CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

35.66° N · 106.01° W · GEOID 3501220

Agua Fria

Santa Fe County, New Mexico · part of the Santa Fe, NM metro

Limited data population under 5,000

New MexicoAgua Fria, NMAgua FriaAgua Fria

The short answer

Agua Fria is home to 2,898 people. Median household income is $65,101 a year and median rent is $1,158 a month, 21.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $270,400, about 4.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,158
15% below the median place
Median household income
$65,101
19% below the median place
Median home value
$270,400
15% below the median place
Unemployment
5.3%
8% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Agua Fria

  • Renters occupy 58% of homes, more than in 95% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 9.6% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 90% of places its size.
  • 25.3% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 89% of places its size.
  • Households average 2.14 people, smaller than in 85% of places its size.
01

Moving to Agua Fria

Santa Fe County gains about 0.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,901
Moved out6,813
Net+88

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bernalillo County, NM8551,123−268
Torrance County, NM129137−8

Within New Mexico, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New MexicoOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$94K
Leavers$83K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Santa Fe County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.4% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Santa Fe County report $93,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $82,700, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$46,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,158 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,596 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $270,400.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 18.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Willows, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
3.4%
70% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$93,607
33% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$82,671
18% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureAgua FriaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.8%1% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.4%70% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$93,60733% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$82,67118% above
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.2%, 79% below the median place.

Agua Fria21.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$46,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
21.3%
4% above the median place
Home price to income
4.2x
9% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$52,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Agua Fria, $1,158 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Agua Fria, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Craig, CO17.3% vs 21.3%n/aCompare
Belle Fourche, SD18.1% vs 21.3%n/aCompare
Lockwood, MT18.0% vs 21.3%$11,200Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Agua Fria.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Agua Fria? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.2%
79% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$514
84% below the median place
Homeownership1
42.4%
36% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureAgua FriaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,15815% below
Rent to income121.3%4% above
Property tax rate10.2%79% below
Home price to income14.2x9% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.82% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,7357% above
HUD area median income4County figure$118,60011% above
Property tax paid (median)1$51484% below
Median home value1$270,40015% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.8%75% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure48.3%6% below
Homeownership142.4%36% below
Renters paying 30%+144.5%12% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,59615% below
Vacant homes1County figure10.2%45% above
Median year built119951% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
25.3%
135% above the median place
Median household income1
$65,101
19% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureAgua FriaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$65,10119% below
Income per person1$39,4602% below
Unemployment1County figure5.3%8% above
Average annual pay6County figure$64,3792% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.2%41% above
Jobs6County figure61,88059% below
Poverty rate125.3%135% above
Mean commute125 min1% above
Works from home1County figure18.4%48% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 77.9%, 16% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
77.9%
16% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
13.6%
58% below the median place
No health insurance1
15.3%
139% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher80.5% −13%
Household size2.1 −14%
Born abroad18.9% 2.1×
Median age39.6 +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureAgua FriaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,8986646th largest
Median age139.62% above
Bachelor's or higher113.6%58% below
High school or higher180.5%13% below
Household size12.114% below
Born abroad118.9%114% above
No health insurance115.3%139% above
Homes with broadband177.9%16% below
05

Life in Agua Fria

97 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.8 +36%
Playgrounds per 10k27.6 2.9×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k3.5 −69%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails3 km +40%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.5 11.8×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars25.6 +23%
Shops50.8 +68%
Arts, recreation and fitness10.0 2.4×
Doctors' offices and clinics28.6 +42%
Child care centers1.0 −57%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k8
1.0
57% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
50.8
68% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
10.0
144% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureAgua FriaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure49above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure19,951307% above
Students per teacher11County figure14.09% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure25.623% above
Shops per 10k8County figure50.868% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure10.0144% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure28.642% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.057% below
Parks per 10k913.836% above
Playgrounds per 10k927.6193% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k93.569% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails92.840% above
Transit stops per sq mi92.5above (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure97above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 14.8 in, 66% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Agua Fria. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
14.8 in
66% below the median place
Tornado risk13
24.5
70% below the median place
Wildfire risk13
98.2
60% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureAgua FriaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure85°F2% below
January average low12County figure19°F26% below
Average temperature12County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation12County figure14.8 in66% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure86.07% below
Tornado risk13County figure24.570% below
Wildfire risk13County figure98.260% above
Heat wave risk13County figure53.041% below
Median air quality index14County figure442% above
Good air days14County figure78.4%14% above
08

Agua Fria in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 21% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,158/mo (2024)$1,480/mo$1,210 to $1,800/mo+4.2%
Median household income$65,101 (2024)$83,000$70,000 to $98,000+4.1%
Median home value$270,400 (2024)$378,000$274,000 to $521,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 4.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Agua Fria

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Willows, CA$1,237$64,068Compare
Sandston, VA$1,211$59,238Compare
Kelso, WA$1,220$66,751Compare
Sheridan, OR$1,220$70,785Compare
Sheridan, ORKelso, WASandston, VAWillows, CAAgua Fria, NMAgua FriaWillowsSandstonKelsoSheridanAgua FriaWillowsSandstonKelso

Common questions

Is Agua Fria a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Renters occupy 58% of homes, more than in 95% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 46 New Mexico places. 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 3 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Agua Fria expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 21.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $270,400.

What salary do you need to live in Agua Fria?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $46,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Agua Fria?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Willows, CA, Sandston, VA, Kelso, WA and Sheridan, OR.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Agua Fria with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Agua Fria itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/agua-fria-new-mexico

Citytistics. “Agua Fria, New Mexico.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/agua-fria-new-mexico/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.