Placitas (Doña Ana County), New Mexico Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 516, Placitas (Doña Ana County)'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

Placitas (Doña Ana County) is a small community located in New Mexico, within Doña Ana County. The total population is 516. It ranks as the 242nd most populous out of 495 Census-designated places in New Mexico.

Age Demographics

The median age in Placitas (Doña Ana County) is 19.4 years. This is 51% lower than the state median of 39.4 years. With 32.4% of the population under 18, Placitas (Doña Ana County) has a notably young demographic profile, suggesting a family-oriented community.

Economy, Income & Housing

The poverty rate stands at 90.5%. This is 407% higher than the state poverty rate of 17.8%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The unemployment rate is 38.2%. This is 541% higher than the state rate of 6.0%. Every occupied housing unit the survey reached in Placitas (Doña Ana County) was renter-occupied. At this sample size that indicates no owner-occupied homes were captured rather than that none exist.

Race & Ethnicity

Every resident counted in Placitas (Doña Ana County) was recorded as Hispanic or Latino. A figure of exactly 100.0% reflects a survey sample too small to capture the community's full composition rather than a precise measurement.

Education

0.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is among the lowest rates in the state, which may correlate with employment and income patterns. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 31.9%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Placitas (Doña Ana County), 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.