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Cost of living, pay and housing

36.79° N · 108.06° W · GEOID 3574275

South River

San Juan County, New Mexico · part of the Farmington, NM metro

Limited data population under 5,000

New MexicoSouth River, NMSouth RiverSouth River

The short answer

South River is home to 1,810 people. Median household income is $68,668 a year and median rent is $777 a month, 13.6% 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 $260,100, about 3.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$777
43% below the median place
Median household income
$68,668
14% below the median place
Median home value
$260,100
19% below the median place
Unemployment
7.3%
48% 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 South River

  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 41 New Mexico places.
  • Household income has grown -1.2% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 96% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 49.3 years old, older than in 90% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 13.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size.
  • 89% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 88% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 88 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to South River

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

Moved in3,581
Moved out3,607
Net−26

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$52K
Leavers$52K

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

Who moves here
4.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into San Juan County report $52,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $51,500.
Income you would need
$31,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $777 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,700 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $260,100.
Getting to work
33 minutes each way on average; 6.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Gun Barrel City, TX matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out7
$51,533
27% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$52,481
26% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.5%
21% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSouth RiverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.5%21% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.5%25% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.350% above
Income of households moving in7County figure$52,48126% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$51,53327% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

South River13.6%
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
$31,080
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.6%
33% below the median place
Home price to income
3.8x
0% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$63,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in South River, $777 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like South River, 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
Rainsville, AL8.4% vs 13.6%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to South River? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Homeownership1
88.8%
34% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
37% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSouth RiverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$77743% below
Rent to income113.6%33% below
Property tax rate10.6%37% below
Home price to income13.8x0% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure87.713% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,11631% below
HUD area median income4County figure$80,30025% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,49254% below
Median home value1$260,10019% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.2%94% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure50.9%1% below
Homeownership188.8%34% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7009% below
Vacant homes1County figure13.5%92% 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%)
Mean commute1
33 min
32% above the median place
Poverty rate1
13.7%
27% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSouth RiverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$68,66814% below
Income per person1$36,3619% below
Unemployment1County figure7.3%48% above
Average annual pay6County figure$58,82211% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.0%35% above
Jobs6County figure47,79368% below
Poverty rate113.7%27% above
Mean commute133 min32% above
Works from home1County figure6.3%49% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 78.5%, 15% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
78.5%
15% below the median place
Median age1
49.3
26% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
16.3%
49% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance10.7% +67%
High school or higher90.0% −2%
Household size2.5 +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSouth RiverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,8106646th largest
Median age149.326% above
Bachelor's or higher116.3%49% below
High school or higher190.0%2% below
Household size12.51% above
Born abroad1County figure3.0%65% below
No health insurance110.7%67% above
Homes with broadband178.5%15% below
05

Life in South River

37 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

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 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −95%
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 bars16.5 −21%
Shops34.4 +14%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.5 −39%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.7 −12%
Child care centers1.5 −35%

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

Child care centers per 10k8
1.5
35% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.5
39% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
16.5
21% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSouth RiverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure50above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure20,095310% above
Students per teacher11County figure14.84% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure16.521% below
Shops per 10k8County figure34.414% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.539% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure17.712% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.535% below
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 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.195% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure37185% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 8.9 in, 80% 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 South River. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
8.9 in
80% below the median place
Tornado risk13
22.6
72% below the median place
January average low12
19°F
26% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureSouth RiverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure90°F4% above
January average low12County figure19°F26% below
Average temperature12County figure52°F5% below
Annual precipitation12County figure8.9 in80% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure88.34% below
Tornado risk13County figure22.672% below
Wildfire risk13County figure81.533% above
Heat wave risk13County figure79.911% below
Median air quality index14County figure479% above
Good air days14County figure67.9%1% below
08

South River in 2030: where the trends point

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 household income$68,668 (2024)$83,500$70,500 to $98,500+3.3%
Median home value$260,100 (2024)$368,000$267,000 to $507,000+6.0%

The median home would be worth 4.4 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 South River

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

PlaceRentIncome
Gun Barrel City, TX$960$71,310Compare
Palmerton, PA$931$68,143Compare
Kingsland, TX$892$57,268Compare
Arizona City, AZ$990$66,420Compare
Arizona City, AZKingsland, TXPalmerton, PAGun Barrel City, TXSouth River, NMSouth RiverGun Barrel CityPalmertonKingslandArizona CitySouth RiverGun Barrel CityPalmertonKingslandArizona City

Common questions

Is South River a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 41 New Mexico places. Household income has grown -1.2% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 96% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 81 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is South River expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.6% 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 $260,100.

What salary do you need to live in South River?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $31,080 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to South River?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Gun Barrel City, TX, Palmerton, PA, Kingsland, TX and Arizona City, AZ.

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

Citytistics. “South River, New Mexico.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/south-river-new-mexico/

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