
New Mexico · Census place 81590
Vado, NM population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Vado, New Mexico (Vado, NM — Census place “Vado CDP”) is 3,185 residents, ranking #59 of 527 places in New Mexico. Median household income is $29,844, the median home is worth $108,300 and median gross rent runs $545 a month. Looking for the Vado New Mexico ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Vado, NM: 88072.
- Population
- 3,185Vado CDP residents
- Median household income
- $29,844Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $108,300Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $545Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 26.4 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 71.4%Owner-occupied households
Vado ZIP codes (New Mexico)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Vado.
The Vado 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 Vado CDP
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Vado 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 3.6× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 35.7% of residents and 71.4% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Vado CDP, NM in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Vado CDP is a small town in New Mexico, with 3,185 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #59 of 527 ranked by population — larger than 88% of them. The median age here is 26.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a distinctly younger profile, typical of places with students, military posts or a fast-growing family population. 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 Vado CDP earn a median of $29,844 a year, 62% below the national figure of $78,538 and 45% below 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 35.7% 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 Vado CDP is valued at $108,300, 64.3% below the national figure and 43% below the $190,000 peer median, while median gross rent runs $545 a month, 61.2% below the national figure, or roughly $6,540 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 3.6×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 71.4% 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.
A median age of 26.4 means a large student or early-career population; income medians in places like this understate household resources, since many residents are supported from outside the address.
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.
- El Cerro CDP 3,093
- Peralta town 3,385
- Sandia Heights CDP 3,083
- Kirtland AFB CDP 3,421
- Eunice city 2,989
- La Cienega CDP 3,780
- Crownpoint CDP 2,924
- Meadow Lake CDP 3,959
Keep going
More New Mexico coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Vado CDP?
- Vado CDP has 3,185 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #59 of 527 in New Mexico.
- What is the median household income in Vado CDP?
- Median household income in Vado CDP is $29,844 a year, 62% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Vado CDP?
- Median gross rent is $545 a month and the median home value is $108,300, so rent absorbs about 21.9% of median household income.
- Is Vado CDP affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Vado 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 Vado 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.