Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,455.
North Valley is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 29th of 72 graded towns in New Mexico, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 49% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $61K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $303K, 4.3 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income. North Valley has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Barela-Bledsoe House and Juan de Dios Chavez House. 24% of residents are 65 or older in North Valley, above both New Mexico’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (18%). Bachechi Open Space, at 28 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where North Valley beats most towns.
Where North Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far North Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2013 and 5 maps from 1934 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Valley. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
4 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
6 mi TheatreKiMo Theater
39 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
7 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseum
10 mi Stadium & arenaRio Rancho Events CenterUniversity Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · KiMo Theater: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bandelier National Monument: Andrew Dunn (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Rio Rancho Events Center: Maryabm2009, CC BY-SA 4.0
North Valley is unincorporated, so Bernalillo 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 North Valley.
North Valley draws workers from Albuquerque and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
9,174 jobs are based in North Valley, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 21.6% of workers work from home, against 12.2% across New Mexico.
Most working residents leave North Valley for work: only 6% work in town. North Valley’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Since 2013, North Valley has added 1,893 jobs, to 9,174 in 2023.
| North Valley | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Albuquerque school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 212 | – |
| Foothill High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 57 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
| North Valley | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bachechi Open Space | 1.5 mi | 28 |
| 2. Raymond Sanchez Community Center | — | 11 |
| 3. North Valley Little League | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Valley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Valley has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in North Valley is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide). 20% of residents are under 18 in North Valley. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
| North Valley | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.2 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| North Valley | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.4% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.5% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 9,294 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Valley’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Mexico it is healthier than 69% of the 73 graded towns: much of New Mexico scores lower on these measures.
North Valley beats the New Mexico average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 29% of North Valley adults sleep under 7 hours.
| North Valley | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 69% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | North Valley | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 9.3% | 11% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.5% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4 within 15 miles of the center of North Valley
About 3 of every 100 North Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
10 places in North Valley on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
North Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, North Valley had a population of 11,149. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with North Valley.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Valley | #29 | C− | C+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Albuquerque | #44 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | B |
| Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | #14 | C+ | D | — | C+ | B+ |
North Valley and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Valley grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #29 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
