Best PlacesWhite Sands, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around White Sands, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
White Sands ranks 6,410th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in White Sands
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
White Sands' strengths and weaknesses
Where White Sands ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of towns
- Short commute10.5 minutes each way, better than 99% of towns
- QuietBetter than 97% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 165 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of towns
- Educational attainmentBetter than 94% of towns
Where White Sands ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of towns
- Crime safetyBetter than only 5% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of towns
Who lives in White Sands
White Sands runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for White Sands.
Who works in White Sands, and how
Work in White Sands centers on public administration and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 21%
Life in White Sands
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across White Sands.
What the weather is like in White Sands, month by month
White Sands sees roughly 165 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 58, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 39° | 24° |
| April | 80° | 62° | 42° |
| July | 97° | 82° | 67° |
| October | 80° | 62° | 46° |
Flying in and out of White Sands
The nearest airport, El Paso International, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 184 miles away.
The best schools in and around White Sands
Schools across White Sands average a C+, better than 65% of towns.
Top high schools
- Centennial High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Organ Mountain High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every White Sands school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
White Sands measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare White Sands against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in White Sands
Is White Sands a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, White Sands ranks 6,410th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on population health, short commutes, and quiet, and lowest on civic engagement and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is White Sands safe?
White Sands is safer than 5% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $905 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in White Sands?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 58 with lows near 24. That works out to about 165 pleasant days a year, more than 96% of towns.
Compare White Sands with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to White Sands. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in White Sands represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
White Sands detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for White Sands: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in White Sands: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of White Sands: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in White Sands: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
White Sands detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.