CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

35.08° N · 108.80° W · GEOID 3507670

Black Rock

McKinley County, New Mexico · part of the Gallup, NM metro

Limited data population under 5,000

New MexicoBlack Rock, NMBlack RockBlack Rock

The short answer

Black Rock is home to 1,125 people. Median household income is $46,000 a year and median rent is $726 a month, 18.9% 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 $101,100, about 2.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$726
47% below the median place
Median household income
$46,000
43% below the median place
Median home value
$101,100
68% below the median place
Unemployment
9.0%
85% 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 Black Rock

  • Renters occupy 78% of homes, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • 38.9% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 42 New Mexico places.
  • Households average 3.75 people, larger than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $85 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • The median resident is 28.7 years old, younger than in 96% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 46 New Mexico places.
01

Moving to Black Rock

McKinley County loses about 15.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,754
Moved out2,578
Net−824

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within New Mexico, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New MexicoOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$40K
Leavers$43K

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

Who moves here
2.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.2% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into McKinley County report $39,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $43,500, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$29,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $726 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $641 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $101,100.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 13.6% work from home; 1.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Donna, TX matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in6
$39,733
44% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
-15.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out6
$43,470
38% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBlack RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure2.5%57% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.2%39% below
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-15.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$39,73344% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$43,47038% below
02

What it costs to live here

Owner costs with a mortgage is $641, 66% below the median place.

Black Rock18.9%
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
$29,040
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
18.9%
7% below the median place
Home price to income
2.2x
42% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$37,300
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Black Rock, $726 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Black Rock.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Black Rock? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$641
66% below the median place
Homeownership1
21.7%
67% below the median place
Median home value1
$101,100
68% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureBlack RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$72647% below
Rent to income118.9%7% below
Property tax rate11.6%71% above
Home price to income12.2x42% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,14029% below
HUD area median income3County figure$56,40047% below
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$1,57452% below
Median home value1$101,10068% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.0%57% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure38.0%26% below
Homeownership121.7%67% below
Renters paying 30%+148.9%3% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$64166% below
Vacant homes19.6%37% above
Median year built119971% above
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $16,379, 59% below the median place.

Income per person1
$16,379
59% below the median place
Poverty rate1
38.9%
261% above the median place
Median household income1
$46,000
43% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBlack RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$46,00043% below
Income per person1$16,37959% below
Unemployment1County figure9.0%85% above
Average annual pay5County figure$49,17725% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.1%11% above
Jobs5County figure19,35387% below
Poverty rate138.9%261% above
Mean commute126 min4% above
Works from home113.6%9% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.1%33% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 77.3%, 16% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
77.3%
16% below the median place
Household size1
3.8
50% above the median place
Median age1
28.7
26% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance16.4% 2.6×
Bachelor's or higher15.9% −50%
High school or higher92.7% +0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureBlack RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,1256646th largest
Median age128.726% below
Bachelor's or higher115.9%50% below
High school or higher192.7%0% above
Household size13.850% above
Born abroad1County figure2.4%72% below
No health insurance116.4%156% above
Homes with broadband177.3%16% below
05

Life in Black Rock

78 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k62.2 6.6×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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 bars15.2 −27%
Shops30.4 +0%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.0 −76%
Doctors' offices and clinics10.6 −48%

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

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
1.0
76% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
10.6
48% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
15.2
27% below the median place
All 15 schools and local life measures
MeasureBlack RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure41356% above
Public school students10County figure14,798202% above
Students per teacher10County figure15.51% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure15.227% below
Shops per 10k7County figure30.40% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure1.076% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure10.648% below
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k862.2above (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure78above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 0.0, below the median place (median 70.7).

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 Black Rock. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk12
0.0
below the median place (median 70.7)
Tornado risk12
4.5
95% below the median place
Annual precipitation11
11.2 in
74% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureBlack RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure86°F0% below
January average low11County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature11County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation11County figure11.2 in74% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure78.215% below
Hurricane risk12County figure0.0below (median 70.7)
Tornado risk12County figure4.595% below
Wildfire risk12County figure78.729% above
Heat wave risk12County figure39.556% below
08

Black Rock in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 19% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% 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$726/mo (2024)$930/mo$760 to $1,130/mo+4.2%
Median household income$46,000 (2024)$59,000$49,500 to $69,500+4.2%
Median home value$101,100 (2024)$146,000$106,000 to $201,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 2.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.2 now.

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

09

Places like Black Rock

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

PlaceRentIncome
Donna, TX$806$40,438Compare
Rio Grande City, TX$767$44,577Compare
Waynesboro, GA$746$41,620Compare
Newberry, SC$831$51,260Compare
Newberry, SCWaynesboro, GARio Grande City, TXDonna, TXBlack Rock, NMBlack RockDonnaRio Grande CityWaynesboroNewberryBlack RockDonnaRio Grande CityWaynesboroNewberry

Common questions

Is Black Rock a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Renters occupy 78% of homes, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 46 New Mexico places. 38.9% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 42 New Mexico places. On cost, space and class size it scores 54 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Black Rock expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 18.9% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $101,100.

What salary do you need to live in Black Rock?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $29,040 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Black Rock?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Donna, TX, Rio Grande City, TX, Waynesboro, GA and Newberry, SC.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. 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.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 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
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

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 Black Rock with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Black Rock itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/black-rock-new-mexico

Citytistics. “Black Rock, New Mexico.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/black-rock-new-mexico/

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