Twin ForksNM
A town of 310.
Is Twin Forks a good place to live?
52% of residents live below the poverty line in Twin Forks, above both the New Mexico town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 74 in New Mexico we compare has a lower July high than Twin Forks. 63% of the land in Twin Forks is conserved, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 3.9% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Twin Forks has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
310 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Twin Forks: who provides what
Twin Forks is unincorporated, so Otero 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 Twin Forks.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The FEMA risk score in Twin Forks is higher than in most of New Mexico or the rest of the country
Twin Forks’ FEMA risk score is 100 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
41% of residents are 65 or older
People 65 and older are 41% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 7% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Twin Forks is 58.8 years. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
| Twin Forks | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.8 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 19% and 100% women
The Census survey reached too few of Twin Forks’ residents to say more: its margin here is ±43.2 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women.
| Twin Forks | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 2.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 40.3% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 25.8% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.5% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 7.3% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 57.8% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 0% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.5% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Twin Forks’ workers commute out
Most working residents leave Twin Forks for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Cloudcroft (21%), Alamogordo (21%) and High Rolls (7%). Half commute less than 19 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Twin Forks
Twin Forks has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 75°, January nights drop to 23° and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More of Twin Forks’ adults have high blood pressure than in the typical New Mexico or U.S. town
46% of adults have high blood pressure in Twin Forks. Twin Forks beats the New Mexico average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 16% of adults have diabetes in Twin Forks.
| Twin Forks | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 35% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Twin Forks | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 16.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.9% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
White Sands National Park and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Twin Forks. Close and well known come first.
30 mi National ParkWhite Sands National Park660K visitors a year
12 mi National forestLincoln National Forest
16 mi MuseumNew Mexico Museum of Space History5.0M visitors a year
39 mi State parkFort Stanton4 mi Ski areaSki Cloudcroft26 runs · 634 ft vertical33 mi Ski areaSki Apache46 runs · 1,796 ft verticalPhoto credits
White Sands National Park: uncredited NPS employee, Public domain · Lincoln National Forest: Dsw3131, Public domain · New Mexico Museum of Space History: AllenS, Public domain · Fort Stanton: AllenS, Public domain
Everything we know about Twin Forks
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Twin Forks; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Twin Forks residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
97% of working residents leave Twin Forks for work
Where Twin Forks’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Twin Forks
Census-designated place in New Mexico, United States
Twin Forks is a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Twin Forks had a population of 228. U.S. Route 82 passes through the community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 8,113 ft
Questions about Twin Forks
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Twin Forks, NM a good place to live?
Twin Forks has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.