CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

35.32° N · 106.44° W · GEOID 3558070

Placitas

Sandoval County, New Mexico · part of the Albuquerque, NM metro

Limited data population under 5,000

New MexicoPlacitas, NMPlacitasPlacitas

The short answer

Placitas is home to 4,223 people. Median household income is $109,750 a year and median rent is $2,717 a month, 29.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $562,100, about 5.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,717
99% above the median place
Median household income
$109,750
37% above the median place
Median home value
$562,100
76% above the median place
Unemployment
5.2%
6% 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 Placitas

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 18.4% a year while household income rose 6.5%, so rent outran pay by more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $399 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • The median resident is 64.8 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
  • 38% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 37 New Mexico places.
  • Median rent is $2,717 a month, higher than in 95% of places its size. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places.
01

Moving to Placitas

Sandoval County gains about 13.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in9,257
Moved out7,588
Net+1,669

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$78K
Leavers$66K

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

Who moves here
6.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Sandoval County report $77,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $66,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$108,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,717 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,318 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $562,100.
Getting to work
31 minutes each way on average; 37.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
13.1
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
3.0%
53% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.8%
19% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePlacitasAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.8%19% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.0%53% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure13.1above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$77,79610% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$66,3796% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 93.9%, 41% above the median place.

Placitas29.7%
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
$108,680
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
29.7%
46% above the median place
Home price to income
5.1x
35% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
30%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$79,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Placitas, $2,717 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 Placitas, 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
St. James, NC23.3% vs 29.7%$12,300Compare
East Harwich, MA25.1% vs 29.7%$3,900Compare
Pecan Plantation, TX24.8% vs 29.7%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Placitas? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
93.9%
41% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.5%
44% below the median place
Median year built1
2000
1% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePlacitasAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,71799% above
Rent to income129.7%46% above
Property tax rate10.5%44% below
Home price to income15.1x35% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure95.55% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,38414% below
HUD area median income4County figure$100,4006% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,88712% below
Median home value1$562,10076% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.0%37% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure56.6%10% above
Homeownership193.9%41% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure50.0%1% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,31824% above
Vacant homes19.4%33% above
Median year built120001% above
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 37.7%, 203% above the median place.

Works from home1
37.7%
203% above the median place
Income per person1
$71,431
78% above the median place
Mean commute1
31 min
26% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePlacitasAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$109,75037% above
Income per person1$71,43178% above
Unemployment1County figure5.2%6% above
Average annual pay6County figure$61,4697% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure1.6%57% below
Jobs6County figure35,86776% below
Poverty rate1County figure10.0%8% below
Mean commute131 min26% above
Works from home137.7%203% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.5%40% below
04

Who lives here

Median age is 64.8, 66% above the median place.

Median age1
64.8
66% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
22% below the median place
High school or higher1
98.4%
7% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher65.5% 2.0×
Born abroad6.0% −32%
Homes with broadband93.7% +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePlacitasAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,2236646th largest
Median age164.866% above
Bachelor's or higher165.5%104% above
High school or higher198.4%7% above
Household size12.022% below
Born abroad16.0%32% below
No health insurance1County figure6.5%2% above
Homes with broadband193.7%1% above
05

Life in Placitas

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.

  • San Jose de las Huertas listed 1990

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.7 −53%
Playgrounds per 10k9.5 +1%
Grocery stores per 10k2.4 +12%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k7.1 −36%
Libraries per 10k2.4 2.7×
Named paths and bike trails29 km 14.7×
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 bars11.0 −47%
Shops12.9 −57%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.8 −56%
Doctors' offices and clinics13.5 −33%
Child care centers1.4 −39%

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

Shops per 10k8
12.9
57% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
11.0
47% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
1.8
56% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasurePlacitasAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure43378% above
Public school students11County figure21,907347% above
Students per teacher11County figure16.25% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure11.047% below
Shops per 10k8County figure12.957% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.856% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure13.533% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.439% below
Parks per 10k94.753% below
Playgrounds per 10k99.51% above
Grocery stores per 10k92.412% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k97.136% below
Libraries per 10k92.4172% above
Named paths and bike trails929.3above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 12.8 in, 71% 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 Placitas. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
12.8 in
71% below the median place
Tornado risk13
23.8
71% below the median place
Wildfire risk13
93.6
53% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasurePlacitasAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure87°F0% above
January average low12County figure18°F29% below
Average temperature12County figure51°F8% below
Annual precipitation12County figure12.8 in71% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure77.017% below
Tornado risk13County figure23.871% below
Wildfire risk13County figure93.653% above
Heat wave risk13County figure79.911% below
Median air quality index14County figure442% above
Good air days14County figure73.5%7% above
08

Placitas in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 32% of the median income in 2030, up from 30% 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$2,717/mo (2024)$3,690/mo$3,030 to $4,500/mo+5.2%
Median household income$109,750 (2024)$140,000$118,500 to $165,500+4.1%
Median home value$562,100 (2024)$809,000$587,000 to $1,114,000+6.2%

The median home would be worth 5.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.1 now.

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

09

Places like Placitas

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

PlaceRentIncome
Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM$2,526$106,633Compare
St. James, NC$2,258$116,383Compare
The Pinehills, MA$2,819$122,798Compare
Seal Beach, CA$2,649$85,964Compare
Seal Beach, CAThe Pinehills, MASt. James, NCEldorado at Santa Fe, NMPlacitas, NMPlacitasEldorado at Santa FeSt. JamesThe PinehillsSeal BeachPlacitasEldorado at Santa FeSt. JamesThe PinehillsSeal Beach

Common questions

Is Placitas 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 18.4% a year while household income rose 6.5%, so rent outran pay by more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 46 New Mexico places. Owning with a mortgage costs about $399 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 46 New Mexico places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Placitas expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 29.7% 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 $562,100.

What salary do you need to live in Placitas?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $108,680 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Placitas?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM, St. James, NC, The Pinehills, MA and Seal Beach, CA.

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

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

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