Ponderosa PineNM
A town of 1,442.
Is Ponderosa Pine a good place to live?
The best of Ponderosa Pine’s subject grades is an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for walkability. 35% of the land in Ponderosa Pine is conserved, above both New Mexico’s towns (3.9%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Cibola National Forest, at 1,362 acres with 10.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Ponderosa Pine has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ponderosa Pine stand out
Where Ponderosa Pine beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,442 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Ponderosa Pine grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Ponderosa Pine is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
University Stadium and 24 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ponderosa Pine. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
13 mi MuseumNational Museum of Nuclear Science & History
24 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
15 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseum
19 mi TheatreKiMo Theater
17 mi Ski areaSandia Peak Ski Area66 runs · 1,599 ft verticalPhoto credits
University Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: AllenS, Public domain · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · KiMo Theater: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sandia Peak Ski Area: Skoch3, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Ponderosa Pine: who provides what
Ponderosa Pine 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ponderosa Pine.
Ponderosa Pine keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
Walkers can cover 12 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. For Ponderosa Pine, the concentration of trails is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cibola National Forest | 10.5 mi | 1,362 |
| 2. Sunflower Meadow Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 3. Oak Flat Picnic Sites | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards: very high risk in Ponderosa Pine, mostly wildfire
The risk rating from FEMA in Ponderosa Pine is 85 of 100. Expected losses in Ponderosa Pine break down as 49% from wildfires and 44% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, fewer of Ponderosa Pine’s working residents work locally
Ponderosa Pine’s income of the median household stands at $87,000, above both the New Mexico town median ($55,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 7 have a higher average trip to work than Ponderosa Pine. For residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 11%. The top destinations are Albuquerque (59%), Kirtland AFB (8%) and Los Lunas (2%).
| Ponderosa Pine | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 14% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer middle-aged adults than New Mexico overall
Adults 35 to 64 are nearly a quarter of residents (37% statewide); people 65 and older are 30% of residents (19% statewide). 36% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ponderosa Pine. For Ponderosa Pine, the median age is 42.4 years.
| Ponderosa Pine | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.4 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
57% women, 43% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.7 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 100% are men (NM 52%).
| Ponderosa Pine | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.7% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.5% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.6% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.8% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Ponderosa Pine stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with a typical July afternoon cooler than most
Ponderosa Pine brings chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 19° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On CDC estimates, Ponderosa Pine is healthier than 55% of U.S. towns
The share of adults in Ponderosa Pine who sleep under 7 hours: 28%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Ponderosa Pine beats New Mexico on 13 and trails on 5. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Ponderosa Pine.
| Ponderosa Pine | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| What stands out | Ponderosa Pine | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.5% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.7% | 20.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Ponderosa Pine
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ponderosa Pine; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ponderosa Pine residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
100% of working residents leave Ponderosa Pine for work
Where Ponderosa Pine’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Ponderosa Pine
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Ponderosa Pine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ponderosa Pine had a population of 1,092. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 7,440 ft
Questions about Ponderosa Pine
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ponderosa Pine, 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−.