Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 377: a town settled in 1904.
Of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Lake Arthur. Ozark Trails Marker at Lake Arthur is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Arthur has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Lake Arthur beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 344 in 1910, a low of 141 in 1920, 378 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1921.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Arthur, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Arthur.
In Lake Arthur, 4.3% of working residents work locally, below both New Mexico’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (8%). Since 2013, Lake Arthur has lost 98 jobs, to 340 in 2023. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 7.5%. The top destinations are Artesia (13%), Roswell (13%) and Hagerman (8%).
| Lake Arthur | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Lake Arthur school district runs its public schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 3 public schools serve Lake Arthur, with 121 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Arthur ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 67 | C |
| Lake Arthur HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 28 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
The FEMA risk score for Lake Arthur comes to 83 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Lake Arthur once, in 2024. Expected losses in Lake Arthur break down as 46% from drought and 36% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lake Arthur has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 97°, January nights drop to 26° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lake Arthur: 15% of adults binge drink. CDC measures, 32 in all: Lake Arthur beats New Mexico on 2 and trails on 7. In Lake Arthur, 68% of adults had a checkup this year, below both the New Mexico town median (69%) and the median of U.S. towns (79%). Among adults locally, 29% say their health is fair or poor and 27% worry about having enough food.
| Lake Arthur | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 69% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lake Arthur | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 7.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.7% | 14.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 22.9% | 15.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Arthur Town Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Lake Arthur; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Lake Arthur residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
Where Lake Arthur’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New Mexico, United States
Lake Arthur is a town in Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 378 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake Arthur has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.