Photo: Rr0044 · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Española have lower incomes than those in 90% of U.S. towns
20.4% of residents live below the poverty line (New Mexico 17.8%). Jobs and income earn Española C−; getting around on foot earns it B−. About one in five work in Española; the top destination outside it is Los Alamos (22%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Española, in brief
Española workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 24 across New Mexico. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where Española’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Española is better than 16% of U.S. towns, #38 of 72 in New Mexico. Unemployment holds Española’s grade up (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($47,667, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Española could be anywhere from D to C.
Getting to work from Española takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Española workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,112 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across New Mexico: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far it is to work from Española
About 30% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Who works in Española, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 2,492 residents head out to work, 560 work right here, and 3,537 people come in from elsewhere.
About 12,000 people are in Española on a workday afternoon, 10% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.34 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where people from Española work
Where Española clocks in
22% of workers
14% of workers
13% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What the 4,097 jobs in Española are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Española, 2013 → 2023: 4,639 → 4,097. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Española’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Española, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Española is more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns, #42 of 73 in New Mexico. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.4% across New Mexico.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,367 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.2% of Española households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Española’s commuters take a bus or train.
Española places 2,572nd of 2,878 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 478 | Los Alamos NM | 13,317 | $141K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 77% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,288 | Corrales NM | 8,484 | $102K | 7.0% | 6.3% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,183 | Bernalillo NM | 9,159 | $64K | 15.9% | 6.9% | 12% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,570 | Big Rapids MI | 8,623 | $44K | 34.1% | 4.3% | 28% | C− |
| 2,571 | Grandview WA | 12,062 | $61K | 17.9% | 6.7% | 16% | C− |
| 2,572 | Española NM | 10,458 | $48K | 20.4% | 4.4% | 18% | C− |
| 2,573 | Mims FL | 7,610 | $59K | 11.4% | 7.3% | 4% | C− |
| 2,574 | Brazil IN | 8,343 | $52K | 18.6% | 5.9% | 14% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Española, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
Española and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Ohkay Owingeh (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Española workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Española | – | C− | B− | 31 min | $47,667 |
| Santa Cruz | under 1% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Sombrillo | under 1% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Cuartelez | under 1% | B+ | C− | 31 min | $114,151 |
| Ohkay Owingeh | 2% | D | C | 15 min | $47,067 |
Same-state neighbors only. Santa Cruz and Sombrillo: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Española’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Española: questions
What is the median household income in Española?
$47,667 (±$6,887) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Española?
20.4%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Española?
31 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Española work?
18% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Alamos (22%, 14 mi), Albuquerque (14%, 70 mi), Santa Fe (13%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Española walkable?
Española is more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Española without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Española, from the people who make the trip.
More of Española
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.