Population 35,640 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Carlsbad
Household size in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.65 | 2.71 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.61 | 2.77 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.72 | 2.71 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.52 | 2.63 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.13 | −0.07 | −0.03 |
Households in Carlsbad run a little small, averaging 2.52 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.65, a much bigger shift than nationally. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the south.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.1 | 37.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 40.4 | 38.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 35.8 | 39.3 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.7 | 40.5 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.6 | +3.2 | +2.3 |
At 39.7, the median age in Carlsbad is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 38.1, as it has nationally. Residents skew youngest in the south and oldest in the west.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.0% | 14.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.4% | 14.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 12.6% | 13.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 12.2% | 14.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.8 pts | +0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in Carlsbad as they are nationally: 12.2%, against 11.6%. Single parents are less common here than in New Mexico overall (14.4%). Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has edged down 0.8 points, mirroring the country.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Carlsbad
Renters in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.0% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 27.5% | 31.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 29.6% | 32.3% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 27.0% | 30.0% | 34.8% |
| Change | +0.0 pts | −0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
More than a quarter of households in Carlsbad rent their homes (27.0%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Just over half of owners (53.1%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the center; owners are most common in the southeast.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.3% | 13.6% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.8% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 16.4% | 15.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.9% | 11.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 13.9% of the housing in Carlsbad, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1969 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1968 | 1981 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1972 | 1982 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1976 | 1985 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +4 | +6 |
The typical home in Carlsbad was built around 1976, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are older than in New Mexico as a whole, where the median home dates to 1985. The median year built has moved up from 1969 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the south, the oldest in the center.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $606 | $777 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $734 | $866 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $985 | $943 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,181 | $1,188 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$575 | +$411 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Carlsbad costs $1,181 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $575 a month from 2006–10, a 95% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 24.5% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Rents run highest in the south and lowest in the west.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Carlsbad
Bachelor's degrees in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.0% | 25.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.4% | 25.5% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.4% | 26.7% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.2% | 30.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +2.2 pts | +5.2 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Carlsbad have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 18.2%, against 35.6% nationally. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 2.2 points, a smaller shift than nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the north and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.4% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 83.3% | 83.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 86.3% | 85.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 81.0% | 87.5% | 89.3% |
| Change | −1.4 pts | +5.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly one in five adults in Carlsbad never finished high school, well above the national share: only 81.0% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has edged down 1.4 points, even as the national rate rose. Carlsbad has a lower share of high school graduates than the great majority of New Mexico cities.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Carlsbad
| Period | Carlsbad | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.2% | 7.3% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.5% | 9.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.4% | 6.8% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.6% | 6.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.6 pts | −1.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Carlsbad is close to the national rate: 5.6% of the labor force, against 5.4%. Unemployment is down 1.6 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Carlsbad compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad | 2.52 | 39.7 | 12.2% | 27.0% | 13.9% | 1976 | $1,181 | 18.2% | 81.0% | 5.6% |
| Carlsbad North | 2.67 | 33.2 | 12.0% | 13.5% | 5.1% | 1990 | $1,655 | 37.8% | 94.8% | 9.2% |
| La Huerta | 2.91 | 30.5 | 23.3% | 13.7% | 6.3% | 1986 | $1,676 | 16.3% | 90.9% | 1.0% |
| Otis | 3.01 | 32.2 | 15.4% | 21.4% | 6.0% | 2001 | $1,542 | 15.4% | 87.0% | 1.1% |
| West Carlsbad | 2.64 | 42.2 | 12.0% | 16.5% | 5.8% | 1995 | $1,524 | 16.1% | 87.9% | 4.4% |
| Seven Rivers | 2.97 | 37.7 | 12.4% | 16.9% | 5.9% | 1995 | $1,579 | 22.4% | 89.1% | 5.5% |
| Oil Center | 2.93 | 36.4 | 12.6% | 22.3% | 19.7% | 1984 | $1,097 | 17.4% | 83.0% | 14.9% |
| Eunice | 2.76 | 27.8 | 17.0% | 27.0% | 16.7% | 1978 | $889 | 9.3% | 69.6% | 6.6% |
| Frankel City | 3.58 | 27.4 | 18.2% | 18.8% | 4.9% | 1995 | $1,134 | 29.8% | 83.5% | 0.2% |
| Florey | 3.63 | 29.5 | 7.2% | 20.1% | 10.0% | 1994 | $920 | 15.9% | 59.1% | 2.8% |
| Andrews | 2.74 | 32.4 | 13.2% | 21.5% | 6.1% | 1982 | $1,248 | 17.9% | 76.3% | 2.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Shrewsbury, MA · East Meadow, NY · Fenton, MO · Grass Valley, CA · Manitowoc, WI · Rock Island, IL · Sahuarita, AZ · Severn, MD · Sewell, NJ · Adrian, MI
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Carlsbad. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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