68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sunlit Hills, against 23% in New Mexico’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Sunlit Hills. Seton Village is on the National Register of Historic Places. Sunlit Hills has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

899 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Santa Fe · 6 mi Pecos · 14 mi

Arroyo HondoConejoSeton VillageSanta Fe FoothillsSunlit Hills

Seton Village · National Register of Historic Places

Sunlit Hills’s story

Sunlit Hills in pictures

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Explore the history →

Nearby attractions

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and 23 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sunlit Hills. Close and well known come first.

All 49 attractions →

7 mi MuseumGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum

6 mi National Historical ParkPecos National Historical Park37K visitors a year

21 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year

6 mi Park & preserveSanta Fe Plaza

33 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year

15 mi Ski areaSki Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Q3855588 runs · 1,753 ft vertical

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Pecos National Historical Park: Mosamiazaz at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Bandelier National Monument: Andrew Dunn (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Santa Fe Plaza: See above, CC BY 2.0 · Valles Caldera National Preserve: Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, Public domain · Ski Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Q38555: Ybratcher, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting set up

Moving to Sunlit Hills: who provides what

Sunlit Hills is unincorporated, so Santa Fe County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPNM16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterSunlit Hills Water System5 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet8 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesSanta Fe CountySanta Fe County provides services here

SchoolsSanta Fe Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereSanta Fe County ClerkSanta Fe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025

ZIP code8750887508 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 Sunlit Hills.

Work & commute

About half of Sunlit Hills’ working residents commute to Santa Fe

The top destinations are Santa Fe (45%), Albuquerque (15%) and Los Alamos (6%). For most workers, Sunlit Hills is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. This New Mexico town had 79 jobs in 2023, up 23 from 2013. Among residents locally, 12% live below the poverty line, below the New Mexico town median (21%) but above the median of U.S. towns (9.6%).

1%work in town

	Sunlit Hills	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	19 minutes	23 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	12%	21%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Sunlit Hills1%

Santa Fe45%

Albuquerque15%

Los Alamos6%

Conejo4%

7 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Sunlit Hills

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageSunlit Hills’ work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here79 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work1% work in Sunlit Hills Commute times19 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 7 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Sunlit Hills, expect four seasons and pleasant summers

For Sunlit Hills, the typical July afternoon high is 85°F.

20″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–45°

Spring34–64°

Summer54–84°

Fall36–65°

Oct 6

typical first frost

May 14

typical last frost

+1.2°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageSunlit Hills’ climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 85°, January lows 19°Rain & snow20″ of snow a winter · 14 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.2° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Sunlit Hills is wildfire, at a high overall level

The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Sunlit Hills is 66 of 100. 53% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from wildfires, followed by inland flooding at 39%.

66risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

WildfireInland flooding

Full pageSunlit Hills’ hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters7 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get readyReady for wildfire

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health

A smaller share of adults have obesity in Sunlit Hills than in most of New Mexico or the rest of the country

Only 3 of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Sunlit Hills. For adults here, the share who have diabetes is 11%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Sunlit Hills beats New Mexico on 22 and trails on 2. One in ten adults in Sunlit Hills report frequent mental distress; 26% sleep under 7 hours.

	Sunlit Hills	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	22%	35%	35%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	10%	16%	17%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)	26%	34%	36%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	27%	35%	33%

32 measures vs. New Mexico

22 better8 too close to call2 worse

What stands out	Sunlit Hills	NM
Fewer adults facing food insecurity	5.8%	20.9%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	4.2%	14.2%
More adults who have had cancer	13.8%	7.4%

Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center

3.5 mi away · emergency room

None

primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

Full pageSunlit Hills’ health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby3.5 miles to an ER · Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than NM on 22 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

0.4% of the land in Sunlit Hills is protected from building

In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 2.6 miles of trail. The density of trails for Sunlit Hills comes to 0.7 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 10 acres locally.

0.4%conserved

	Sunlit Hills	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Conserved land	0.4%	3.9%	4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile	0.7 miles per square mile	1.0	0.4

0.4%

conserved · 10 of 2,392 acres

2.6 mi

of trails · 0.7 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Arroyo Hondo Open Space	0.4 mi	10

Full pageSunlit Hills’ outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map2.6 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk0.4 miles of trail · Arroyo Hondo Open Space Conserved land0.4% conserved · 10 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Sunlit Hills?”

Housing

The median home in Sunlit Hills sells for about $450K

In Sunlit Hills, 78% of households own their home. For Sunlit Hills, the median rent is $1,354 a month.

$450Kmedian sale price

	Sunlit Hills	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$1,354 a month	$940 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	78%	70%	73%

homes sold in May

Full pageSunlit Hills’ housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsPrices over the years Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.6 years of income Rents$1,354 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighbors4 bordering towns

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Sunlit Hills

16pages on Sunlit Hills

The big questions

HealthBetter than NM on 22 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingWork & commute$126K median household income · 79 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 66% of U.S. communities · wildfire

Out and about

Outdoors3 mi of trails · 0% conserved land PlacesAttractions49 nearby · Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian 5 mi LibraryVista Grande Public Library CollegesSanta Fe Community College is 4.4 mi away

The story

History1 on the National Register Climate85° summer highs · 20″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

5 within 15 miles of the center of Sunlit Hills

Santa Fe Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Santa Fe4.4 mi$1,851 in-state tuition Southwest University of Naprapathic MedicineUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Santa Fe4.5 mi Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts DevelopmentUniversity or college · Public · Santa Fe5 mi$5,920 in-state tuition

About 4 of every 100 Sunlit Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Sunlit Hills for work

Where Sunlit Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

79jobs based in Sunlit Hills

1%of working residents work in town

7 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Sunlit Hills

Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States

Sunlit Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. As of the 2020 census, Sunlit Hills had a population of 736. The CDP is north of the geographic center of Santa Fe County and is bordered to the west by Seton Village, to the northwest by Arroyo Hondo, to the north by Conejo, and to the northeast by Santa Fe Foothills. Interstate 25 forms the eastern border of the CDP, with the closest access from Exit 284 (Old Pecos Trail), 3 miles (5 km) to the north. Santa Fe, the state capital, is 6 miles (10 km) to the north.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 3.8 sq mi
Elevation: 7,116 ft

Questions about Sunlit Hills

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Sunlit Hills, NM a good place to live?

Sunlit Hills has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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