Placitas, New Mexico, 1943
Placitas’s story
125 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1943 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
- 1901Placitas is settled
PlacitasNM
A town of 4,223, settled in 1901. 3.4 times the library visits per person than the typical New Mexico town.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
Population
4,223
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$642K
−1.8% in a year
Household income
$110K
median
Median age
64.8
years
Jobs based here
201
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#17 of 72 in NM
Is Placitas a good place to live?
Placitas grades C overall, 17th among New Mexico's 72 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $110K and residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $642K, 9.1 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income. 50% of residents are 65 or older in Placitas, above both New Mexico’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (18%). Placitas's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. Of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare, none has a higher median age than Placitas.
What makes Placitas stand out
Where Placitas beats most towns.
Library visits per resident
Placitas11.7
Typical U.S. town3.4
Typical NM town3.4
Civic lifeA+
3.4 times the library visits per person
than the typical New Mexico town
IMLS Public Libraries Survey.
32 measures vs. New Mexico
18 better9 too close to call5 worse
| Widest gap | Placitas | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 20.9% |
HealthA−
Beats NM on 18 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 5
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Placitas for work
Where Placitas’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
201jobs based in Placitas
3%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Placitas grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Placitas is from typical.
Jobs & incomeA−Open →HealthLovelace Westside Hospital 15.4 miles awayA−Open →Cost of livingC−Open →SchoolsC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.4 of 20; 0.4% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 36% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors19% conserved landA−Open →HistoryDOpen →Civic life11.7 library visits per resident; 7.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 45 attractions →University Stadium and 41 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Placitas. Close and well known come first.
21 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
27 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
35 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year
8 mi Ski areaSandia Peak Ski Area66 runs · 1,599 ft vertical
17 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
14 mi Stadium & arenaRio Rancho Events CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
University Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · Bandelier National Monument: Andrew Dunn (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Valles Caldera National Preserve: Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, Public domain · Sandia Peak Ski Area: Skoch3, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Rio Rancho Events Center: Maryabm2009, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
Moving to Placitas: who provides what
Placitas is unincorporated, so Sandoval County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPNM16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLa Mesa Water CoopNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSandoval CountySandoval 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 hereSandoval County ClerkSandoval County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code8704387043 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.
Placitas carries less natural-hazard risk than most of New Mexico (mostly inland flooding) and sends most of its workers to Albuquerque and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Mexico.
HousingCost of living grade C−
The median rent in Placitas is higher than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
At 9.1 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $642K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of New Mexico towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,887, against $1,731 across New Mexico, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Placitas’ median rent is $2,717 a month. Among 73 New Mexico towns, just 4 have a higher share of households owning their home than Placitas. The typical Placitas home is worth about $642,000, down 1.8% in a year, about twice the New Mexico typical home.
$642KZillow home value
| Placitas | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,717 a month | $936 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 94% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Placitas$642K
New Mexico$316K
−1.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC−
Placitas’ schools rank behind 77% of New Mexico districts
Its public schools are run by the Bernalillo school district. Its one school is below.
23%of NM districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placitas ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 112 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
OutdoorsA−
18.6% of Placitas is conserved land
44 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Placitas is 1.5 miles per square mile. Cibola National Forest, at 587 acres with 12.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
#19for trails in NM
18.6%
conserved · 3,485 of 18,751 acres
44 mi
of trails · 1.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cibola National Forest | 12.1 mi | 587 |
| 2. Placitas Open Space | 9.3 mi | 562 |
| 3. Sandia Mountain Wilderness | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthA−
Placitas stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with fewer of its adults who feel lonely
27% of adults feel lonely in Placitas. Only 3 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Placitas. 16% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Placitas.
80%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Placitas | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 35% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
18 better9 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Placitas | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 20.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.3% | 16.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.5% | 7.4% |
Lovelace Westside Hospital
15.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
90th
percentile among NM towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
About half of Placitas’ working residents commute to Albuquerque
Placitas has 201 jobs for its 1,729 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 31.4 minutes, against 23.5 across New Mexico.
Most working residents leave Placitas for work: only 3% work in town. 3.2% of Placitas residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Placitas has lost 90 jobs, to 201 in 2023.
3%work in town
| Placitas | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 15% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Placitas3%
Albuquerque48%
Santa Fe7%
Rio Rancho6%
Bernalillo5%
17 mi
median commute distance
201
jobs based in Placitas
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Placitas, expect four seasons and hot summers
Placitas has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 23° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–48°
Spring39–69°
Summer59–89°
Fall41–69°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Placitas
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 79% of New Mexico towns, with expected losses of about $510 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Placitas since 2022.
36risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireEarthquakes
1
paid flood claims since 2022
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Placitas
17pages on Placitas
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Placitas; the nearest are
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic InstituteCommunity college · Public · Albuquerque16.1 mi$1,095 in-state tuitionUniversity of New MexicoUniversity or college · Public · Albuquerque19.3 mi$10,140 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Placitas residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Placitas
CDP in New Mexico, United States
Placitas is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,977. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 30 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,955 ft
- ZIP code
- 87043
Placitas’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Placitas.
BernalilloSanta Ana PuebloPlacitas
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placitas | #17 | C | C− | — | C− | A− |
| Bernalillo | #34 | C− | A− | C− | C− | C |
| Santa Ana Pueblo | — | — | A+ | — | C− | B |
Santa Ana Pueblo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Placitas and Santa Ana Pueblo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Placitas with a neighbor →
Questions about Placitas
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Placitas, NM a good place to live?
Placitas grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #17 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades A− for health and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Placitas, NM expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.