Population 2,963 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Mescalero
Household size in Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.46 | 2.71 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 4.70 | 2.77 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.37 | 2.71 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.75 | 2.63 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.29 | −0.07 | −0.03 |
Mescalero is a place of big households: 3.75 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has climbed from 3.46 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.7 | 37.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 23.8 | 38.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 28.8 | 39.3 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 32.8 | 40.5 | 40.1 |
| Change | +7.0 | +3.2 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 32.8, Mescalero is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children.
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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.6% | 14.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 44.3% | 14.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 27.6% | 13.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 24.0% | 14.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −12.6 pts | +0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly a quarter of households in Mescalero (24.0%), well above the national share of 11.6%.
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 Mescalero
Renters in Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.3% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 51.0% | 31.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 40.2% | 32.3% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 28.1% | 30.0% | 34.8% |
| Change | −12.2 pts | −0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly three in ten households in Mescalero rent their homes (28.1%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. The picture is much the same across New Mexico. About nine in ten owners (88.3%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.9% | 13.6% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.4% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 13.5% | 15.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.7% | 11.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | +9.8 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Mescalero: 18.7% of homes are empty, 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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1981 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1984 | 1982 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1985 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +4 | +6 |
The typical home in Mescalero was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980).
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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $279 | $777 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $442 | $866 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $328 | $943 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $350 | $1,188 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$70 | +$411 | +$606 |
The median renter in Mescalero pays $350 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 14.3% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
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 Mescalero
Bachelor's degrees in Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.9% | 25.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.8% | 25.5% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 10.5% | 26.7% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.4% | 30.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | −1.5 pts | +5.2 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Mescalero: 9.4% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 72.0% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 77.6% | 83.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 80.8% | 85.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 81.2% | 87.5% | 89.3% |
| Change | +9.2 pts | +5.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly one in five adults in Mescalero never finished high school, well above the national share: only 81.2% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
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 Mescalero
| Period | Mescalero | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.6% | 7.3% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 31.7% | 9.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 15.8% | 6.8% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.5% | 6.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | −13.1 pts | −1.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Mescalero runs well above the national rate: 11.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current 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).
Mescalero 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mescalero | 3.75 | 32.8 | 24.0% | 28.1% | 18.7% | 1983 | $350 | 9.4% | 81.2% | 11.5% |
| Bent | 2.67 | 39.2 | 10.9% | 4.6% | 24.8% | 1982 | $974 | 16.0% | 91.0% | 24.5% |
| Ponderosa Heights | 4.24 | 36.5 | 23.9% | 30.9% | 27.1% | 1983 | $442 | 24.4% | 81.8% | 5.5% |
| Tularosa | 2.90 | 37.3 | 9.9% | 13.0% | 27.2% | 1983 | $940 | 19.6% | 91.0% | 17.1% |
| Dexter | 2.59 | 37.3 | 10.2% | 23.3% | 9.8% | 1984 | $952 | 9.8% | 71.2% | 6.3% |
| Hot Springs Landing | 1.75 | 72.5 | 3.8% | 15.4% | 52.9% | 1991 | $1,168 | 11.7% | 92.0% | 1.2% |
| Hagerman | 2.99 | 37.5 | 15.9% | 17.8% | 15.2% | 1976 | $713 | 16.2% | 72.9% | 3.0% |
| Greenfield | 2.70 | 35.6 | 9.2% | 23.2% | 12.0% | 1983 | $929 | 11.0% | 70.6% | 3.8% |
| Elephant Butte | 1.82 | 64.4 | 4.5% | 21.2% | 40.4% | 1994 | $1,288 | 17.8% | 93.6% | 3.7% |
| Truth Or Consequences | 2.26 | 45.4 | 12.5% | 39.1% | 30.6% | 1978 | $771 | 17.8% | 88.9% | 3.2% |
| Williamsburg | 2.15 | 57.5 | 11.3% | 17.6% | 30.7% | 1981 | $766 | 13.9% | 90.6% | 9.6% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Hamilton, IL · Flora, IN · Climax, NC · Columbus, MT · Curtice, OH · Dyer, TN · East Rockingham, NC · Elim, PA · Elsie, MI · Romney, WV
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 Mescalero. 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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