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Ojo Sarco
New Mexico›Rio Arriba County

Ojo SarcoNM

Founded in 1751, this town now has 112 residents.

San Jose de Gracia Church · Photo: The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5
Photo of Ojo Sarco

Ojo Sarco, NM · San Jose de Gracia Church · Photo: The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5

Is Ojo Sarco a good place to live?

72% of residents live below the poverty line in Ojo Sarco, above both the New Mexico town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Ojo Sarco. The biggest park or preserve is Carson National Forest, at 192 acres. Ojo Sarco has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

112 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Getting set up

Moving to Ojo Sarco: who provides what

Ojo Sarco is unincorporated, so Rio Arriba County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerJemez Mountains Elec Coop15.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOjo Sarco Mdwca water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesRio Arriba CountyRio Arriba County provides services here
SchoolsPeñasco Independent SchoolsEspañola Municipal Schools2 districts serve Ojo Sarco; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereRio Arriba County ClerkRio Arriba County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2023
ZIP codes87521, 8752787521 84% · 87527 16%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 Ojo Sarco.

Natural hazards

Ojo Sarco faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.

90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
90Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingWildfire

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

Few of Ojo Sarco’s working residents work in town

The median commute is under 34 miles. The top destinations are Albuquerque (22%), Los Alamos (16%) and Española (12%).

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Ojo Sarco0%
Albuquerque22%
Los Alamos16%
Española12%
Santa Fe8%
34 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Ojo Sarco
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Ojo Sarco is cooler

Winters in Ojo Sarco are chilly, snowy and summers pleasant, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 18° and about 108 inches of snow falls in a winter.

108″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–41°
Spring33–60°
Summer51–79°
Fall36–61°
Sep 26
typical first frost
May 28
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Ojo Sarco stands out in New Mexico and nationally: a smaller share of its adults binge drink

The share of adults in Ojo Sarco who have obesity: 42%. Only 5 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Ojo Sarco. Of 32 CDC measures, Ojo Sarco beats the New Mexico average on 3 and trails it on 14.

Ojo SarcoNew Mexico townsU.S. towns
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)18%14%12%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)11%13%16%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)19%17%14%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)30%26%19%
32 measures vs. New Mexico
3 better15 too close to call14 worse
What stands outOjo SarcoNM
Fewer binge drinkers10.9%13.7%
More adults treating high blood pressure77.8%73.3%
More adults with COPD9.2%6.6%
Presbyterian Espanola Hospital
19 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

9.2% of Ojo Sarco is conserved land

There are 1.1 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Ojo Sarco’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.

9.2%conserved
Ojo SarcoNew Mexico townsU.S. towns
Conserved land9.2%3.9%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.3 miles per square mile1.00.4
9.2%
conserved · 199 of 2,171 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Carson National Forest—192

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ojo Sarco

16pages on Ojo Sarco
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Ojo Sarco; the nearest are

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Ojo Sarco for work

Where Ojo Sarco’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

22% → Albuquerque Albuquerque 22% 16% → Los Alamos Los Alamos 16% 12% → Española Española 12% 8% → Santa Fe Santa Fe 8% 6% → Taos Taos 6% 4% → Las Cruces Las Cruces 4% Ojo Sarco · 0% stay
0jobs based in Ojo Sarco
0%of working residents work in town
34 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Ojo Sarco

Unincorporated community in New Mexico, United States

Ojo Sarco is an unincorporated community located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ojo Sarco had a population of 277. Ojo Sarco is located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 1 mile (1.6 km) from New Mexico State Road 76 and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west-southwest of Las Trampas. Ojo Sarco had its own post office until June 8, 1996. Ojo Sarco was founded by settlers on the Las Trampas Land Grant which dates back to 1751.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Elevation
7,405 ft

Questions about Ojo Sarco

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Ojo Sarco, NM a good place to live?

Ojo Sarco has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.