Estancia Water Tower, 2010
Estancia’s story
123 years in pictures
Census counts: 517 in 1910, 1,242 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
- 1903Estancia is settled
Photo: AllenS · Public domain
Population
1,321
2025 Census estimate · +5.3% since 2020
Typical home
$201K
+4.1% in a year
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
48.3
years
Jobs based here
619
A job hub
Is Estancia a good place to live?
Estancia’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. On cost of living, just 11 of New Mexico’s 156 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 65% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 6 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Estancia. Estancia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Estancia stand out
Where Estancia beats most towns.
Typical home value
Estancia$201K
New Mexico$316K
Cost of livingA+
2.8 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 98% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here619
Residents who work356
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 90% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Library visits per resident
Estancia44.2
Typical U.S. town3.4
Typical NM town3.4
Civic lifeA−
12.9 times the library visits per person
than the typical New Mexico town
IMLS Public Libraries Survey.
A shrinking town
Estancia has shrunk 21% since 2010
1,655 counted in 2010 and 1,242 in 2020; an estimated 1,321 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Estancia grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Estancia is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Jobs & income$54K median household income; 619 jobs based hereD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthUnm Hospital 39.8 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.8 of 20; 4.8% of households have no car; 3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsC−Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life44.2 library visits per resident; 3.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−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 48.3; 8% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Estancia: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Estancia, and how to reach them.
PowerCentral New Mexico El Coop17.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEstancia Water System14 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers77% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpEVSWA Central Collection StationTown’s haulerTown site
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 hereTorrance County ClerkTorrance County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code8701687016 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 Estancia.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Estancia has 1.7 jobs for every working resident, and 580 people commute in
Most working residents leave Estancia for work: only 11% work in town. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Estancia, above both the New Mexico town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Estancia’s average trip to work is 28 minutes.
11%work in town
| Estancia | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Estancia11%
Albuquerque31%
Moriarty7%
Las Cruces5%
Rio Rancho4%
40 mi
median commute distance
619
jobs based in Estancia
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Estancia’s public schools outperform 64% of New Mexico districts
Its public schools are run by the Estancia school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
64%of NM districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–6 | Grades 2–6 | 179 | – |
| Estancia HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 184 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A+
The typical home in Estancia is valued at about $201K
The typical Estancia home is worth about $201,000, up 4.1% in a year, 36% below the New Mexico typical home. Estancia’s median rent is $843 a month, against $940 a month in New Mexico’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
$201KZillow home value
| Estancia | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $843 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Estancia$201K
New Mexico$316K
+4.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Estancia is less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns
Estancia beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 66% of adults had a checkup this year in Estancia.
25%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Estancia | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 69% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better21 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Estancia | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 7.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.3% | 14.2% |
VA New Mexico Healthcare System
36.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Estancia, expect four seasons and hot summers
Estancia has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Estancia is 89°F.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–49°
Spring33–69°
Summer53–88°
Fall35–69°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 18
typical last frost
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Estancia
65risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHailLightning
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC−
Estancia has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 1 of 3,969 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Arthur Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Estancia
18pages on Estancia
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Estancia; the nearest are
University of New Mexico-Valencia County CampusCommunity college · Public · Los Lunas38.2 mi$1,878 in-state tuitionUniversity of New MexicoUniversity or college · Public · Albuquerque39.9 mi$10,140 in-state tuition
About 9 of every 100 Estancia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Small town
1,321 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Estancia
Town in New Mexico, United States
Estancia is a town in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,242. It is the county seat of Torrance County. Estancia is part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,109 ft
- ZIP code
- 87016
Questions about Estancia
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Estancia, 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+.