Columbus, New Mexico

Population

Growing. Up 3.1% since 2020.

1,484

people, the 53rd-largest of New Mexico's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among New Mexico's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

94.4%

of 267 jobs located in Columbus are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 1% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$414

a month. New Mexico's median is $1,067.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,005 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Luna County.

• $571 Tract 6
• $1,576 Tract 4.02

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$880–$1,320

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $414 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

70% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 70% of all homes were built before 2000

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–0.4% to the 768 homes here.

2–3

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 57% less than New Mexico's.

$105,600

median home value in Columbus.

• $105,600 Columbus
• $248,100 New Mexico
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year