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New Mexico›Valencia County
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JaralesNM

A town of 2,144, settled in 1895.

Population
2,144
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
54.8
years
Jobs based here
85
A commuter town

Is Jarales a good place to live?

Jarales’ best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Commission Land, at 245 acres. Jarales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestA+Cost of livingWeakestDHazard riskDWalkabilityC−Jobs & incomeCSchools
A shrinking town

Jarales has shrunk 18% from 2010 to 2020

2,475 counted in 2010 and 2,042 in 2020.

2,4752010
2,0422020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How Jarales grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Jarales is from typical.

How grading works

Cost of livingHome prices against what area households earnA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.6 of 20; 2.9% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & income$56K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →HealthPresbyterian Hospital 33 miles awayCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 6% conserved landB−Open →HistoryC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 54.8; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Jarales: who provides what

Jarales is unincorporated, so Valencia County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPNM16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBelen Water System21 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesValencia CountyValencia County provides services here
SchoolsBelen Consolidated SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereValencia County ClerkValencia County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP codes87002, 8702387002 73% · 87023 27%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 Jarales.

SchoolsC

On state tests, Jarales’ schools trail 75% of New Mexico districts

The Belen school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. Enrollment at Jarales’s public school: 316 students.

25%of NM districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Gil Sanchez ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6Grades PK–6316–
Full pageJarales’ schools pageOpen the page
The districtsBELENVs. the neighborsBehind its graded neighborEvery school1 school · Gil Sanchez ElementaryQuestions“Are Jarales’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

The biggest natural risk in Jarales is inland flooding, at a very high overall level

One declared disaster, in 2022, has brought federal aid to Jarales households. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 89% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 2000: 9.

89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
89Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingEarthquakes
9
paid flood claims since 2000
1
federal disasters paid out here
Full pageJarales’ hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesVery high riskFlood claims9 paid flood claims · Since 2000Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in JaralesGet ready0.6 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−

With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Jarales work out of town

The share of residents in Jarales who live below the poverty line: 9.5%. Employers in Jarales added 47 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 85. Only 5 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Jarales. The median commute is under 32 miles.

1%work in town
JaralesNew Mexico townsU.S. towns
Working residents who work in town1.2%14%8%
Below the poverty line9.5%21%9.6%
Median household income$56,000$55,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Jarales1%
Albuquerque39%
Belen15%
Los Lunas11%
Santa Fe3%
32 mi
median commute distance
85
jobs based in Jarales
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Full pageJarales’ work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here85 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work1% work in JaralesCommute times25 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 32 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthC

Health in Jarales trails 68% of U.S. towns

This New Mexico town does better than the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 5. The share of adults in Jarales who report frequent mental distress is 15%, below both New Mexico’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (17%). 28% of Jarales adults say their health is fair or poor. Only 6 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Jarales.

32%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
JaralesNew Mexico townsU.S. towns
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)17%14%12%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)19%16%8.1%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)12%13%16%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)28%26%19%
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better26 too close to call5 worse
What stands outJaralesNM
More adults treating high blood pressure77.1%73.3%
More adults with diabetes16.6%13.2%
VA New Mexico Healthcare System
32 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
Full pageJarales’ health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exerciseHospitals & doctors nearby32 miles to an ER · VA New Mexico Healthcare SystemHow adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor healthEvery CDC estimateBetter than NM on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Expect four seasons and hot summers in Jarales

Jarales’ July high stands at 95°F, above both the New Mexico town median (93°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).

5″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter23–55°
Spring39–75°
Summer60–93°
Fall40–74°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
Full pageJarales’ climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 95°, January lows 21°Rain & snow5″ of snow a winter · 9 inches of rain and snow a yearHeating & coolingMostly a heating billThen and now+2.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsB−

6.3% of Jarales is conserved land

In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 0.1 miles of trail.

6.3%conserved
6.3%
conserved · 351 of 5,554 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. State Game Commission Land—245
Full pageJarales’ outdoors pageOpen the page
Trail map0.1 miles of trail, mappedPick a walk245 acres · State Game Commission LandConserved land6.3% conserved · 351 acres protectedQuestions“Where can I hike in Jarales?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Jarales

16pages on Jarales
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 75% of NM districts · 1 schoolHealthCBetter than NM on 1 of 32 CDC measuresWork & commuteC−$56K median household income · 85 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
OutdoorsB−0 mi of trails · 6% conserved landPlacesAttractions27 nearby · Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument 24 miLibraryBelen Public LibraryCollegesUniversity of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus is 8.4 mi away
The story
HistoryC−Settled 1895Climate95° summer highs · 5″ of snow
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Jarales

University of New Mexico-Valencia County CampusCommunity college · Public · Los Lunas8.4 mi$1,878 in-state tuition

About 4 of every 100 Jarales residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Jarales for work

Where Jarales’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

39% → Albuquerque Albuquerque 39% 15% → Belen Belen 15% 11% → Los Lunas Los Lunas 11% 3% → Santa Fe Santa Fe 3% 2% → South Valley South Valley 2% 2% → Rio Rancho Rio Rancho 2% Jarales · 1% stay
85jobs based in Jarales
1%of working residents work in town
32 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Jarales’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Jarales.

Explore the map →
BelenPueblitosBelenPueblitosJarales
Belen
N · 15% of Jarales workers commute here
Visit
Pueblitos
W
Visit
How the neighbors grade
TownNM rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Jarales——A+—CC
Belen#64DB+D−C+C−
Pueblitos——————

Jarales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Jarales reports no FBI crime data of its own. Pueblitos isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jarales with a neighbor →