Questa vicinity, New Mexico, 1939
Questa’s story
143 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1939.
- 1883Questa is settled
QuestaNM
69% more nonprofits per person than the typical New Mexico town. A town of 1,809, settled in 1883.
Photo: EFreiboth · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,809
2025 Census estimate · +0.6% since 2020
Median home value
$234K
Census ACS
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
51.8
years
Jobs based here
356
Balanced
Is Questa a good place to live?
Questa’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 5 of New Mexico’s 161 towns do worse. Questa's public schools trail 91% of New Mexico towns on state tests and graduation. No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a lower January low than Questa. Only 4 of New Mexico’s 62 towns score higher on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Carson National Forest, at 149 acres. Questa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Questa stand out
Where Questa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Questa5.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical NM town3.4
Civic lifeA
69% more nonprofits per person
than the typical New Mexico town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD−
Avalanches and inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
How Questa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Questa is from typical.
Hazard riskAvalanches top the listD−Open →SchoolsSchools are among the weakest comparedDOpen →Jobs & income$47K median household incomeC−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $234K, 4 years of the Taos area’s $59K median household incomeB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.2 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 5.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →HealthHealthier than 58% of U.S. towns; Holy Cross Hospital A Div of Taos Health Systems 22.1 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors8 miles of trails; 4% conserved landC+Open →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life5.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Questa: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Questa, and how to reach them.
PowerKit Carson Electric Coop15.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterQuesta Water System2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers78% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Questa’s trash rules yet
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 hereTaos County ClerkTaos County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code8755687556 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 Questa.
SchoolsD
Questa earns a D for schools
Two of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list. The Questa school district runs its public schools.
9%of NM districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 106 | – |
| Questa HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 100 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Questa faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by avalanches
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Questa than in 71% of U.S. communities. 59% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from avalanches, followed by inland flooding at 28%. One declared disaster, in 2011, has brought federal aid to Questa households.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
Older than New Mexico overall
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). For Questa, the age of the median resident is 51.8 years. Just over a fifth of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 29%.
51.8median age · NM 39.4
| Questa | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.8 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 23% | 29% |
QuestaNew MexicoUnited States
Ages · share of residents
20%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma10%
High school42%
Some college20%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.7 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| Questa | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.6% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.8% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.4% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 20.1% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.8% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Questa, a typical July afternoon runs cooler than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
Summers in Questa are pleasant, and winters cold, snowy, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 8° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
62″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–40°
Spring27–60°
Summer46–80°
Fall29–62°
Sep 26
typical first frost
May 31
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With only 0.8 jobs per working resident, most people in Questa work out of town
17% of working residents work locally in Questa, against 14% in New Mexico’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Jobs in the town fell by 206 from 2013 to 2023, to 356. Questa: 18% of residents live below the poverty line. Half commute less than 21 miles.
17%work in town
| Questa | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Questa17%
Red River20%
Taos14%
Albuquerque9%
Santa Fe4%
21 mi
median commute distance
356
jobs based in Questa
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Safety
Crime reported in Questa
The violent offense rate in Questa is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Questa's reported crime rate is well below New Mexico's. 7 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Questa | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 1.7 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Questa3.9
New Mexico7.4
U.S.3.6
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Questa4.5
New Mexico28.9
U.S.17.7
7
violent crimes reported in 2024
8
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
HealthB
A smaller share of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Questa than in most of New Mexico or the rest of the country
Only 5 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Questa. The share of adults in Questa who have diabetes: 15%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Questa beats New Mexico on 10 and trails on 1.
58%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Questa | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 23% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
10 better21 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Questa | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.7% | 14.2% |
| Fewer smokers | 9.3% | 13.4% |
| More adults with diabetes | 15.4% | 13.2% |
Holy Cross Hospital A Div of Taos Health Systems
22.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC+
Open space protected for good: 3.5% of Questa
Questa’s trail network density is 1.0 miles per square mile. 7.7 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves.
3.5%conserved
| Questa | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
3.5%
conserved · 169 of 4,836 acres
7.7 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carson National Forest | 0.2 mi | 149 |
| 2. Rio Grande del Norte National Monument | — | 2 |
| 3. Questa Community Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B+
A home in Questa sells for about $339K at the median
The typical rent for Questa comes to $703 a month. 68% of households own their home in the town.
$339Kmedian sale price
| Questa | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $703 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 13 attractions →Wheeler Peak and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Questa. Close and well known come first.
15 mi MountainWheeler Peak12 mi Ski areaTaos Ski Valley103 runs · 2,468 ft vertical11 mi Ski areaRed River Ski Area85 runs · 1,629 ft vertical
29 mi National forestCarson National Forest30 mi Ski areaAngel Fire Resort101 runs · 2,205 ft vertical19 mi MuseumMillicent Rogers MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Wheeler Peak: Davishan99, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carson National Forest: David Herrera from Albuquerque, NM, Bernalillo, CC BY 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Questa
20pages on Questa
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Questa; the nearest are
University of New Mexico-Taos CampusCommunity college · Public · Ranchos de Taos25.3 mi$2,136 in-state tuitionAdams State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Alamosa, CO54.8 mi$9,824 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Questa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Questa
Village in Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Questa is a village in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Questa had a population of 1,742. The village has trails into the Rio Grande Gorge, trout fishing, and mountain lakes with trails that access the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that overlook the area. Questa is on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, near the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red River. The "Gateway to the Rio Grande del Norte Monument", its visitors can drive to an overlook of the Red River meeting the Rio Grande in the depth of the gorge. The Carson National Forest parallels Questa to the east. The Columbine Hondo Wilderness and Latir Peak Wildness are in the Carson National Forest close to…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 7,461 ft
- ZIP code
- 87556
Questions about Questa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Questa, NM a good place to live?
69% more nonprofits per person than the typical New Mexico town.
Is Questa, NM expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $234,000, 26% below the New Mexico typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.