Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Raton run?
Raton’s city government spent $26.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,412 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Raton didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Raton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $4,412 per resident a year, or $12.09 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 15%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Raton didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Raton yet
Every year of Raton’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $719 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.54% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Raton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Raton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Raton →
Who’s in charge in Raton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Raton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ratonnm.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 59 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (5,974).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Raton Public Schools
Raton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,881 per pupil, $11,274 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
New Mexico districts overall: 17% local, 64% state, 20% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Raton’s votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Raton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Colfax County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.8%3,252 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.5%2,436 votesOthers: 0.7% (39 votes).
Most votes in Colfax County: Donald J Trump
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Raton lies in Colfax County. Every 2024 race in Colfax County is on the county’s page.
Colfax County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Raton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ratonnm.gov ↗
- 2New Mexico HouseRaton is split between 2 districts
- 3New Mexico SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Mexico
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Raton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Raton’s government
How much does Raton spend per resident?
About $4,412 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Raton didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $30.7 million.
What is the property tax rate in Raton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $719 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ratonnm.gov.
Who runs Raton’s government?
See ratonnm.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Raton yet.
How did Raton vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Raton alone. Colfax County, where 100% of Raton lies, voted Trump 56.8%, Harris 42.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Raton?
101 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $431,638 (about $5.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Raton in the state legislature?
Raton is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The New Mexico Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 8 (Pete Campos). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Raton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Raton, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →