Most working residents leave Ruidoso Downs for work: only 12% work in town. The top destinations are Ruidoso (35%), Albuquerque (8%) and Roswell (5%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

12%work in town

Where working residents work

In Ruidoso Downs12%

Ruidoso35%

Albuquerque8%

Roswell5%

Capitan2%

6 mi

median commute distance

748

jobs based in Ruidoso Downs

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →

Housing

A typical Ruidoso Downs home is worth about $223K

The typical Ruidoso Downs home is worth about $223,000, down 0.7% in a year, 30% below the New Mexico typical home.

$223KZillow home value

Typical home value

Ruidoso Downs$223K

New Mexico$318K

−0.7%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Natural hazards

Very high risk, with wildfire at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities.

95risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

WildfireInland flooding

paid flood claims since 1982

federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →

Outdoors

8.4% of Ruidoso Downs is conserved land

1.1 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.

8.4%conserved

8.4%

conserved · 204 of 2,418 acres

1.1 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

#28

most conserved land in NM

#36

most walkable in NM

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. All American Park	0.3 mi	9

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →

Health

Healthier than 42% of U.S. towns

Ruidoso Downs beats the New Mexico average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.

C+Health Grade

32 measures vs. New Mexico

1 better30 too close to call1 worse

What stands out	Ruidoso Downs	NM
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	11.2%	14.2%
Fewer adults seeing a dentist	56.7%	61.4%

Lincoln County Medical Center

2 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

58th

percentile among NM towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →

Climate

Four seasons, pleasant summers

Ruidoso Downs has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

26″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–51°

Spring34–66°

Summer51–82°

Fall35–67°

Oct 5

typical first frost

May 11

typical last frost

+1.8°

vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →

2010 · Heading towards Capitan · Wikimedia Commons

Ruidoso Downs’s story

Ruidoso Downs in pictures

2 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.

2004NMMap-doton-RuidosoDowns
2010Heading towards Capitan

Explore the history →

About Ruidoso Downs

City in New Mexico, United States

Official town website ↗

Ruidoso Downs is a city in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, located within the Lincoln National Forest. As of the 2020 census, Ruidoso Downs had a population of 2,620. Originally incorporated as a village, it became a city in May 2002. Known locally as "the Downs", Ruidoso Downs is a municipality separate from the Village of Ruidoso and is adjacent to the Village of Ruidoso Ruidoso. The city, located along U.S. Route 70, is named after the Ruidoso Downs Race Track, which is located in the city along with the Billy the Kid Casino. The city is home to the Hubbard Museum of the American West.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)