New Mexico National Guard, 2020
Rock Springs’s story
Rock Springs in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2020.
Explore the history →Rock SpringsNM
A town of 1,013.
Population
1,013
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$18K
Census ACS
Household income
$97K
median
Median age
43.6
years
Land area
6 sq mi
Is Rock Springs a good place to live?
The best of Rock Springs’ subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. On history, just 16 of New Mexico’s 161 towns do worse. Rock Springs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Rock Springs stand out
Where Rock Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Natural hazardsA+
Lower risk than 96% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better7 too close to call24 worse
| Widest gap | Rock Springs | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 42.3% | 14.2% |
Worth knowing · HealthD−
Less healthy than 99% of U.S. towns
Trails NM on 24 of 32 CDC measures, beats it on 1
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Small town
1,013 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Yah-ta-heyRock Springs
How Rock Springs grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Rock Springs is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $18K, 0.4 years of the Gallup area’s $48K median household incomeA+Open →HealthNear the bottom of U.S. towns on CDC estimates; Gallup Indian Medical Center 9.6 miles awayD−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 4% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 5% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsBehind 71% of New Mexico districts on tests and graduationCOpen →Jobs & income$97K median household income; 10.9% below the poverty lineC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Rock Springs: who provides what
Rock Springs is unincorporated, so McKinley County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNavajo Tribal Utility Authority16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRock Springs Community - Ntua water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesMcKinley CountyMcKinley County provides services here
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 hereMcKinley County ClerkMcKinley County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code8737587375 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 Rock Springs.
HealthD−
Compared with most of New Mexico and the rest of the country, more of Rock Springs’ adults report frequent mental distress
Rock Springs: 49% of adults worry about having enough food, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 14%. No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Rock Springs, and on top of that just over two in five adults say their health is fair or poor here. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Rock Springs.
1%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Rock Springs | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 26% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. New Mexico
1 better7 too close to call24 worse
| What stands out | Rock Springs | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.9% | 7.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 42.3% | 14.2% |
Gallup Indian Medical Center
9.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
The FEMA risk score in Rock Springs is lower than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
Expected losses in Rock Springs break down as 42% from inland flooding and 38% from cold waves.
4risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesLightning
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
About one in three of Rock Springs’ working residents commute to Gallup
The top destinations are Gallup (32%), St. Michaels (18%) and Albuquerque (9%). The share of residents in Rock Springs who live below the poverty line: 11%. Half commute less than 15 miles.
0%work in town
| Rock Springs | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Rock Springs0%
Gallup32%
St. Michaels18%
Albuquerque9%
Farmington7%
15 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Rock Springs
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
The climate in Rock Springs brings four seasons and hot summers
For Rock Springs, the typical July afternoon high is 88°F.
34″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–46°
Spring32–65°
Summer53–86°
Fall35–67°
Sep 28
typical first frost
May 31
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.2%conserved
| Rock Springs | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
1.2%
conserved · 98 of 8,014 acres
15 mi
of trails · 1.2 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 10 attractions →Canyon de Chelly National Monument and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rock Springs. Close and well known come first.
35 mi National MonumentCanyon de Chelly National Monument341K visitors a year
20 mi LandmarkFort Wingate
13 mi MuseumNavajo Nation Museum
13 mi Zoo & aquariumNavajo Nation Zoological and Botanical ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Canyon de Chelly National Monument: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Wingate: Elias Olcott Beaman / James Fennemore / John Karl Hillers, Public domain · Navajo Nation Museum: Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park: Taken by Staff of the Navajo Nation Zoo, Public domain
Fort_Wingate,_New_Mexico_(shows_the_fort_and_houses),_1871_-_1878_-_NARA_-_517785.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rock Springs
17pages on Rock Springs
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rock Springs
About 6 of every 100 Rock Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Rock Springs for work
Where Rock Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
0jobs based in Rock Springs
0%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Rock Springs
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Rock Springs (Navajo: Tséchʼízhí) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 807 at the 2020 census. The community is the center of the Rock Springs Chapter of the Navajo Nation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,581 ft
Questions about Rock Springs
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rock Springs, NM expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.