San Antonio de Padua, 2013
El Rancho’s story
El Rancho in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
Explore the history →
El RanchoNM
A town of 1,451.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,451
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$281K
Census ACS
Household income
$80K
median
Median age
39.1
years
Jobs based here
16
A commuter town
Is El Rancho a good place to live?
El Rancho’s best subject grade is a B+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. El Rancho’s average trip to work is 29 minutes, above both the New Mexico town median (23 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). On the outdoors, just 14 of New Mexico’s 161 towns do worse. El Rancho has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,451 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
San Ildefonso PuebloJaconitaEl Rancho
How El Rancho grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far El Rancho is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.1 of 20; 3% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income$80K median household income; 16 jobs based hereC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthPresbyterian Espanola Hospital 7.2 miles awayBOpen →SchoolsBehind 53% of New Mexico districts on tests and graduationB−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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 37 attractions →Bandelier National Monument and 20 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around El Rancho. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
18 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
11 mi National Historical ParkManhattan Project National Historical Park56K visitors a year
16 mi Park & preserveSanta Fe Plaza
28 mi National Historical ParkPecos National Historical Park37K visitors a yearSources: 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 · Manhattan Project National Historical Park: Unknown, Public domain · Santa Fe Plaza: See above, CC BY 2.0 · Pecos National Historical Park: Mosamiazaz at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to El Rancho: who provides what
El Rancho is unincorporated, so Santa Fe County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerJemez Mountains Elec Coop15.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSan Ildefonso Pueblo water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesSanta Fe CountySanta Fe 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 hereSanta Fe County ClerkSanta Fe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code8750687506 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 El Rancho.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in El Rancho, with inland flooding at the top
85risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
El Rancho has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
20% of residents live below the poverty line in El Rancho, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The top destinations are Los Alamos (28%), Santa Fe (24%) and Albuquerque (11%). Half commute less than 14 miles.
0%work in town
| El Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 8.4% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In El Rancho0%
Los Alamos28%
Santa Fe24%
Albuquerque11%
Española7%
14 mi
median commute distance
16
jobs based in El Rancho
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in El Rancho
El Rancho has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. El Rancho’s July high is 91°F.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–49°
Spring35–70°
Summer55–89°
Fall36–70°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than New Mexico overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). 36% of El Rancho adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
39.1median age · NM 39.4
| El Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.1 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
El RanchoNew MexicoUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school25%
Some college29%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s16%
Graduate19%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| El Rancho | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.6% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.8% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.1% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.3% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.4% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
HealthB
El Rancho ranks healthier than 58% of the country’s towns
El Rancho beats the New Mexico average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 29% of adults have obesity in El Rancho.
58%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| El Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 69% | 79% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
8 better24 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | El Rancho | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.9% | 14.2% |
| Fewer smokers | 10.4% | 13.4% |
Presbyterian Espanola Hospital
7.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about El Rancho
16pages on El Rancho
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of El Rancho
Northern New Mexico CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Espanola7.7 mi$6,400 in-state tuitionUniversity of New Mexico-Los Alamos CampusCommunity college · Public · Los Alamos13.1 mi$2,214 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 El Rancho residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave El Rancho for work
Where El Rancho’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
16jobs based in El Rancho
0%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About El Rancho
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
El Rancho is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, El Rancho had a population of 1,120.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,669 ft
Questions about El Rancho
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is El Rancho, NM expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $281,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.