Dennis Chavez Elementary, Los Chavez NM, 2015
Los Chaves’s story
97 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
- 1929Los Chaves is settled
Los ChavesNM
A town of 4,838, settled in 1929.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0
Population
4,838
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$286K
Census ACS
Household income
$80K
median
Median age
49.9
years
Jobs based here
683
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#42 of 72 in NM
Is Los Chaves a good place to live?
Los Chaves gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $286K, 4 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income. It grades C− overall, 42nd of 72 graded towns in New Mexico. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and its public schools trail 75% of New Mexico towns on state tests and graduation. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Only 5 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher home-ownership rate than Los Chaves.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Los Chaves for work
Where Los Chaves’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
683jobs based in Los Chaves
3%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Los Chaves grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Los Chaves is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →HealthPresbyterian Hospital 25.1 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & income$80K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Los Chaves: who provides what
Los Chaves is unincorporated, so Valencia County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPNM16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLoma Escondida Water Association3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers72% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesValencia CountyValencia County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereValencia County ClerkValencia County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP codes87002, 8703187002 54% · 87031 46%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 Los Chaves.
Los Chaves has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room and trails Los Lunas and its other neighbors on schools.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Natural hazards: very high risk in Los Chaves, mostly inland flooding
The FEMA hazard score for Los Chaves comes to 87 of 100, against 65 of 100 in New Mexico’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. FEMA puts 82% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 10% to earthquakes.
87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC
Los Chaves earns a C for schools
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than that grade, Los Lunas highest at B−.
The Belen school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 294 students attend Los Chaves’s public school.
25%of NM districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Chavez ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 294 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Los Chaves has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here grew from 313 in 2013 to 683.
Commuting out is the norm in Los Chaves: 3% of working residents work locally. The share of residents in Los Chaves who live below the poverty line: 25%. The mean commuting time for Los Chaves comes to 27 minutes, above both New Mexico’s towns (23 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs in Los Chaves grew by 370 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 683.
3%work in town
| Los Chaves | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Los Chaves3%
Albuquerque43%
Los Lunas13%
Belen9%
South Valley4%
25 mi
median commute distance
683
jobs based in Los Chaves
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsD
0% of Los Chaves is conserved land
8.8 miles of trail. Los Chaves’ trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
#40for trails in NM
0%
conserved · 0 of 7,287 acres
8.8 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Los Chaves
July afternoons average 94.4°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 21°.
The midsummer high for Los Chaves comes to 94°F. About 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
5″snow a winter
| Los Chaves | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 21°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–54°
Spring40–75°
Summer60–93°
Fall41–74°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than New Mexico overall
Los Chaves: 15% of residents are under 18. Adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (37% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). For Los Chaves, the age of the median resident is 49.9 years. New Mexico has 31% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 34%.
49.9median age · NM 39.4
| Los Chaves | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.9 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 23% | 29% |
Los ChavesNew MexicoUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school38%
Some college14%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s11%
Graduate23%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| Los Chaves | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.6% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.1% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22.6% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,800, single groups can be off by several points
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Los Chaves is less healthy than 57% of U.S. towns
The nearest emergency room, Presbyterian Hospital, is 25.1 miles away in a straight line.
15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Los Chaves. For adults in the town, the share who had a checkup this year is 71%.
43%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Los Chaves | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 69% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 12% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better31 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Los Chaves | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.9% | 73.3% |
VA New Mexico Healthcare System
24.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
60th
percentile among NM towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Los Chaves
17pages on Los Chaves
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Los Chaves
About 8 of every 100 Los Chaves residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Los Chaves
CDP in New Mexico, United States
Los Chavez is a census-designated place (CDP) in Valencia County, New Mexico. The population was 5,033 at the time of the 2000 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 10 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,823 ft
Los Chaves’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Los Chaves.
BelenTomeSausalAdelinoLos LunasLos Chaves
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Chaves | #42 | C− | B | — | C | C+ |
| Belen | #64 | D | B+ | D− | C+ | C− |
| Tome | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Sausal | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Adelino | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Los Lunas | #53 | D | C | D | B− | B− |
Tome has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Los Chaves and Tome report no FBI crime data of their own. Sausal and Adelino aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Los Chaves with a neighbor →
Questions about Los Chaves
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Los Chaves, NM a good place to live?
Los Chaves grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #42 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Los Chaves, NM expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.