El Valle de Arroyo Seco, New Mexico

Community in Santa Fe County · population 1,431 (2020 Census)

Household income: $67,826
Jan low / Jul high: 15° / 88°
Snow a year: 18 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 41.8

El Valle de Arroyo Seco is a community of 1,431 people in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It ranks better for retirees than 73% of New Mexico towns.

How El Valle de 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

87.6% of households own their home.

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

Housing	El Valle de Arroyo Seco	Typical New Mexico town
Median home value	—	$187,400
Median rent	—	$916
Median household income	$67,826	$55,614
Home value ÷ income	—×	3.2×
Homeownership	87.6%	80.1%
Median year built	1984	1984
Seasonal / vacation homes	9.5%	—

Who lives in El Valle de Arroyo Seco

People	El Valle de Arroyo Seco	Typical New Mexico town
Median age	41.8	39.9
Age 65 and over	27.2%	19.1%
Under 18	19.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.0%	18.7%
Below the poverty line	6.5%	18.0%
Veterans	1.3%	—
Born outside the U.S.	10.8%	—
Work from home	19.4%	8.3%
Average commute	26.1 min	24.4 min
Homes with broadband	70.1%	82.9%

Weather in El Valle de Arroyo Seco

July highs average 88.1°F and January lows 15.3°F. About 11.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 18.3 inches of snow (typical New Mexico town: 10.7 in). Expect about 41 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 182 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 Alcalde station (9.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of El Valle de Arroyo Seco since 1950, compared with 3 for the typical New Mexico town. The strongest, an F1, struck on December 26, 1966 about 5.9 miles from the town center. The most recent was on December 26, 1966.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 12 times; the largest was 1.50 inches on June 5, 1978.

Severe weather in Santa Fe County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Santa Fe County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 12 deaths recorded.

Santa Fe 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, 2014	Severe Storm	DR-4199: Severe Storms And Flooding
October 29, 2013	Flood	DR-4152: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3229: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

Jobs and pay in Santa Fe County

Santa Fe County had 61,826 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $61,218 a year. Unemployment was 3.4% in 2023; in El Valle de Arroyo Seco itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

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).

Towns near El Valle de Arroyo Seco

La Mesilla, NM
2.3 mi · 1,844 people · home $315,800
La Puebla, NM
2.8 mi · 1,123 people · home $266,500
Pojoaque, NM
4.0 mi · 2,071 people · home $165,600
Española, NM
4.3 mi · 10,526 people · home $210,800
Santa Clara Pueblo, NM
4.4 mi · 930 people · home $123,900
Nambe, NM
5.0 mi · 1,907 people · home $301,500
El Rancho, NM
5.3 mi · 1,120 people · home $281,400
Chimayo, NM
5.5 mi · 3,077 people · home $227,500

El Valle de Arroyo Seco questions

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

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, El Valle de Arroyo Seco scores better for retirees than 73% of New Mexico towns and quieter than 52%. 27.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 41.8).

What is the weather like in El Valle de Arroyo Seco?

July highs average 88.1°F and January lows 15.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 11.1 inches of precipitation a year and 18.3 inches of snow.

Does El Valle de Arroyo Seco get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of El Valle de Arroyo Seco since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on December 26, 1966. The typical New Mexico town has had 3.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to El Valle de Arroyo Seco's Census boundary (GEOID 3524347). 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.