
New Mexico · Census place 39030
La Plata, NM population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of La Plata, New Mexico (La Plata, NM — Census place “La Plata CDP”) is 2,185 residents, ranking #83 of 527 places in New Mexico. Median household income is $54,801, the median home is worth $187,000 and median gross rent runs $1,000 a month. Looking for the La Plata New Mexico ZIP code list? 2 ZIP codes serve La Plata, NM: 87401, 87418.
- Population
- 2,185La Plata CDP residents
- Median household income
- $54,801Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $187,000Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $1,000Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 45.4 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 82.6%Owner-occupied households
La Plata ZIP codes (New Mexico)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps La Plata.
The La Plata NM ZIP code list below covers 2 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in La Plata CDP
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the La Plata CDP median would spend about 21.9% 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 3.4× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 23.1% of residents and 82.6% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
La Plata CDP, NM in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
La Plata CDP is a small town in New Mexico, with 2,185 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #83 of 527 ranked by population — larger than 84% of them. The median age here is 45.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a markedly older profile that usually tracks retirees staying put and younger households leaving for work. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.
Households in La Plata CDP earn a median of $54,801 a year, 30.2% below the national figure of $78,538 and within a couple of points of the $54,029 median for the 153 New Mexico cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 23.1% of residents here, well above the 12.4% national rate, which is the single clearest signal in this dataset that median income here is carried by a narrow band of households.
The typical owner-occupied home in La Plata CDP is valued at $187,000, 38.4% below the national figure and within a couple of points of the $190,000 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,000 a month, 28.9% below the national figure, or roughly $12,000 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 21.9% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.4×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 82.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, an owner-dominated market where rental listings are scarce and rent medians rest on a thin sample. 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.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. 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.
- San Ysidro CDP 2,179
- Flora Vista CDP 2,215
- Santo Domingo Pueblo CDP 2,162
- Valencia CDP (Valencia County) 2,219
- Lordsburg city 2,139
- Jemez Pueblo CDP 2,273
- Navajo CDP 2,133
- Pojoaque CDP 2,274
Keep going
More New Mexico coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of La Plata CDP?
- La Plata CDP has 2,185 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #83 of 527 in New Mexico.
- What is the median household income in La Plata CDP?
- Median household income in La Plata CDP is $54,801 a year, 30.2% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in La Plata CDP?
- Median gross rent is $1,000 a month and the median home value is $187,000, so rent absorbs about 21.9% of median household income.
- Is La Plata CDP affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.4× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so La Plata CDP is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 21.9% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this La Plata CDP data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.