La MesillaNM
A town of 2,697.
Is La Mesilla a good place to live?
La Mesilla grades D overall, ranked 54th of 72 in New Mexico, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 78% of New Mexico towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: the median household earns $81K. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Among 73 New Mexico towns, just 2 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than La Mesilla.
99% of working residents leave La Mesilla for work
Where La Mesilla’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How La Mesilla grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far La Mesilla is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Bandelier National Monument and 21 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Mesilla. Close and well known come first.
9 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
19 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year
19 mi MuseumGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
13 mi National Historical ParkManhattan Project National Historical Park56K visitors a year
19 mi Park & preserveSanta Fe Plaza
19 mi Ski areaSki Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Q3855588 runs · 1,753 ft verticalPhoto 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 · Ski Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Q38555: Ybratcher, CC BY-SA 4.0
Moving to La Mesilla: who provides what
La Mesilla is unincorporated, so Rio Arriba 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 La Mesilla.
La Mesilla faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Only 7 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than La Mesilla.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
La Mesilla has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
4.5 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. At 1.0 miles per square mile, La Mesilla’s trail density is close to New Mexico’s towns (1.0) and above U.S. towns (0.4).
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About one in three of La Mesilla’s working residents commute to Los Alamos
La Mesilla has 34 jobs for its 597 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 32.6 minutes, against 23.5 across New Mexico.
Most working residents leave La Mesilla for work: only 1% work in town. At 33 minutes, La Mesilla’s average trip to work is above both the New Mexico town median (23 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 9% of La Mesilla residents live below the poverty line.
| La Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 8.4% | 11% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
La Mesilla has four seasons and hot summers
La Mesilla has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. La Mesilla’s July high is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer young adults than New Mexico overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 25% of residents (19% statewide). The median age in La Mesilla is 45.8 years. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
| La Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.8 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±10 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| La Mesilla | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.7% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.9% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Health in La Mesilla trails 64% of U.S. towns
La Mesilla beats the New Mexico average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 17% of adults have diabetes in La Mesilla. Among 73 New Mexico towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than La Mesilla.
| La Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 69% | 79% |
| What stands out | La Mesilla | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77% | 73.3% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 86.8% | 83.4% |
| More adults with diabetes | 16.5% | 13.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in La Mesilla sells for about $628K at the median
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about La Mesilla
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of La Mesilla
About 2 of every 100 La Mesilla residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About La Mesilla
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
La Mesilla is a census-designated place in Río Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, La Mesilla had a population of 1,844. In 1870, a family from La Mesilla was ambushed and killed by Mexicans disguised as Native Americans.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.5 sq mi
Questions about La Mesilla
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is La Mesilla, NM a good place to live?
La Mesilla grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #54 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is La Mesilla, NM expensive?
The typical home is worth about $316,000, 0% above the New Mexico typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.