Rio CommunitiesNM
A town of 4,953, settled in 2013.
Is Rio Communities a good place to live?
Rio Communities grades D− overall, ranked 68th of 72 in New Mexico, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $46K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 75% of New Mexico towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $267K, 3.8 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income. 13% of residents are under 18 in Rio Communities, against 24% in New Mexico’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. No town in New Mexico scores lower than Rio Communities on history.
96% of working residents leave Rio Communities for work
Where Rio Communities’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Rio Communities grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Rio Communities is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Rio Communities: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rio Communities, and how to reach them.
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 Rio Communities.
Rio Communities has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Albuquerque and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Rio Communities has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
16 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Rio Communities is 2.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Del Fuego Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Rio Communities earns a C for schools
Its public schools are run by the Belen school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Merced ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 463 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
About two in five of Rio Communities’ working residents commute to Albuquerque
Rio Communities has 359 jobs for its 1,920 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Rio Communities for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Rio Communities has added 133 jobs, to 359 in 2023. The top destinations are Albuquerque (43%), Belen (13%) and Los Lunas (9%).
| Rio Communities | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Rio Communities
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Rio Communities since 1988.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Four seasons and hot summers in Rio Communities
July afternoons average 94.4°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 20.9°.
Rio Communities has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Rio Communities’ July high is 94°F. About 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Rio Communities | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 21°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer children than New Mexico overall
25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
| Rio Communities | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.1 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
57% women, 43% men
About 75 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.2 points). Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| Rio Communities | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.1% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.1% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.7% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.3% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.4% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.7% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 5,000, single groups can be off by several points
Rio Communities is less healthy than 63% of U.S. towns
The nearest emergency room, Presbyterian Hospital, is 30.5 miles away in a straight line. Against the 4,361 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rio Communities’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Rio Communities beats the New Mexico average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 12% of adults binge drink in Rio Communities.
| Rio Communities | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 69% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 12% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Rio Communities | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.7% | 14.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.6% | 73.3% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.6% | 3.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Rio Communities earns a B− for cost of living
Home values rose 44% in five years, to about $267K, against 25% across New Mexico.
The typical Rio Communities home is worth about $267,000, up 2.4% in a year, 15% below the New Mexico typical home.
| Rio Communities | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,055 a month | $936 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Rio Communities
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rio Communities
About 9 of every 100 Rio Communities residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
About Rio Communities
City in New Mexico, United States
Rio Communities is a city in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. Prior to its incorporation on May 16, 2013, it was a census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2020 census, Rio Communities had a population of 4,926. Rio Communities was developed by the Horizon Corporation, who sold undeveloped land. The Federal Trade Commission eventually ordered Horizon to pay money to the buyers due to false and misleading ads.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 2013
- Area
- 7.8 sq mi
Questions about Rio Communities
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rio Communities, NM a good place to live?
Rio Communities grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #68 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Rio Communities, NM expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.