| ZIP Codes: | 15 ZIP Codes (11 Standard, 4 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 575 |
| Timezone: | Mountain (GMT -07:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:13:11 PM |
| Population: | 20,219 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 35027 |
| CBSA: | Ruidoso, NM |
| Land Area: | 4,532 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 0 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 33.5181, -105.4776 |
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20,219 residents live across 15 ZIPs covering 4,532 sq mi, served by 14 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 20,184 to 20,219 from 2014 to 2024 — a +0.2% change. 9 ZIPs gained residents, 6 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 88348 (San Patricio, $86,985 median) and poorest ZIP 88346 (Ruidoso Downs, $33,594) are 13.4 miles apart — a 2.6× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 4.1× across this county — from $89,200 in 88301 (Carrizozo) to $365,400 in 88341 (Nogal).
Density varies 641× across the county — from 0 people/sq mi in 88318 (Corona) to 168 in 88345 (Ruidoso).
Educational attainment ranges from 5.4% bachelor's+ in 88336 (Hondo) to 51.5% in 88348 (San Patricio) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within New Mexico, this is the #20 most populous of 34 counties and ranks #19 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $55,162 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
32.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (5,111 of 15,882 reporting).
11 Standard delivery, 4 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88345 | Ruidoso | Standard | 7,835 | $53,971 | 46.6 | -11.6% |
| 88312 | Alto | Standard | 3,287 | $80,345 | 76.0 | 4.8% |
| 88346 | Ruidoso Downs | Standard | 3,191 | $33,594 | 37.7 | -5.3% |
| 88316 | Capitan | Standard | 2,194 | $54,080 | 854.4 | 27.9% |
| 88301 | Carrizozo | Standard | 1,197 | $43,900 | 1,028.8 | -3.4% |
| 88341 | Nogal | Standard | 653 | $48,393 | 123.1 | 110.6% |
| 88336 | Hondo | Standard | 421 | — | 43.6 | 23.5% |
| 88318 | Corona | Standard | 321 | $73,125 | 1,224.3 | 8.1% |
| 88355 | Ruidoso | PO Box | 293 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 88348 | San Patricio | Standard | 279 | $86,985 | 19.5 | 16.7% |
| 88338 | Lincoln | PO Box | 246 | $59,276 | 157.0 | 4.2% |
| 88351 | Tinnie | Standard | 159 | — | 500.3 | -26.4% |
| 88343 | Picacho | PO Box | 125 | — | 355.6 | 468.2% |
| 88324 | Glencoe | Standard | 18 | — | 64.7 | -90.5% |
| 88323 | Fort Stanton | PO Box | 0 | — | 0.0 | -100.0% |