Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Las Cruces, New Mexico population is 116,978 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #262 nationally and #2 in New Mexico. Cost of living runs 9.8% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
116,978 people live in Las Cruces as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #262 largest U.S. city.
How big is Las Cruces?
Las Cruces covers 76.9 square miles of land and 0.1 square miles of water. Its population density is about 1,521 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 5.0% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 111,397 → 2025: 116,978 (+5.0%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
111,397
April 1, 2020
2020
111,713
July 1, 2020
2021
112,799
July 1, 2021
2022
113,796
July 1, 2022
2023
115,176
July 1, 2023
2024
116,334
July 1, 2024
2025
116,978
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 5.2% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Las Cruces is the #262 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #2 in New Mexico.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
111,397
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+5,581
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+5.0%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+644
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.6%
within V2025 only
Density
1,521
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
76.9
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#262
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#2
of 105 in New Mexico
What is the median household income in Las Cruces?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 31% below the U.S. median ($55,422 vs $80,734); 22.6% live in poverty, 10.2 points above the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$55,422
US
Las Cruces: $55,422 — 31% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Las Cruces
$55,422
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Las Cruces from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$55,422-31.4% vs US
±$3,044
Per capita income
$31,140-30.3% vs US
±$1,243
Population in poverty
22.6% ± 2.1 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 30% below the U.S. median ($231,700 vs $332,700); median rent is 31% below ($974 vs $1,413); price-to-income ratio (4.2×) is roughly in line with the U.S. median (4.1×).
Median home value$231,700
US
Las Cruces: $231,700 — 30% below the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,042/mo
US
Las Cruces: $1,042/mo — 3% below the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$231,700-30.4% vs US
±$7,198
Median gross rent
$974-31.1% vs US
±$41
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$1,042-6.5% vs US
Las Cruces, NM MSA· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
55.9% ± 2.0 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
4.2x± 0.26x approximate 90% MOE+1.4% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
57.0% ± 4.9 percentage points+11.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
30.7% ± 3.8 percentage points+18.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Las Cruces. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.2%
Las Cruces (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
55,484
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
10.7% ± 1.5 percentage points-29.4% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Las Cruces sits in Doña Ana County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Doña Ana County
17.9%
$60,154
4.9%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Las Cruces's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
18,022
$903 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
8,258
$651 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
8,235
$455 / wk
#4
Construction (23)
5,309
$1,228 / wk
#5
Administrative and waste services (56)
3,897
$1,013 / wk
What workers earn in the Las Cruces, NM metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides is the largest tracked occupation in the Las Cruces, NM metro (6,430 jobs, median $27,840/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
6,430
$27,840
$13.39
Fast Food and Counter Workers
2,870
$27,560
$13.25
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
2,360
$41,030
$19.73
Cashiers
1,630
$28,710
$13.80
Customer Service Representatives
1,480
$36,080
$17.35
Stockers and Order Fillers
1,370
$32,290
$15.52
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
1,340
$35,410
$17.02
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
2,110
$30,460
$14.65
Registered Nurses · benchmark
1,280
$83,310
$40.05
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
1,260
$85,770
$41.24
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
890
$74,100
—
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
All items run 9.8% below the U.S. average (RPP 90.2); rents run 37.0% below (RPP 63.0) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 90.2
US
Las Cruces's cost of living runs 9.8% below the U.S. average (RPP 90.2 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 90.2
−9.8% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Las Cruces, NM metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,042/mo
FY2026 · Las Cruces, NM MSA
State income tax (top marginal rate)
5.90%
6 brackets · TY2026
One-person monthly spending scenario
$2,911/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
10.2% ± 1.3 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (29.1% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Las Cruces's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: June (97°F avg high). Coldest: January (28°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 9.2 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Las Cruces from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 96.1/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Drought (99.4).
Natural-hazard exposure for Las Cruces from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Doña Ana County
96.1
Relatively High
Drought 99.4 Relatively High · Riverine Flooding 98.4 Relatively High · Winter Weather 97.4 Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Las Cruces?
10 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 32% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Las Cruces from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
10 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
9
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
32.2%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
32.2%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
54,715
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
In-state context.
Las Cruces sits at state rank #2 among 105 cities in New Mexico. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Pompano Beach, FL · #261 · 117,211 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Manchester, NH · #263 · 116,818 residents.
Quick travel facts for Las Cruces
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
3,900 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Las Cruces International Airport(LRU) · 8 mi 13 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Mar, Apr, Nov · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Las Cruces.
How many people live in Las Cruces, NM?
Las Cruces has 116,978 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #262 largest city in the United States and #2 in New Mexico. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Las Cruces growing or shrinking?
Las Cruces has grown 5.0% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 5,581 residents, including a 0.6% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Las Cruces's population in the 2020 census?
The GEOID for Las Cruces is 3539380. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
