New Mexico · Census place 12150
Carlsbad, NM population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico (Carlsbad, NM — Census place “Carlsbad city”) is 31,813 residents, ranking #10 of 527 places in New Mexico. Median household income is $78,277, the median home is worth $187,900 and median gross rent runs $1,206 a month. Looking for the Carlsbad New Mexico ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Carlsbad, NM: 88220.
- Population
- 31,813Carlsbad city residents
- Median household income
- $78,277Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $187,900Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $1,206Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 37.4 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 71.9%Owner-occupied households
Carlsbad ZIP codes (New Mexico)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Carlsbad.
The Carlsbad NM ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Carlsbad city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Carlsbad city median would spend about 18.5% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 2.4× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 13% of residents and 71.9% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Carlsbad city, NM in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Carlsbad city is a small city in New Mexico, with 31,813 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #10 of 527 ranked by population — larger than 98% of them. The median age here is 37.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.
Households in Carlsbad city earn a median of $78,277 a year, essentially level with the national figure of $78,538 and 45% above the $54,029 median for the 153 New Mexico cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 13% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Carlsbad city is valued at $187,900, 38.1% below the national figure and within a couple of points of the $190,000 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,206 a month, 14.2% below the national figure, or roughly $14,472 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 18.5% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 2.4×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so purchase prices are unusually low against local pay, the pattern in places where supply is plentiful and wage growth has been flat. 71.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.
No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in New Mexico.
- Alamogordo city 31,063
- South Valley CDP 36,605
- Gallup city 21,333
- Clovis city 38,153
- Los Lunas village 17,932
- Hobbs city 39,887
- Sunland Park city 17,085
- Farmington city 46,339
Keep going
More New Mexico coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Carlsbad city?
- Carlsbad city has 31,813 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #10 of 527 in New Mexico.
- What is the median household income in Carlsbad city?
- Median household income in Carlsbad city is $78,277 a year, essentially level with the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Carlsbad city?
- Median gross rent is $1,206 a month and the median home value is $187,900, so rent absorbs about 18.5% of median household income.
- Is Carlsbad city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 2.4× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Carlsbad city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.5% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Carlsbad city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.