Placitas, New Mexico, 1943
Placitas’s story
Placitas in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1943.
Explore the history →PlacitasNM
516 people live in this town in New Mexico.
Is Placitas a good place to live?
91% of residents live below the poverty line in Placitas, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a lower midpoint age than Placitas. Placitas has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
516 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
HatchPlacitas
Getting set up
Moving to Placitas: who provides what
Placitas is unincorporated, so Doña Ana County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSierra Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterHatch Water Supply SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesDoña Ana CountyDoña Ana County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereDona Ana County Bureau of ElectionsDoña Ana County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code8793787937 100%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 Placitas.
Natural hazards
Placitas faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
The risk rating from FEMA for Placitas comes to 84 of 100. 70% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by drought at 22%.
84risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Placitas has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The top destinations are Hatch (30%), Las Cruces (22%) and Albuquerque (9%). The median commute is under 29 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Placitas0%
Hatch30%
Las Cruces22%
Albuquerque9%
El Paso5%
29 mi
median commute distance
4
jobs based in Placitas
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 Placitas is hotter
Expect chilly winters and hot summers in Placitas, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 96°, January nights drop to 25° and snow is almost unheard of.
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–60°
Spring42–79°
Summer63–96°
Fall44–79°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Mar 25
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults in Placitas get no exercise outside work than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
In Placitas, 13% of adults binge drink. The town does better than the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 16. Only 2 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Placitas.
| Placitas | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 26% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 27% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 23% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better15 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Placitas | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.3% | 7.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 33.9% | 15.6% |
Three Crosses Regional Hospital
32.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Placitas
14pages on Placitas
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Placitas; the nearest are
New Mexico State University-Dona AnaCommunity college · Public · Las Cruces33.1 mi$2,322 in-state tuitionNew Mexico State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Las Cruces36 mi$8,183 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Placitas residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Placitas for work
Where Placitas’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4jobs based in Placitas
0%of working residents work in town
29 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Placitas
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Placitas is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 576 as of the 2010 census. The community is along the western border of Hatch.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,068 ft
Questions about Placitas
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Placitas, NM a good place to live?
Placitas has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. 516 people live in this town in New Mexico.