Ann Parish Elementary School, 2015
Meadow Lake’s story
Meadow Lake in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
Explore the history →Meadow LakeNM
A town of 4,259.
Population
4,259
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$78K
Census ACS
Household income
$44K
median
Median age
39.4
years
Jobs based here
23
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#48 of 72 in NM
Is Meadow Lake a good place to live?
Meadow Lake gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $78K, 1.1 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 48th of 72 in New Mexico. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $44K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. Meadow Lake’s average trip to work is 41 minutes, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 100% of U.S. towns. No town among the 73 in New Mexico we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Meadow Lake.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Meadow Lake for work
Where Meadow Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
23jobs based in Meadow Lake
0%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Meadow Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Meadow Lake is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 87% of comparable towns) to D− for walkability (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 2.7 of 20; 7.4% of households have no carD−Open →HealthPresbyterian Hospital 19.6 miles awayDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →SchoolsBehind 53% of New Mexico districts on tests and graduationB−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 Meadow Lake: who provides what
Meadow Lake is unincorporated, so Valencia County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPNM16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMeadow Lake Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers76% 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 code8703187031 100%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 Meadow Lake.
Meadow Lake is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sends most of its workers to Albuquerque and beyond.
HealthD
Meadow Lake’s grade for health is a D
Against the 3,551 U.S. towns with household incomes like Meadow Lake’s, it is less healthy than 65%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
34% of Meadow Lake adults say their health is fair or poor. Meadow Lake beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 36% of Meadow Lake adults worry about having enough food.
9%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Meadow Lake | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 25% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 23% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 69% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 8.1% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better15 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Meadow Lake | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 7.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 35.9% | 20.9% |
VA New Mexico Healthcare System
17.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
10th
percentile among NM towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
About half of Meadow Lake’s working residents commute to Albuquerque
Meadow Lake has 23 jobs for its 1,545 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 40.9 minutes, against 23.5 across New Mexico.
Most working residents leave Meadow Lake for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Albuquerque (46%), Los Lunas (12%) and Belen (5%). Half commute less than 21 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Meadow Lake0%
Albuquerque46%
Los Lunas12%
Belen5%
South Valley5%
21 mi
median commute distance
23
jobs based in Meadow Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 0% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB−
Meadow Lake has set aside 18.6% of its land for conservation
3.8 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Meadow Lake’s trail density is 0.3 miles per square mile.
#59for trails in NM
18.6%
conserved · 1,381 of 7,443 acres
3.8 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Meadow Lake has four seasons and hot summers
Meadow Lake has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Meadow Lake is 92°F.
5″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–52°
Spring38–72°
Summer58–91°
Fall40–72°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Meadow Lake faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities.
59risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesLightning
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 27 attractions →University Stadium and 24 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Meadow Lake. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
23 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
20 mi TheatreKiMo Theater
18 mi MuseumNational Museum of Nuclear Science & History
19 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseum
21 mi National MonumentSalinas Pueblo Missions National Monument32K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
University Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · KiMo Theater: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: AllenS, Public domain · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument: BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Meadow Lake
17pages on Meadow Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Meadow Lake
About 8 of every 100 Meadow Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Meadow Lake
CDP in New Mexico, United States
Meadow Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Meadow Lake had a population of 4,573. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,449 ft
Questions about Meadow Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Meadow Lake, NM a good place to live?
Meadow Lake grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #48 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Meadow Lake, NM expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.