Hernandez, New Mexico

Community in Rio Arriba County · population 756 (2020 Census)

Median home: $148,200
Household income: $26,923
Jan low / Jul high: 15° / 88°
Snow a year: 11 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 50.4

Hernandez is a community of 756 people in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The median home is worth $148,200, below the typical New Mexico town ($187,400). It ranks better transit than 82% of New Mexico towns, better for young professionals than 76% of New Mexico towns, more of a college town than 75% of New Mexico towns.

How Hernandez 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 Hernandez is worth $148,200, below the typical New Mexico town ($187,400). Homes cost about 5.5 times the median household income of $26,923, which is more affordable than 11% of New Mexico towns. Median rent is $894 a month. 62.1% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Hernandez	Typical New Mexico town
Median home value	$148,200	$187,400
Median rent	$894	$916
Median household income	$26,923	$55,614
Home value ÷ income	5.5×	3.2×
Homeownership	62.1%	80.1%
Median year built	1976	1984
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Hernandez

People	Hernandez	Typical New Mexico town
Median age	50.4	39.9
Age 65 and over	13.9%	19.1%
Under 18	18.3%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	6.1%	18.7%
Below the poverty line	28.1%	18.0%
Veterans	5.7%	—
Born outside the U.S.	7.0%	—
Work from home	9.7%	8.3%
Average commute	27.2 min	24.4 min
Homes with broadband	54.0%	82.9%

Weather in Hernandez

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 10.7 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 (4.2 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

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

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 8 times; the largest was 1.50 inches on June 5, 1978.

Severe weather in Rio Arriba County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Rio Arriba County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Rio Arriba County has been included in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
October 26, 2026	Flood	EM-3660: Severe Storms And Flooding
June 20, 2024	Fire	DR-4795: South Fork Fire, Salt Fire, And Flooding
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4529: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3460: Covid-19
October 6, 2014	Severe Storm	DR-4197: Severe Storms And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Rio Arriba County

Rio Arriba County had 9,291 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $48,908 a year. Unemployment was 3.4% in 2023; in Hernandez itself the ACS puts it at 11.8%.

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 Hernandez

1 public school with 83 students, about 11.9 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
HERNANDEZ ELEMENTARY	K-6	83	11.9

Towns near Hernandez

El Duende, NM
1.1 mi · 573 people · home —
Chamita, NM
1.6 mi · 1,005 people · home $222,300
San Jose, NM
1.7 mi · 670 people · home $254,900
Chili, NM
3.9 mi · 541 people · home $296,300
Ohkay Owingeh, NM
4.1 mi · 1,464 people · home —
Española, NM
4.5 mi · 10,526 people · home $210,800
La Villita, NM
4.6 mi · 999 people · home $253,500
Los Luceros, NM
6.0 mi · 891 people · home —

Hernandez questions

Is Hernandez, New Mexico a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Hernandez scores better for retirees than 42% of New Mexico towns and quieter than 33%. 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 50.4).

How much does a house cost in Hernandez?

The median owner-occupied home in Hernandez is valued at $148,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $26,923, so homes cost about 5.5 times income. Median rent is $894 a month.

What is the weather like in Hernandez?

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 10.7 inches of snow.

Does Hernandez get tornadoes?

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

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Hernandez's Census boundary (GEOID 3532100). 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.