out is the norm locally: 10% of working residents work locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Dexter dropped by 106, to 329. The top destinations are Roswell (19%), Artesia (8%) and Albuquerque (7%).
10%work in town
| Dexter | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 41% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Dexter10%
Roswell19%
Artesia8%
Albuquerque7%
Carlsbad4%
20 mi
median commute distance
329
jobs based in Dexter
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Safety
Crime reported in Dexter
No violent crimes were reported in 2022. Dexter's reported crime rate is well below New Mexico's.
| Dexter | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 18.8 | 14.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.7 | 1.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Dexter0
New Mexico8.3
U.S.4
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Dexter0
New Mexico31.8
U.S.20
0
violent crimes reported in 2022
0
property crimes reported in 2022
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Nearby attractions
All 5 attractions →Bottomless Lakes State Park and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dexter. Close and well known come first.
9 mi State parkBottomless Lakes State Park
16 mi MuseumInternational UFO Museum And Research Center
17 mi MuseumRoswell Museum and Art Center
17 mi MuseumAnderson Museum of Contemporary ArtSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Bottomless Lakes State Park: NMMIMAJ, CC BY-SA 3.0 · International UFO Museum And Research Center: J Dykstra, Public domain · Roswell Museum and Art Center: Myotus, CC BY 4.0 · Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art: AllenS, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dexter
18pages on Dexter
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 63% of NM districts · 3 schoolsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2022)HealthDBetter than NM on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA$140K typical home · down 5.2% in a yearWork & commuteD−$44K median household income · 329 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 76% of U.S. communities · drought
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dexter
About 2 of every 100 Dexter residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Small town
1,049 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Dexter
Town in New Mexico, United States
Dexter is a town in Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Dexter had a population of 1,074.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,465 ft
- ZIP code
- 88230
Questions about Dexter
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dexter, 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 A.