Peter and Henriette Wyeth Hurd House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Ruidoso Downs run?
Ruidoso Downs’ city government spent $6.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $2,461 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Ruidoso Downs didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Ruidoso Downs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,461 per resident a year, or $6.74 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Ruidoso Downs didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Ruidoso Downs yet
Every year of Ruidoso Downs’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Who’s in charge in Ruidoso Downs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ruidoso Downs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ruidosodowns.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 65 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (2,648).
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.
Ruidoso Municipal Schools
Ruidoso Downs’ K–12 school district, shared with Ruidoso. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,110 per pupil, $9,523 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.
Ruidoso Downs’ votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ruidoso Downs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lincoln County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.3%6,942 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.3%3,033 votesOthers: 0.5% (47 votes).
Most votes in Lincoln County: Donald J Trump
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Ruidoso Downs lies in Lincoln County. Every 2024 race in Lincoln County is on the county’s page.
Lincoln 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 Ruidoso Downs.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ruidosodowns.us ↗
- 2New Mexico HouseState representatives
- 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.
How Ruidoso Downs compares with the towns next door
Ruidoso Downs’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $3,022 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ruidoso | $3,022 | $1,579 |
| Ruidoso Downs | estimate | — |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Ruidoso Downs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ruidoso Downs’ government
How much does Ruidoso Downs spend per resident?
About $2,461 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Ruidoso Downs didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $7.8 million.
Who runs Ruidoso Downs’ government?
See ruidosodowns.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ruidoso Downs yet.
How did Ruidoso Downs vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ruidoso Downs alone. Lincoln County, where 100% of Ruidoso Downs lies, voted Trump 69.3%, Harris 30.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ruidoso Downs?
41 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $148,151 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ruidoso Downs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Rex Wilson) and State House District 56 (Harlan Vincent). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ruidoso Downs’ 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 Ruidoso Downs, 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 →