Pajarito MesaNM
In New Mexico, this town has 83 residents.
Is Pajarito Mesa a good place to live?
100% of households are owner-occupiers in Pajarito Mesa, against 70% in New Mexico’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Pajarito Mesa’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in New Mexico’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Pajarito Mesa has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
83 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Pajarito Mesa.
About two in three of Pajarito Mesa’s working residents commute to Albuquerque
Half the trips to work are shorter than 13 miles. The top destinations are Albuquerque (69%), South Valley (5%) and Los Lunas (4%).
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and hot summers in Pajarito Mesa
Expect July afternoons of 92° and January nights of 24°, with about 7 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer of Pajarito Mesa’s adults binge drink than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
Among adults in Pajarito Mesa, 25% have been diagnosed with depression. Of 32 CDC measures, Pajarito Mesa beats the New Mexico average on 2 and trails it on 12. In Pajarito Mesa, just over a fifth of adults report frequent physical distress, and 37% worry about having enough food.
| Pajarito Mesa | Typical New Mexico town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 26% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 23% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Pajarito Mesa | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 7.4% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.3% | 13.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 37.4% | 20.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Pajarito Mesa has a moderate natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Expected losses in Pajarito Mesa break down as 74% from inland flooding and 12% from earthquakes. The town’s risk rating from FEMA works out to 45 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid here since 1981.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Pajarito Mesa
University Stadium and 23 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pajarito Mesa. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
9 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
10 mi TheatreKiMo Theater
14 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseum
15 mi MuseumNational Museum of Nuclear Science & History
24 mi Stadium & arenaRio Rancho Events CenterPhoto 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 · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: AllenS, Public domain · Rio Rancho Events Center: Maryabm2009, CC BY-SA 4.0
Moving to Pajarito Mesa: who provides what
Pajarito Mesa 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.
100% of working residents leave Pajarito Mesa for work
Where Pajarito Mesa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pajarito Mesa
About 0 of every 100 Pajarito Mesa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Pajarito Mesa
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Pajarito Mesa is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pajarito Mesa had a population of 260. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pajarito Mesa is an informal settlement lacking basic services including electricity, running water, and formal roads, and existing largely outside of government regulation. It does not meet the U.S. government definition of a colonia because it is more than 150 miles (240 km) from the U.S.–Mexico border, but otherwise exhibits the same features as a colonia. The mesa was first settled in the 1970s and the population had grown to about 250 families by 2013.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,480 ft
Questions about Pajarito Mesa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pajarito Mesa, NM a good place to live?
Pajarito Mesa has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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