Arroyo Seco, New Mexico

Community in Taos County · population 1,979 (2020 Census)

Median home: $603,500
Household income: $62,348
Jan low / Jul high: 12° / 87°
Snow a year: 28 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 60.1

Arroyo Seco is a community of 1,979 people in Taos County, New Mexico. The median home is worth $603,500, above the typical New Mexico town ($187,400). It ranks hipper than 100% of New Mexico towns, better for a vacation home than 100% of New Mexico towns, more of a college town than 97% of New Mexico towns.

How Arroyo Seco ranks

Percentile among New Mexico towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of New Mexico towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Arroyo Seco is worth $603,500, above the typical New Mexico town ($187,400). Homes cost about 9.7 times the median household income of $62,348, which is more affordable than 1% of New Mexico towns. Median rent is $1,634 a month. 76.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of New Mexico towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Arroyo Seco	Typical New Mexico town
Median home value	$603,500	$187,400
Median rent	$1,634	$916
Median household income	$62,348	$55,614
Home value ÷ income	9.7×	3.2×
Homeownership	76.9%	80.1%
Median year built	1985	1984
Seasonal / vacation homes	8.0%	—

Who lives in Arroyo Seco

People	Arroyo Seco	Typical New Mexico town
Median age	60.1	39.9
Age 65 and over	41.2%	19.1%
Under 18	6.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.7%	18.7%
Below the poverty line	9.0%	18.0%
Veterans	10.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	19.5%	8.3%
Average commute	22.9 min	24.4 min
Homes with broadband	93.8%	82.9%

Weather in Arroyo Seco

July highs average 86.5°F and January lows 12.2°F. About 12.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 28.4 inches of snow (typical New Mexico town: 10.7 in). Expect about 23 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 183 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Taos station (9.1 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Arroyo Seco since 1950.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.50 inches on August 22, 1961.

Severe weather in Taos County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Taos County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Taos County has been included in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4529: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3460: Covid-19
October 29, 2013	Flood	DR-4152: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides
March 24, 2011	Severe Storm	DR-1962: Severe Winter Storm And Extreme Cold Temperatures
August 30, 2006	Severe Storm	DR-1659: Severe Storms And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Taos County

Taos County had 11,075 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $45,377 a year. Unemployment was 4.4% in 2023; in Arroyo Seco itself the ACS puts it at 4.5%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Arroyo Seco

2 public schools with 290 students, about 10.7 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
ANANSI CHARTER SCHOOL (charter)	K-8	197	11.6
ARROYO DEL NORTE ELEMENTARY	K-5	93	9.3

Towns near Arroyo Seco

Taos Pueblo, NM
4.1 mi · 1,196 people · home $371,600
Taos, NM
9.3 mi · 6,474 people · home $445,900
Ranchos de Taos, NM
11.1 mi · 2,707 people · home $349,700
Talpa, NM
12.5 mi · 960 people · home $387,300
Questa, NM
13.2 mi · 1,742 people · home $233,500
Red River, NM
16.0 mi · 542 people · home $427,500
Angel Fire, NM
20.7 mi · 1,192 people · home $546,800
Dixon, NM
29.1 mi · 938 people · home $392,700

Arroyo Seco questions

Is Arroyo Seco, New Mexico a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Arroyo Seco scores better for retirees than 87% of New Mexico towns and quieter than 86%. 41.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 60.1).

How much does a house cost in Arroyo Seco?

The median owner-occupied home in Arroyo Seco is valued at $603,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $62,348, so homes cost about 9.7 times income. Median rent is $1,634 a month.

What is the weather like in Arroyo Seco?

July highs average 86.5°F and January lows 12.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 12.7 inches of precipitation a year and 28.4 inches of snow.

Does Arroyo Seco get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Arroyo Seco in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Arroyo Seco's Census boundary (GEOID 3505150). Comparisons use the median of New Mexico towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.