Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 2,536 residents in New Mexico.
Taken together, its subjects give Ranchos de Taos a C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 43rd of 72 in New Mexico. Where it falls short is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Homes run about $407K for a typical one, 6.9 times the Taos area’s $59K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D) — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than nearly three quarters of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. The town has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church and Ranchos de Taos Plaza. 37% of residents are under 18 locally, against 23% in New Mexico’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Ranchos de Taos’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Ranchos de Taos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1936 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Ranchos de Taos is unincorporated, so Taos 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Ranchos de Taos.
Ranchos de Taos looks healthier within New Mexico than nationally and sends most of its workers to Taos and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Mexico.
Public schools: the Taos school district. Its one school is below. Enrollment at Ranchos de Taos’s public school: 225 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranchos de Taos ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 225 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Ranchos de Taos has 186 jobs for its 791 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Taos (47%), Albuquerque (10%) and Santa Fe (4%). Only 3% of working residents stay in Ranchos de Taos for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Ranchos de Taos has lost 39 jobs, to 186 in 2023.
| Ranchos de Taos | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 15% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 6.9 years of the Taos area’s $59K median household income, the typical home (about $407K) costs more against local pay than in 90% of New Mexico towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $407K, is 8% below its June 2023 peak.
Among households in Ranchos de Taos, 90% own their home. The typical home value here is about $407,000, up 0.6% in a year, 29% above the New Mexico typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Ranchos de Taos than in 74% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Ranchos de Taos break down as 50% from avalanches and 29% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 3 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower midsummer high than Ranchos de Taos. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Carson National Forest, at 20 acres. 0.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 3 of the 70 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower density of trails than Ranchos de Taos.
| Ranchos de Taos | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carson National Forest | 0.4 mi | 20 |
| 2. Ranchos Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within New Mexico it is healthier than 72% of the 73 graded towns: much of New Mexico scores lower on these measures.
For adults in Ranchos de Taos, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 21%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Ranchos de Taos beats New Mexico on 3 and trails on 1. 14% of adults in Ranchos de Taos report frequent mental distress; 70% had a checkup this year.
| Ranchos de Taos | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 69% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ranchos de Taos | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.8% | 14.2% |
| Fewer adults in frequent mental distress | 14.2% | 16.1% |
| More adults with diabetes | 15.5% | 13.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ranchos de Taos. Close and well known come first.
17 mi MountainWheeler Peak
28 mi National forestCarson National Forest17 mi Ski areaTaos Ski Valley103 runs · 2,468 ft vertical20 mi Ski areaAngel Fire Resort101 runs · 2,205 ft vertical6 mi MuseumMillicent Rogers Museum26 mi Ski areaRed River Ski Area85 runs · 1,629 ft verticalWheeler Peak: Davishan99, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carson National Forest: David Herrera from Albuquerque, NM, Bernalillo, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ranchos de Taos
About 1 of every 100 Ranchos de Taos residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
3 places in Ranchos de Taos on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Ranchos de Taos is a census-designated place (CDP) in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,707 at the time of the 2020 census. The historic district is the Ranchos de Taos Plaza, which includes the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Ranchos de Taos.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranchos de Taos | #43 | C− | C+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Talpa | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Taos | #66 | D | C | D− | C+ | B− |
Ranchos de Taos reports no FBI crime data of its own. Talpa isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ranchos de Taos with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ranchos de Taos grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #43 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
