Living in Ruidoso Downs, NM
Ruidoso Downs is a small town of 2,655 people in Lincoln County, New Mexico. It's about 98 miles from Las Cruces, NM and 317 miles from Tucson, AZ, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 51°F, with about 26 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $194k and rent runs about $936 a month.
2,655people
$194kTypical home
$936/moRent
83° / 51°Summer / winter
26"Snow
309Sunny days
87Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 2,655
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 701 people per sq mi
- 317 mi to Tucson, AZ
- 98 mi to Las Cruces, NM
- 38 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $194k (≈$1,221/mo)
- Median rent $936/mo
- Median household income $42k
- Property tax about 0.6% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 51°F
- Dry summers (dew point 46°F)
- 309 sunny days a year (156 totally clear)
- 56 cloudy days a year
- 15 of 90 winter days are gray
- 87 days a year with rain or snow
- 26" of snow a year
- 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 9 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
People
- Median age 38
- 32% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 23% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 16 min
- 0% walk or take transit to work
- 62 mi to ROW airport
- 114 mi to ELP (major hub)
- 121 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 37% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1983
- 81% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Mountain country
- Elevation 6,388 ft
- 461 mi to the ocean
- 85 mi to a big lake
- 5 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 7 mi to the nearest ski area
- 6 mi to the nearest campground
- 8 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 28 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 5 museums within 25 mi
- 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 100 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 42% of New Mexico districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 5 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 138 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 2 mi to the nearest vet
- 4 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 34 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Lincoln County: R+39 in 2024
- New Mexico: D+6 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.