Sandoval County, New Mexico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sandoval 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.
-
B
Health Around averageHealthier than 77% of counties in New Mexico
-
C
Income Below averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in New Mexico
-
C
Education Below averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in New Mexico
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sandoval County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 153,584 | 2,118,085 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 41.4 | 17.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.23% | 0.20% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 38.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 56,888 | 836,644 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sandoval County grew by 30.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 153,584 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sandoval County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.9% of residents. That is 0.6 points above New Mexico as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 31,021 20.2% -1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 33,614 21.9% +0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 30,722 20.0% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 28,873 18.8% +0.3 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 50.5% of the people living in Sandoval County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% New Mexico 50.5%
- Men 49.5% New Mexico 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sandoval County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sandoval County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Sandoval County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,813 | $64,523 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.66% | 4.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sandoval County is about 33% higher than in New Mexico.
Housing
| Metric | Sandoval County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $302,768 | $204,122 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,426 | $1,067 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.5% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sandoval County is about 17.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,426 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sandoval County spend about 60 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 250 hours, about 10.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sandoval County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.0 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.1 | 37.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 250 | 157 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,760 | $4,866 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.8% | 12.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,546 | 4,931 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,839 | 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 Sandoval County is 30 minutes, longer 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
Sandoval County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Sandoval County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.2% | 26.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.68 | 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
Sandoval County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sandoval County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.1% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 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).
Sandoval County, NM Compared With Nearby Counties
Sandoval County, NM is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 153,584 residents against a local median of 116,934. Where Sandoval County, NM breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 35% above the local median of $223,545 at $302,768.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $85,813 against a local median of $64,493, 33% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Sandoval County, NM is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $307,903 on median home price, so Sandoval County, NM sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sandoval County, NM has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandoval County, NM | 153,584 | $85,813 #1/5 | $302,768 #2/5 | 30.0 min #4/5 |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 672,163 | $69,651 | $260,969 | 20.9 min |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 40,067 | $56,646 | $186,120 | 28.1 min |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 155,407 | $79,204 | $448,701 | 20.5 min |
| Valencia County, NM | 78,461 | $59,334 | $140,798 | 30.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sandoval County, New Mexico.
How many people live in Sandoval County, New Mexico?
About 153,584 people live in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in 56,888 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Sandoval County, New Mexico?
Averaged over its land area, Sandoval County, New Mexico has 41 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 48% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Sandoval County, New Mexico?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($302,768 against $85,813), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,426 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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 →