Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Settled in 1886, this town now has 2,895 residents.
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. Its weakest is health: residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Overall, Vado earns a C−, which places it 28th of 72 in New Mexico. On that grade it does better than 23% of U.S. towns. Cost of living is its strong suit: a typical home costs about $261K, 4.6 years of the Las Cruces metro’s $57K median household income. It lags on incomes as well: the median household income is $37K, and just over a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 94% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
Where Vado beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Vado’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Vado is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 92% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 2%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vado is unincorporated, so Doña Ana 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Vado.
Vado has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Las Cruces and beyond, but it has household incomes well below the New Mexico norm.
Among adults in Vado, 38% have high blood pressure. 23% of adults report frequent physical distress in the town, above both the New Mexico town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). Of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have obesity than Vado. Against the New Mexico average, Vado comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 20.
| Vado | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 25% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Vado | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.2% | 7.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 50.6% | 20.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Gadsden school district. Enrollment at Vado’s public school: 415 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vado ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 415 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Vado has 146 jobs for its 760 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 333 in 2013 to 146.
For residents in Vado, the share who live below the poverty line is 26%. Just 2% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based locally fell to 146 in 2023, 187 fewer than in 2013. Only 7 of the 72 New Mexico towns we compare have a lower median household income than Vado.
| Vado | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The State Univ weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.4°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 30.5°.
About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter. The town’s midsummer high stands at 95°F, against 93°F in New Mexico’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Its January low comes in at 31°F.
| Vado | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 31°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.7 miles of trail. Vado’s trail density comes in at 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Vado | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 4% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $392, against $1,731 across New Mexico, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Homes in Vado are typically worth about $261,000, about the same as a year ago, 17% below the New Mexico typical home. The midpoint rent for Vado comes to $756 a month. In Vado, 69% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Vado | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $756 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
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. 55% of Vado’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by drought at 23%. Federal aid has come to Vado households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Vado. Close and well known come first.
39 mi National ParkWhite Sands National Park660K visitors a year
26 mi Stadium & arenaSun Bowl Stadium
19 mi State parkFranklin Mountains State Park
39 mi Ancient siteHueco Tanks
27 mi National MemorialChamizal National Memorial8K visitors a year
23 mi Theme parkWestern PlaylandWhite Sands National Park: uncredited NPS employee, Public domain · Sun Bowl Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Franklin Mountains State Park: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Hueco Tanks: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0 · Chamizal National Memorial: Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Western Playland: Dimples915, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Vado
About 3 of every 100 Vado residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
Place and community in the United States
Vado is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Vado had a population of 2,930. The ZIP code for Vado is 88072, its area code is 575, and it is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Vado grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #28 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
