Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,610, founded in 1903.
Shiprock earns a D, 61st of 72 graded towns in New Mexico, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $36K, and 35% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. What it does well: a typical home costs about $104K, 1.9 years of the Farmington metro’s $56K median household income. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Shiprock, above both the New Mexico town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). San Juan River Bridge at Shiprock is on the National Register of Historic Places. Only 6 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Shiprock.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Shiprock is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,156 in 2000, 7,718 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 2 maps from 1934 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Shiprock is unincorporated, so San Juan County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Shiprock.
Shiprock is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Farmington and other neighbors.
Against the 1,417 U.S. towns with household incomes like Shiprock’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of adults smoke cigarettes in Shiprock. Among 73 New Mexico towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Shiprock. 12% of adults binge drink in Shiprock.
| Shiprock | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 23% | 14% |
| What stands out | Shiprock | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 11.4% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 7.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.6% | 14.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Central school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Shiprock High, with 502 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tse Bit Ai MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 390 | D− |
| Shiprock HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 502 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
16 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Shiprock is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Shiprock | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nizhoni Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 95.1°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 20.7°.
Shiprock has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Shiprock’s July high is 95°F. About 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Shiprock | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shiprock has about as many jobs (1,416) as working residents, but only 196 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 514 in 2013 to 1,416.
Most working residents leave Shiprock for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Shiprock has added 902 jobs, to 1,416 in 2023. Only 6 of the 72 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower median household income than Shiprock.
| Shiprock | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $36,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Shiprock; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Shiprock residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
Town in New Mexico, United States
Shiprock (Navajo: Naatʼáanii Nééz) is an unincorporated community on the Navajo reservation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,718 people in the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Shiprock as a census-designated place (CDP). It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. Shiprock is named after the nearby Shiprock rock formation. Since 1903, the town has been called Naat’áanii Nééz (meaning “tall leader” in the Navajo language) after the San Juan Indian Agency superintendent William T. Shelton who settled Shiprock for the United States government. Diné College is a local four-year college (formerly…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shiprock grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #61 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades D for health and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.