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Cost of living, pay and housing

32.32° N · 106.88° W · GEOID 3556748

Picacho Hills

Doña Ana County, New Mexico · part of the Las Cruces, NM metro

Limited data population under 5,000

New MexicoPicacho Hills, NMPicacho HillsPicacho Hills

The short answer

Picacho Hills is home to 2,002 people. Median household income is $120,850 a year and median rent is $1,606 a month, 15.9% 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 $456,400, about 3.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,606
18% above the median place
Median household income
$120,850
51% above the median place
Median home value
$456,400
43% above the median place
Unemployment
6.8%
38% 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 Picacho Hills

  • 100% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • The median resident is 67.3 years old, older than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • Between the 2020 and 2022 surveys, household income rose 7.6% a year while rent rose -2%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of places its size.
  • Half the homes were built after 2004, newer housing than in 94% of places its size. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • 67% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 93% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 96 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Picacho Hills

Doña Ana County gains about 0.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in8,937
Moved out8,887
Net+50

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within New Mexico, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New MexicoOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$54K
Leavers$52K

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

Who moves here
6.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Doña Ana County report $53,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,000.
Income you would need
$64,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,606 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,059 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $456,400.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 17.5% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Palmer Ranch, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out7
$51,959
26% below the median place
Moved from another state1
3.9%
95% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$53,759
24% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePicacho HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.8%18% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.9%95% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.3above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$53,75924% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$51,95926% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 100.0%, 51% above the median place.

Picacho Hills15.9%
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
$64,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.9%
22% below the median place
Home price to income
3.8x
1% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
16%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$106,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Picacho Hills, $1,606 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Picacho Hills? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
100.0%
51% above the median place
Median year built1
2004
1% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
33% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePicacho HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,60618% above
Rent to income115.9%22% below
Property tax rate10.6%33% below
Home price to income13.8x1% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure90.211% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,07334% below
HUD area median income4County figure$79,90026% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,77815% below
Median home value1$456,40043% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.9%41% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure51.3%0% below
Homeownership1100.0%51% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure54.4%7% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,05910% above
Vacant homes1County figure8.2%16% above
Median year built120041% 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%)
Income per person1
$64,879
62% above the median place
Median household income1
$120,850
51% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePicacho HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$120,85051% above
Income per person1$64,87962% above
Unemployment1County figure6.8%38% above
Average annual pay6County figure$52,23621% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure81,83446% below
Poverty rate1County figure21.3%98% above
Mean commute1County figure23 min8% below
Works from home117.5%41% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 67.3, 73% above the median place.

Median age1
67.3
73% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
99.2%
7% above the median place
High school or higher1
99.1%
7% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher67.3% 2.1×
Household size2.4 −4%
Born abroad10.3% +17%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePicacho HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,0026646th largest
Median age167.373% above
Bachelor's or higher167.3%110% above
High school or higher199.1%7% above
Household size12.44% below
Born abroad110.3%17% above
No health insurance1County figure11.3%77% above
Homes with broadband199.2%7% above
05

Life in Picacho Hills

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.0 −55%
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 bars14.5 −30%
Shops23.8 −21%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.7 −59%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.9 −6%
Child care centers2.5 +9%

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

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
1.7
59% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
14.5
30% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
23.8
21% below the median place
All 15 schools and local life measures
MeasurePicacho HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure78above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure36,561above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure14.530% below
Shops per 10k8County figure23.821% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.759% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure18.96% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.59% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k95.055% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 9.9 in, 77% 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 Picacho Hills. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation11
9.9 in
77% below the median place
Good air days13
27.4%
60% below the median place
Median air quality index13
61
42% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePicacho HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure94°F9% above
January average low11County figure29°F13% above
Average temperature11County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation11County figure9.9 in77% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure96.14% above
Hurricane risk12County figure36.548% below
Tornado risk12County figure20.575% below
Wildfire risk12County figure86.641% above
Heat wave risk12County figure94.65% above
Median air quality index13Metro figure6142% above
Good air days13Metro figure27.4%60% below
08

Picacho Hills in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, up from 16% 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$1,606/mo (2022)$2,120/mo$1,690 to $2,670/mo+3.5%
Median household income$120,850 (2024)$154,000$130,500 to $182,500+4.1%
Median home value$456,400 (2024)$632,000$459,000 to $870,000+5.6%

The median home would be worth 4.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.8 now.

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

09

Places like Picacho Hills

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

PlaceRentIncome
Palmer Ranch, FL$1,794$102,838Compare
Pinehurst, NC$1,664$109,802Compare
Estero, FL$1,920$104,102Compare
St. Pete Beach, FL$1,811$114,583Compare
St. Pete Beach, FLEstero, FLPinehurst, NCPalmer Ranch, FLPicacho Hills, NMPicacho HillsPalmer RanchPinehurstEsteroSt. Pete BeachPicacho HillsPalmer RanchPinehurstEsteroSt. Pete Beach

Common questions

Is Picacho Hills a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 100% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places. The median resident is 67.3 years old, older than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Picacho Hills expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.9% 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 $456,400.

What salary do you need to live in Picacho Hills?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $64,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Picacho Hills?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Palmer Ranch, FL, Pinehurst, NC, Estero, FL and St. Pete Beach, FL.

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

Citytistics. “Picacho Hills, New Mexico.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/picacho-hills-new-mexico/

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