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Cost of living, pay and housing

36.17° N · 105.69° W · GEOID 3555900

Peñasco

Taos County, New Mexico · part of the Taos, NM metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

New MexicoPeñasco, NMPeñascoPeñasco

The short answer

Peñasco is home to 546 people. Median household income is $45,833 a year and median rent is $963 a month, 25.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $229,300, about 5.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$963
29% below the median place
Median household income
$45,833
43% below the median place
Median home value
$229,300
28% below the median place
Unemployment
7.6%
56% 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 Peñasco

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 15.2% a year while household income rose 8.1%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • 28% of homes stand vacant, more than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 40 New Mexico places.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 220 hours a year commuting, more than in 90% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 37 New Mexico places.
  • The median household earns $45,833 a year, less than in 91% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $120 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 88% of places its size.
01

Moving to Peñasco

Taos County loses about 0.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,167
Moved out1,173
Net−6

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bernalillo County, NM121225−104
Santa Fe County, NM9096−6
Rio Arriba County, NM6047+13
Dallas County, TX31

Within New Mexico, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New MexicoOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$73K
Leavers$61K

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

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Taos County report $73,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $61,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$38,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $963 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,083 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $229,300.
Getting to work
35 minutes each way on average; 17.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Lewistown, MT matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving out6
$61,291
13% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePeñascoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-0.350% above
Income of households moving in6County figure$73,3694% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$61,29113% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.3%, 70% below the median place.

Peñasco25.2%
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
$38,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
25.2%
24% above the median place
Home price to income
5.0x
32% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
25%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$34,400
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Peñasco, $963 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Peñasco? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.3%
70% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$629
81% below the median place
Vacant homes1
27.6%
291% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasurePeñascoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$96329% below
Rent to income125.2%24% above
Property tax rate10.3%70% below
Home price to income15.0x32% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,29220% below
HUD area median income3County figure$80,50025% below
Property tax paid (median)1$62981% below
Median home value1$229,30028% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure0.1%96% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure54.5%6% above
Homeownership171.6%8% above
Renters paying 30%+140.8%19% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,08342% below
Vacant homes127.6%291% above
Median year built119710% below
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $45,833, 43% below the median place.

Median household income1
$45,833
43% below the median place
Mean commute1
35 min
42% above the median place
Poverty rate1
18.9%
75% above the median place
All 9 work and pay measures
MeasurePeñascoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$45,83343% below
Income per person1$31,13722% below
Unemployment1County figure7.6%56% above
Average annual pay5County figure$47,61128% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.9%32% above
Jobs5County figure10,99693% below
Poverty rate118.9%75% above
Mean commute135 min42% above
Works from home117.8%43% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 74.6%, 19% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
74.6%
19% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
16.4%
49% below the median place
Median age1
43.8
12% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.3 −8%
No health insurance5.1% −20%
High school or higher92.1% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePeñascoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15466646th largest
Median age143.812% above
Bachelor's or higher116.4%49% below
High school or higher192.1%0% below
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad1County figure5.7%36% below
No health insurance15.1%20% below
Homes with broadband174.6%19% below
05

Life in Peñasco

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.

  • Peñasco High School listed 2023

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars30.1 +45%
Shops57.6 +90%
Arts, recreation and fitness11.0 2.7×
Doctors' offices and clinics20.8 +3%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

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

Shops per 10k7
57.6
90% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
30.1
45% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
11.0
168% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasurePeñascoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure22144% above
Public school students9County figure3,62626% below
Students per teacher9County figure12.718% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure30.145% above
Shops per 10k7County figure57.690% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure11.0168% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure20.83% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.30% above
National Register listings8192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 98.9%, 44% above 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 Peñasco. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days12
98.9%
44% above the median place
Median air quality index12
16
63% below the median place
Heat wave risk11
8.5
91% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasurePeñascoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure78°F10% below
January average low10County figure12°F51% below
Average temperature10County figure44°F21% below
Annual precipitation10County figure18.1 in59% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure74.320% below
Tornado risk11County figure21.773% below
Wildfire risk11County figure96.257% above
Heat wave risk11County figure8.591% below
Median air quality index12County figure1663% below
Good air days12County figure98.9%44% above
08

Peñasco in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 26% of the median income in 2030, up from 25% 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$963/mo (2024)$1,290/mo$1,060 to $1,570/mo+5.0%
Median household income$45,833 (2024)$59,000$50,000 to $69,500+4.3%
Median home value$229,300 (2024)$328,000$238,000 to $452,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 5.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.0 now.

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

09

Places like Peñasco

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

PlaceRentIncome
Lewistown, MT$1,007$48,750Compare
Westwego, LA$1,049$46,261Compare
Oxford, NC$995$43,054Compare
Fort Oglethorpe, GA$937$51,867Compare
Fort Oglethorpe, GAOxford, NCWestwego, LALewistown, MTPeñasco, NMPeñascoLewistownWestwegoOxfordFort OglethorpePeñascoLewistownWestwegoOxfordFort Oglethorpe

Common questions

Is Peñasco a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 15.2% a year while household income rose 8.1%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 46 New Mexico places. 28% of homes stand vacant, more than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 40 New Mexico places. On cost, space and class size it scores 12 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Peñasco expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 25.2% 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 $229,300.

What salary do you need to live in Peñasco?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $38,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Peñasco?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lewistown, MT, Westwego, LA, Oxford, NC and Fort Oglethorpe, GA.

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. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 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
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  12. 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 Peñasco with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Peñasco itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/penasco-new-mexico

Citytistics. “Peñasco, New Mexico.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/penasco-new-mexico/

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