Living in Ruidoso, NM
Ruidoso is a big small town of 7,699 people in Lincoln County, New Mexico. It's about 96 miles from Las Cruces, NM and 313 miles from Tucson, AZ, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 49°F, with about 26 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $244k and rent runs about $944 a month.
7,699people
$244kTypical home
$944/moRent
81° / 49°Summer / winter
26"Snow
309Sunny days
86Rain/snow days
Is Ruidoso right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Big small town of 7,699
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 477 people per sq mi
- 313 mi to Tucson, AZ
- 96 mi to Las Cruces, NM
- 36 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $244k (≈$1,537/mo)
- Median rent $944/mo
- Median household income $53k
- Property tax about 0.6% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 49°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
- 86 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 45
- 19% of households have kids
- 29% are 65 or older
- 35% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 8% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 17 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 66 mi to ROW airport
- 114 mi to ELP (major hub)
- 120 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 72% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1981
- 83% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Mountain country
- Elevation 6,936 ft
- 457 mi to the ocean
- 86 mi to a big lake
- 3 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 4 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 9 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
- 7 museums within 25 mi
- 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 98 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 42% of New Mexico districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 135 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 3 mi to the nearest vet
- Dog park in town
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 33 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