Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 832, settled in 1887.
43% of residents live below the poverty line in Mescalero, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 71 in New Mexico we compare has a lower median rent than Mescalero. St. Joseph Apache Mission Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mescalero has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1927.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mescalero is unincorporated, so Otero 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Mescalero.
Mescalero’s FEMA risk score is 100 of 100, against 66 of 100 in New Mexico’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mescalero’s median household income is $24,000. Jobs based in Mescalero fell to 76 in 2023, 199 fewer than in 2013. Mescalero’s average trip to work is 17 minutes.
| Mescalero | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $24,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mescalero has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. The July high in Mescalero is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mescalero beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 29% of adults smoke cigarettes in Mescalero. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Mescalero.
| Mescalero | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 23% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 19% |
| What stands out | Mescalero | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 7.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.4% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mescalero. Close and well known come first.
27 mi National ParkWhite Sands National Park660K visitors a year
24 mi National forestLincoln National Forest
16 mi MuseumNew Mexico Museum of Space History5.0M visitors a year
30 mi State parkFort Stanton18 mi Ski areaSki Apache46 runs · 1,796 ft vertical14 mi Ski areaSki Cloudcroft26 runs · 634 ft verticalWhite Sands National Park: uncredited NPS employee, Public domain · Lincoln National Forest: Dsw3131, Public domain · New Mexico Museum of Space History: AllenS, Public domain · Fort Stanton: AllenS, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Mescalero; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Mescalero residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
1,338 counted in 2010 and 1,480 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Mescalero (Mescalero-Chiricahua: Mashgal) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, located on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. As of the 2020 census, Mescalero had a population of 1,480.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mescalero has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
