La PlataNM
A town of 2,233, settled in 1881.
Is La Plata a good place to live?
The best of La Plata’s subject grades are a B for the outdoors and schools; the weakest is a D− for walkability. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in La Plata, above both the New Mexico town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On walkability, just 8 of New Mexico’s 159 towns do worse. The median household income is $57K, and 36% of residents live below the poverty line. 15% of the land in La Plata is conserved, above both New Mexico’s towns (3.9%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Florence and John R. Pond House is on the National Register of Historic Places. La Plata has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
97% of working residents leave La Plata for work
Where La Plata’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How La Plata grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far La Plata is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to La Plata: who provides what
La Plata is unincorporated, so San Juan 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 Plata.
La Plata is less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns
La Plata beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 19% of La Plata adults smoke cigarettes.
| La Plata | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 69% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | La Plata | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 11.3% | 15.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
More than half of La Plata’s working residents commute to Farmington
Most working residents leave La Plata for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in La Plata fell to 169 in 2023, 251 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Farmington (51%), Albuquerque (6%) and Durango (4%).
| La Plata | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In La Plata, expect four seasons and hot summers
La Plata has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in La Plata is 91°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
15.1% of La Plata is conserved land
15 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Glade Run Recreation Area, 233 acres with 2.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Glade Run Recreation Area | 2.1 mi | 233 |
| 2. Jackson Lake Wildlife Area | 0.8 mi | 47 |
| 3. Thomas Canyon Recreation Area | 0.6 mi | 172 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
High risk in La Plata, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes in La Plata are worth about $316K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical La Plata home is worth about $316,000, up 6.8% in a year, close to the New Mexico typical home. 83% of households own their home in La Plata.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about La Plata
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of La Plata
About 2 of every 100 La Plata residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
La Plata’s neighbors
One town shares a border with La Plata.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Plata | — | — | B− | — | B | C− |
| Farmington | #40 | C− | C | D | B | C+ |
La Plata has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. La Plata reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare La Plata with a neighbor →
Questions about La Plata
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is La Plata, NM expensive?
That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($55,872 across the Farmington, NM metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.