Census counts: 888 in 1920, a peak of 1,356 in 1950, 286 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1943 and 2 maps from 1978 on.

1907Vaughn is settled

Explore the history →

Getting set up

Moving to Vaughn: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Vaughn, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerCentral New Mexico El Coop17.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterVaughn Duran Water System6 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Vaughn’s trash rules yet

SchoolsVaughn 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 hereGuadalupe County ClerkGuadalupe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023

ZIP code8835388353 100%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 Vaughn.

Natural hazards

Vaughn faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

In Vaughn, the FEMA hazard score is 82 of 100. Nearly four fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 11%.

82risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingWildfire

Full pageVaughn’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters6 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.6 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Vaughn’s kids attend

The public schools here belong to the Vaughn school district. Its two schools are below. Public school enrollment here: 70 students across 2 schools.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Vaughn ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	43	–
Vaughn HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12	Grades 6–12	27	–

Full pageVaughn’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsVAUGHN Every school2 schools · Vaughn Elementary Questions“Are Vaughn’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Climate

In Vaughn, expect four seasons and pleasant summers

The peak summer temperature for Vaughn comes to 88°F.

26″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter22–50°

Spring36–69°

Summer56–87°

Fall39–69°

Oct 6

typical first frost

May 9

typical last frost

+1.8°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageVaughn’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 88°, January lows 21°Rain & snow26″ of snow a winter · 14 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.8° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

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

Half the trips to work are shorter than 42 miles. Vaughn’s mean commuting time stands at 19 minutes, below both the New Mexico town median (23 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). For working residents here, the share who work locally is 3.6%. Since 2013, Vaughn has added 24 jobs, to 84 in 2023.

4%work in town

	Vaughn	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Below the poverty line	52%	21%	9.6%
Average trip to work	19 minutes	23 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	3.6%	14%	8%

Where working residents work

In Vaughn4%

Santa Rosa45%

Albuquerque7%

Las Vegas5%

Tucumcari5%

42 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Vaughn

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageVaughn’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here84 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work4% work in Vaughn Commute times19 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 42 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

A larger share of adults have diabetes in Vaughn than in most of New Mexico or the rest of the country

Vaughn: nearly a fifth of adults report frequent physical distress, above both New Mexico’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (14%). In Vaughn, a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Among 74 New Mexico towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Vaughn. 33% of adults in Vaughn say their health is fair or poor; 11% binge drink.

	Vaughn	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	20%	14%	12%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	23%	16%	8.1%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	33%	26%	19%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	11%	13%	16%

32 measures vs. New Mexico

5 better14 too close to call13 worse

What stands out	Vaughn	NM
Fewer binge drinkers	10.5%	13.7%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	11.6%	14.2%
More adults with diabetes	20.2%	13.2%

Guadalupe County Hospital

36.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageVaughn’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby36.9 miles to an ER · Guadalupe County Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than NM on 5 of 32

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

Outdoors

Protected land: 1% of Vaughn

1.6 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. Vaughn’s trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 4 acres here.

1%conserved

	Vaughn	New Mexico towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.3 miles per square mile	1.0	0.4
Conserved land	1%	3.9%	4.3%

conserved · 35 of 3,572 acres

1.6 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Huntsinger Park	—	4

Full pageVaughn’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.6 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk4 acres · Huntsinger Park Conserved land1% conserved · 35 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Vaughn?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Vaughn

16pages on Vaughn

The big questions

Schools2 schools HealthBetter than NM on 5 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingWork & commute$29K median household income · 84 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors2 mi of trails · 1% conserved land PlacesLibraryVillage of Corona Public Library

The story

HistorySettled 1907 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 30 residents Climate88° summer highs · 26″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 88353 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Vaughn; the nearest are

New Mexico Highlands UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Las Vegas68.3 mi$7,416 in-state tuition Luna Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Las Vegas69.8 mi$1,474 in-state tuition

About 0 of every 100 Vaughn residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Vaughn

Town in New Mexico, United States

Vaughn is a town in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 286 at the 2020 census, down from the figure of 446 recorded in 2010. It is located at an intersection of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroad lines.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 5.6 sq mi
Elevation: 5,978 ft
ZIP code: 88353
Area code: 575

Questions about Vaughn

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Vaughn, NM a good place to live?

Vaughn has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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What makes Vaughn stand out

272 people, and everyone knows the way

119 years in pictures