Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tucumcari gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $79K, 1.9 years of the county’s $42K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 46th of 72 in New Mexico. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $32K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it has 13 miles of trail. Tucumcari’s average trip to work is 8 minutes, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 9 of New Mexico’s 159 towns score higher on walkability. Tucumcari is home to Mesalands Community College.
Where Tucumcari beats most towns.
8.7% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Tucumcari is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,526 in 1910, a peak of 8,419 in 1950, 5,278 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1849 and 2 maps from 1930 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tucumcari, 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 Tucumcari.
Tucumcari trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Homes are within reach (about $79K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 39 miles. At 1.9 years of the county’s $42K median household income, the typical home (about $79K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of New Mexico towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
Tucumcari’s median rent is $704 a month. The typical Tucumcari home is worth about $79,000, down 2.5% in a year, 75% below the New Mexico typical home.
| Tucumcari | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $704 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Tucumcari school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucumcari ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 451 | – |
| Tucumcari HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 247 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
The trail density in Tucumcari is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Tucumcari Lake Wildlife Management Area, at 79 acres.
| Tucumcari | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coronado Park (undeveloped) | 0.4 mi | 23 |
| 2. Tucumcari Lake Wildlife Management Area | — | 79 |
| 3. Tucumcari Outdoor Classroom | 0.2 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 766 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tucumcari’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Tucumcari adults have diabetes. Tucumcari beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 31% of Tucumcari adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Tucumcari | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Tucumcari | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.3% | 73.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 94.8°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 24.4°.
Tucumcari has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Tucumcari | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,953 working residents takes 8.2 minutes, against 23.5 across New Mexico.
Only 2 of the 72 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower median household income than Tucumcari. 41% of working residents work locally in Tucumcari. The top destinations are Albuquerque (9%), Clovis (6%) and Santa Fe (4%).
| Tucumcari | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 41% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $32,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No town among the 31 in New Mexico we compare has a lower violent crime rate than Tucumcari. Tucumcari's reported crime rate is well below New Mexico's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Tucumcari | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 9.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.3 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tucumcari.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tucumcari
About 5 of every 100 Tucumcari residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
6 places in Tucumcari on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Tucumcari.
City in the United States
Tucumcari (; TOO-cum-carry) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tucumcari grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #46 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Paul Brinegar and John L. Kane Jr..
