Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mesilla’s best subject grades are an A for walkability, history, and the outdoors; its weakest is a C for hazard risk. Mesilla’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in New Mexico’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On history, just 2 of New Mexico’s 161 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is La Llorona Park, at 73 acres. Mesilla has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mesilla beats most towns.
2,196 counted in 2010 and 1,797 in 2020; an estimated 1,818 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Mesilla is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mesilla, 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 Mesilla.
Half of commuters travel less than 4 miles. Employers in Mesilla added 128 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 835. The average commute for Mesilla comes to 16 minutes. Among residents locally, 4.5% live below the poverty line, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
| Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Las Cruces school district. The 3 public schools in Mesilla teach 986 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zia MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 616 | – |
| Rio Grande Preparatory InstituteLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 46 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Households in Mesilla have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2006. Compared with 64% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is higher. Expected losses in Mesilla break down as 61% from inland flooding and 20% from drought.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The rate of reported violence in Mesilla is 1.1 per 1,000 residents. Mesilla's reported crime rate is well below New Mexico's. Most reported incidents are property crimes. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2022.
| Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.7 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 18.8 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
11 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Mesilla: 2, covering 74 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. La Llorona Park | 0.3 mi | 73 |
| 2. Town Hall Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among adults in Mesilla, 16% have diabetes. Only 4 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Mesilla.
| Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| What stands out | Mesilla | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.4% | 11.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.9% | 14.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Mesilla, 90% of households own their home. For Mesilla, the going rate for rent is $994 a month.
| Mesilla | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $994 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Mesilla
About 4 of every 100 Mesilla residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Where Mesilla’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Mesilla.
Town in New Mexico, United States
Mesilla (also known as La Mesilla and Old Mesilla) is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,797 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area. During the Civil War, Mesilla briefly served as capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. The Mesilla Plaza is a National Historic Landmark.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Mesilla.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesilla | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B− |
| Las Cruces | #56 | D | C | D− | B− | B− |
Mesilla has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Mesilla reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Mesilla with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
The typical home is worth about $301,000, 5% below the New Mexico typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
3 notable people were born here, including Jerry Hines and Micaela Lara Cadena.
