Happy ValleyNM
A town of 845.
Is Happy Valley a good place to live?
29% of residents live below the poverty line in Happy Valley, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Happy Valley. Happy Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
845 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Happy Valley: who provides what
Happy Valley is unincorporated, so Eddy County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Happy Valley.
Happy Valley stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
0.4% of working residents work locally in Happy Valley, against 14% in New Mexico’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Happy Valley has lost 166 jobs, to 53 in 2023. The top destinations are Carlsbad (52%), Hobbs (8%) and Roswell (3%).
| Happy Valley | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
High risk in Happy Valley, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Happy Valley is hotter
The July high in Happy Valley is 97°F. Happy Valley has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Happy Valley is
Happy Valley beats the New Mexico average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 68% of Happy Valley adults had a checkup this year.
| Happy Valley | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 69% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Happy Valley | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.4% | 14.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12% | 15.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Carlsbad Caverns National Park and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Happy Valley. Close and well known come first.
17 mi National ParkCarlsbad Caverns National Park411K visitors a year
21 mi CaveLechuguilla Cave
40 mi National ParkGuadalupe Mountains National Park206K visitors a year
in town GardenLiving Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
19 mi TheatreBat Flight AmphitheaterPhoto credits
Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Eric Guinther, User:Marshman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lechuguilla Cave: Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Leaflet, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park: J Dykstra, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bat Flight Amphitheater: Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Happy Valley
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Happy Valley
About 0 of every 100 Happy Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
100% of working residents leave Happy Valley for work
Where Happy Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Happy Valley
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Happy Valley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Happy Valley had a population of 617. The community is located on the western edge of Carlsbad; New Mexico State Road 524 passes through the area. The town was settled as a farming community before potash was manufactured here. It was named because the lack of land use regulations made residents happy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,209 ft
Questions about Happy Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Happy Valley, NM a good place to live?
Happy Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.