Thunder MountainNM
A town of 1,366.
Is Thunder Mountain a good place to live?
Thunder Mountain’s best subject grade is an A− for health; its weakest is a D for walkability. 9.7% of residents are under 18 in Thunder Mountain, below both the New Mexico town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). On health, just 14 of New Mexico’s 161 towns do better. Only 15 of New Mexico’s 161 towns score lower on the outdoors. Thunder Mountain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,366 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Thunder Mountain grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Thunder Mountain is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Thunder Mountain: who provides what
Thunder Mountain is unincorporated, so Santa Fe 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Thunder Mountain.
Residents of Thunder Mountain are healthier than 79% of U.S. towns
Thunder Mountain beats the New Mexico average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 26% of adults have obesity in Thunder Mountain, against 35% in New Mexico’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 19% of adults get no exercise outside work in Thunder Mountain.
| Thunder Mountain | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 27% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Thunder Mountain | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.5% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.4% | 20.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Thunder Mountain has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Thunder Mountain for work: only 2% work in town. 2.9% of Thunder Mountain residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Thunder Mountain has added 49 jobs, to 67 in 2023.
| Thunder Mountain | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Thunder Mountain
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Thunder Mountain has four seasons and pleasant summers
Thunder Mountain has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Thunder Mountain’s July high is 86°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More of Thunder Mountain’s households own their home than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
Of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Thunder Mountain.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Thunder Mountain has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
2.6 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
University Stadium and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Thunder Mountain. Close and well known come first.
23 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
13 mi Ski areaSandia Peak Ski Area66 runs · 1,599 ft vertical
27 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
18 mi MuseumNational Museum of Nuclear Science & History
20 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseum
38 mi National Historical ParkPecos National Historical Park37K visitors a yearPhoto credits
University Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · Sandia Peak Ski Area: Skoch3, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: AllenS, Public domain · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Pecos National Historical Park: Mosamiazaz at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Everything we know about Thunder Mountain
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Thunder Mountain; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Thunder Mountain residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
98% of working residents leave Thunder Mountain for work
Where Thunder Mountain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Thunder Mountain
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Thunder Mountain 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, Thunder Mountain had a population of 1,171. The CDP is in southwestern Santa Fe County. It is bordered to the north and east by the city of Edgewood, to the south by Barton, and to the west by Bernalillo County. Interstate 40 forms the southern border of the CDP, with access from Exit 187 to the east in Edgewood and from Exit 181 to the west in Sedillo. I-40 leads west 25 miles (40 km) to Albuquerque and east 90 miles (140 km) to Santa Rosa.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,686 ft
Questions about Thunder Mountain
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Thunder Mountain, NM expensive?
The typical home is worth about $400,000, 27% above the New Mexico typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.