Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The median household income is $39K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. Overall it grades C−, 30th of 72 graded towns in New Mexico. It has 27 miles of trail and it is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 50% of working residents work locally in Silver City, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 8%. Silver City has 15 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them H. B. Ailman House and Silver City Historic District.
Where Silver City beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,800 in 1880, 9,704 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 2 maps from 1950 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Silver City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Silver City, 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Silver City.
Silver City is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has home values falling while New Mexico’s rise and has commutes shorter than most of New Mexico.
27 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Silver City’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile. Boston Hill Open Space, at 408 acres with 15 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Silver City | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boston Hill Open Space | 15 mi | 408 |
| 2. Silver City Ballpark | — | 30 |
| 3. Hidden Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Silver City school district. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Schmitt ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–6 | Grades 1–6 | 337 | – |
| Silver HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 618 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Since 1981, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Silver City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Values fell 5.1% in the past year while the New Mexico typical home rose 1.7%. The typical value, about $217K, is 21% below its June 2023 peak.
The typical Silver City home is worth about $217,000, 31% below the New Mexico typical home. 61% of households own their home in Silver City.
| Silver City | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $866 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 2,035 U.S. towns with household incomes like Silver City’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Silver City beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 12% of Silver City adults binge drink.
| Silver City | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 69% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 19% |
| What stands out | Silver City | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78% | 73.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Silver City has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Silver City is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,855 working residents takes 14.7 minutes, against 23.5 across New Mexico.
The top destinations are Albuquerque (5%), Las Cruces (5%) and Bayard (3%).
| Silver City | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). Silver City has lost 4.4% of its people since 2020, down to 9,284 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
| Silver City | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.8 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| Silver City | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.4% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.3% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.5% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.5% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.3% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Silver City
About 7 of every 100 Silver City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
15 places in Silver City on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Silver City.
Town in New Mexico, United States
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Silver City.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver City | #30 | C− | C+ | — | B+ | C |
| Little Walnut Village | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Rosedale | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Little Walnut Village has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Silver City and Little Walnut Village report no FBI crime data of their own. Rosedale isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Silver City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Silver City grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #30 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($44,958 across the Silver City, NM area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
12 notable people were born here, including Paul Benedict and Elisa Quintana.
