The share of adults in Paraje who have obesity: 41%. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Paraje; what’s more, 32% of Paraje adults get no exercise outside work, against 27% in New Mexico’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. Of 32 CDC measures, Paraje beats the New Mexico average on 1 and trails it on 21.

3%healthier than U.S. townsD⁻Health Grade

	Paraje	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	34%	26%	19%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	26%	14%	14%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	21%	14%	12%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	22%	16%	17%

32 measures vs. New Mexico

1 better10 too close to call21 worse

What stands out	Paraje	NM
Fewer uninsured adults	11.3%	15.6%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	28.3%	14.2%

Cibola General Hospital

21.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageParaje’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby21.9 miles to an ER · Cibola General Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than NM on 1 of 32

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

SchoolsC

On state tests, Paraje’s schools trail 68% of New Mexico districts

The Grants school district runs its public schools. Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Paraje teach 226 students between them.

32%of NM districts it outscoresCSchool Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Laguna-Acoma MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8	Grades 7–8	33	–
Laguna-Acoma HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	193	–

Full pageParaje’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsGRANTS Vs. the neighbors2 bordering towns Every school2 schools · Laguna-Acoma High Questions“Are Paraje’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation

Who lives here

Fewer adults under 35 in Paraje than across New Mexico

Four-year graduates: 35% of adults 25 and older here, 31% across New Mexico. Paraje’s midpoint age stands at 40.7 years, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 37.2 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years.

40.7median age · NM 39.4

	Paraje	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	35%	23%	29%
Median age	40.7 years	37.2 years	40.5 years

ParajeNew MexicoUnited States

NMU.S.

Ages · share of residents

41%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma0%

High school44%

Some college21%

Associate’s0%

Bachelor’s35%

Graduate0%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 18% and 100% women

The Census survey reached too few of Paraje’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±46.3 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Paraje
	Paraje	NM	U.S.
Under 10	0%	11%	11.6%
10 to 17	41.2%	10.7%	10.3%
18 to 24	0%	9.3%	9.1%
25 to 34	0.3%	13.2%	13.7%
35 to 44	31.2%	12.8%	13.2%
45 to 54	0%	11.2%	12.2%
55 to 64	9.8%	12.5%	12.7%
65 to 74	2.2%	11.5%	10.2%
75 and older	15.4%	7.8%	7%
No diploma	0%	12%	10.4%
High school	43.9%	25.7%	26%
Some college	21.4%	22.2%	19.1%
Associate’s	0%	9.2%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	34.7%	17.1%	21.6%
Graduate	0%	13.9%	14.1%

Full pageParaje by the numbersOpen the page

Ages40.7 median age · 18% are 65 or older Schooling35% have a four-year degree Homes100% own their home · Homeowners Income$33K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D⁻

A larger share of residents in Paraje live below the poverty line than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town

The top destinations are Laguna (19%), Albuquerque (14%) and Mesita (10%). For half of commuters, work is under 32 miles away.

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Paraje0%

Laguna19%

Albuquerque14%

Mesita10%

Farmington6%

32 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Paraje

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

C−

Walkability grade: more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns

Full pageParaje’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here43 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work0% work in Paraje Commute timesCommute times How far they goHalf commute less than 32 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C⁻

High risk in Paraje, with inland flooding at the top

Expected losses in Paraje break down as 72% from inland flooding and 11% from cold waves. In Paraje, the FEMA hazard score is 73 of 100.

73risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesLightning

Full pageParaje’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters6 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.9 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Four seasons and hot summers in Paraje

Expect July afternoons of 90° and January nights of 20°, with about 15 inches of snow a winter.

15″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–50°

Spring35–69°

Summer56–88°

Fall37–69°

Oct 4

typical first frost

May 13

typical last frost

+1.5°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageParaje’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 90°, January lows 20°Rain & snow15″ of snow a winter · 11 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.5° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC⁻

0% of Paraje is conserved land

There are 3.2 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Paraje’s density of trails comes in at 0.6 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 12 acres here.

0%conserved

conserved · 0 of 3,553 acres

3.2 mi

of trails · 0.6 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Mount Taylor Fields	—	12

Full pageParaje’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map3.2 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk12 acres · Mount Taylor Fields Conserved land0% conserved · 0 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Paraje?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Paraje

17pages on Paraje

The big questions

SchoolsCBehind 68% of NM districts · 2 schools HealthD⁻Better than NM on 1 of 32 CDC measures Work & commuteD⁻$33K median household income · 43 jobs here Natural hazardsC⁻FEMA risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsC⁻3 mi of trails · 0% conserved land PlacesAttractions24 nearby · El Malpais National Monument 19 mi LibraryLaguna Public Library Colleges

The story

HistoryB⁻Famous people1 born in Paraje Climate90° summer highs · 15″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Paraje; the nearest are

New Mexico State University-GrantsCommunity college · Public · Grants22.8 mi$2,136 in-state tuition University of New MexicoUniversity or college · Public · Albuquerque48 mi$10,140 in-state tuition

About 0 of every 100 Paraje residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Paraje for work

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

43jobs based in Paraje

0%of working residents work in town

32 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Paraje

Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States

Paraje is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Paraje had a population of 705.

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

Area: 5.6 sq mi
Elevation: 5,948 ft

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1,333 people, and everyone knows the way

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The data

Paraje stands out in New Mexico and nationally: a larger share of its adults sleep under 7 hours