Los Alamos County, New Mexico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Los Alamos County, NM Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A+
Health Top gradeHealthiest county in New Mexico
-
A+
Income Top gradeWealthiest county in New Mexico
-
A+
Education Top gradeBest educated county in New Mexico
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 19,409 | 2,118,085 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 177.8 | 17.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.04% | 0.20% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.0 | 38.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,237 | 836,644 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Los Alamos County grew by 5.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19,409 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Los Alamos County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.9% of residents. That is 5.2 points above New Mexico as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,305 17.0% -4.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,270 22.0% +0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,641 23.9% +5.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,241 16.7% -1.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New Mexico, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.5% of the people living in Los Alamos County and men 50.5%.
- Women 49.5% New Mexico 50.5%
- Men 50.5% New Mexico 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Los Alamos County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Los Alamos County has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $146,398 | $64,523 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.29% | 4.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.0% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Los Alamos County is about 127% higher than in New Mexico.
Housing
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $245,215 | $204,122 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,374 | $1,067 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.8% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Los Alamos County is about 14.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,374 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Los Alamos County spend about 30 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 126 hours, about 5.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.1 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 30.2 | 37.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 126 | 157 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,899 | $4,866 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.6% | 12.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,836 | 4,931 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,164 | 619 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New Mexico:
De Baca County (7.9 min), Quay County (8.0 min), Union County (8.3 min).
Slowest:
Torrance County (36.5 min), Mora County (30.1 min), Valencia County (30.1 min).
The average commute time in Los Alamos County is 15 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes in New Mexico.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Los Alamos County has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 66.3% | 26.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New Mexico:
Los Alamos County (0.6), Santa Fe County (0.4), Bernalillo County (0.3).
Lowest:
Guadalupe County (0.2), Luna County (0.2), McKinley County (0.2).
Health
Los Alamos County has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 83.2 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 7.6% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 9.3% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New Mexico:
Los Alamos County (0.8), Santa Fe County (0.8), Bernalillo County (0.8).
Lowest:
McKinley County (0.8), Cibola County (0.8), Luna County (0.8).
Los Alamos County, NM Compared With Nearby Counties
Los Alamos County, NM is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 19,409 residents against a local median of 153,584. The measure that sets Los Alamos County, NM apart most is median household income: $146,398, 110% above the local median of $69,651. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 15.1 min against a local median of 21.1 min, 29% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Los Alamos County, NM is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within $29,166 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Los Alamos County, NM, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Los Alamos County, NM has the highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Alamos County, NM | 19,409 | $146,398 #1/6 | $245,215 #5/6 | 15.1 min #1/6 |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 155,407 | $79,204 | $448,701 | 20.5 min |
| Sandoval County, NM | 153,584 | $85,813 | $302,768 | 30.0 min |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 40,067 | $56,646 | $186,120 | 28.1 min |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 672,163 | $69,651 | $260,969 | 20.9 min |
| Taos County, NM | 34,542 | $59,024 | $333,329 | 21.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Los Alamos County, New Mexico.
How many people live in Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
About 19,409 people live in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, in 8,237 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Los Alamos County, New Mexico urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Los Alamos County, New Mexico has 178 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Los Alamos County, New Mexico an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($245,215 against $146,398), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,374 a month takes about 11% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
Unemployment in Los Alamos County, New Mexico is only 1.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
66.3% of adults in Los Alamos County, New Mexico hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 7 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →