One of the oldest houses, 1940
Reserve’s story
125 years in pictures
Census counts: 439 in 1980, 293 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
- 1901Reserve is settled
ReserveNM
A town of 311, settled in 1901.
Population
311
2025 Census estimate · +6.1% since 2020
Typical home
$194K
+9.9% in a year
Median age
28.5
years
Jobs based here
159
A job hub
Is Reserve a good place to live?
Reserve has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Reserve stand out
Where Reserve beats most towns.
Small town
311 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Reserve: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Reserve, and how to reach them.
PowerNavopache Electric Coop15.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterReserve Water WorksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers56% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Reserve’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 hereCatron County ClerkCatron County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code8783087830 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 Reserve.
Schools
The schools Reserve’s kids attend
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to the Reserve school district. 2 public schools serve Reserve, with 97 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 58 | C |
| Reserve HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 39 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Reserve stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with more of its residents who live below the poverty line
Since 2013, Reserve has lost 43 jobs, to 159 in 2023. No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a lower mean commuting time than Reserve. The share of working residents in Reserve who work locally: 30%. The median commute is under 52 miles.
30%work in town
| Reserve | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 8 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 56% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Reserve30%
Albuquerque8%
Las Cruces7%
Silver City4%
Gallup3%
52 mi
median commute distance
159
jobs based in Reserve
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
The FEMA risk score in Reserve is higher than in most of New Mexico or the rest of the country
Paid flood insurance claims in Reserve since 2013: one. 47% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 46%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireLightning
1
paid flood claims since 2013
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Housing
A home in Reserve is worth about $194K, on Zillow’s estimate
Home values are up 9.9% over the year to September 2026. Of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare, none has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Reserve.
$194KZillow home value
Typical home value
Reserve$194K
New Mexico$316K
+9.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Reserve
July afternoons reach 90° and January nights drop to 17°.
90°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–56°
Spring30–72°
Summer50–89°
Fall34–73°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 30
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
90°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Reserve is
Only 3 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Reserve. The town beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. Nearly a fifth of Reserve adults report frequent physical distress.
| Reserve | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better17 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Reserve | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79% | 73.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.9% | 14.2% |
White Mountain Regional Medical Center
41.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Reserve
17pages on Reserve
The big questions
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Reserve; the nearest are
Western New Mexico UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Silver City70.1 mi$7,856 in-state tuitionNew Mexico State University-GrantsCommunity college · Public · Grants113.4 mi$2,136 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Reserve residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
A job hub
Every workday, about 138 people come to Reserve for work
Where Reserve’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
159jobs based in Reserve
30%of working residents work in town
52 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Reserve
Village in New Mexico, United States
Reserve is a village in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. The town population was 293 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Catron County. Currently the village has two grocery stores, a hardware store, a bar, fairgrounds, and a health clinic. It is the site where Elfego Baca held off a gang of Texan cowboys who wanted to kill him for arresting cowboy Charles McCarty.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,774 ft
- ZIP code
- 87830
Questions about Reserve
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Reserve, NM a good place to live?
Reserve has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Reserve, NM known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Mark Anderson and Patricio M. Serna.