Lake Valley, New Mexico Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 83, Lake Valley's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Lake Valley is a small community located in New Mexico, within San Juan County. The total population is 83. It ranks as the 427th most populous out of 495 Census-designated places in New Mexico.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lake Valley is 58.8 years. This is 49% higher than the state median of 39.4 years. Only 3.6% of residents are under 18, indicating fewer families with children. 44.6% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lake Valley is $83,158. This is 30% higher than the state median of $64,059. It is also 3% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 10.8%. This is 39% lower than the state poverty rate of 17.8%. The unemployment rate is 17.1%. This is 188% higher than the state rate of 6.0%. The median home value is $200,000. Housing costs are 19% lower than the state median of $248,100. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.4x, Lake Valley is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 37.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 46% lower than the state average of 70.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Lake Valley is White (non-Hispanic), making up 49.4% of the population.

Education

58.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Lake Valley in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 89% higher than the state rate of 31.0%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 88.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Lake Valley, New Mexico is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against New Mexico state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 495 Census-designated places in New Mexico. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.