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New Mexico›Otero County

Twin ForksNM

A town of 310.

Is Twin Forks a good place to live?

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.

Small town

310 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Nearby towns
Getting set up

Moving to Twin Forks: who provides what

Twin Forks is unincorporated, so Otero County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerOtero County Electric Coop19.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTwin Forks Mdwca water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesOtero CountyOtero County provides services here
SchoolsCloudcroft Municipal 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 hereOtero County ClerkOtero County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2020
ZIP codes88317, 8833988317 60% · 88339 40%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 Twin Forks.

Outdoors

Twin Forks keeps nearly a third of its land conserved

Twin Forks’ trail network density is 0.7 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in New Mexico’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.

62.9%conserved
62.9%
conserved · 1,655 of 2,631 acres
3.0 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Natural hazards

The FEMA risk score in Twin Forks is higher than in most of New Mexico or the rest of the country

FEMA puts 73% of Twin Forks’s expected hazard losses down to wildfires, and 25% to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.

100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
100Very high riskLowerHigher
WildfireInland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Who lives here

41% of residents are 65 or older

New Mexico has 31% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 35%. The age of the median resident in Twin Forks is 58.8 years.

58.8median age · NM 39.4
Twin ForksNew Mexico townsU.S. towns
Median age58.8 years37.2 years40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+35%23%29%
Twin ForksNew MexicoUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma0%
High school7%
Some college58%
Associate’s0%
Bachelor’s23%
Graduate13%

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.

Ages and education in Twin Forks
Twin ForksNMU.S.
Under 106.8%11%11.6%
10 to 170%10.7%10.3%
18 to 240%9.3%9.1%
25 to 349%13.2%13.7%
35 to 442.6%12.8%13.2%
45 to 540%11.2%12.2%
55 to 6440.3%12.5%12.7%
65 to 7425.8%11.5%10.2%
75 and older15.5%7.8%7%
No diploma0%12%10.4%
High school7.3%25.7%26%
Some college57.8%22.2%19.1%
Associate’s0%9.2%8.8%
Bachelor’s22.5%17.1%21.6%
Graduate12.5%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

Work & commute

Twin Forks stands out in New Mexico and nationally, with more of its residents who live below the poverty line

For working residents in Twin Forks, the share who work locally is 2.8%. Half the trips to work are shorter than 19 miles. The top destinations are Cloudcroft (21%), Alamogordo (21%) and High Rolls (7%).

3%work in town
Twin ForksNew Mexico townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line52%21%9.6%
Working residents who work in town2.8%14%8%

Where working residents work

In Twin Forks3%
Cloudcroft21%
Alamogordo21%
High Rolls7%
Las Cruces6%
19 mi
median commute distance
29
jobs based in Twin Forks
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Twin Forks: snowy winters and pleasant summers

Twin Forks’ typical July afternoon high stands at 75°F.

67″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter23–45°
Spring34–60°
Summer50–75°
Fall37–61°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 18
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Twin Forks is

The share of adults in Twin Forks who report frequent physical distress: 16%. This New Mexico town beats the New Mexico average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Of the 74 New Mexico towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Twin Forks. In Twin Forks, 28% of adults feel lonely, and 11% binge drink.

Twin ForksNew Mexico townsU.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%
32 measures vs. New Mexico
15 better9 too close to call8 worse
What stands outTwin ForksNM
Fewer uninsured adults7.6%15.6%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity9.3%16.5%
More adults who have had cancer12.9%7.4%
Christus Southern New Mexico
16.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

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

Housing

Homes in Twin Forks sell for about $335K

59% of households own their home in Twin Forks.

$335Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in May

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

Nearby attractions

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.

All 8 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo 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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Twin Forks

15pages on Twin Forks
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Twin Forks; the nearest are

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Twin Forks for work

Where Twin Forks’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

21% → Cloudcroft Cloudcroft 21% 21% → Alamogordo Alamogordo 21% 7% → High Rolls High Rolls 7% 6% → Las Cruces Las Cruces 6% 6% → El Paso El Paso 6% 4% → Albuquerque Albuquerque 4% Twin Forks · 3% stay
29jobs based in Twin Forks
3%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance

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.