The Garcia Opera House, at Terry Ave. and California St. in Socorro, New Mexico was built in 1886. Its owner hoped to attract opera, but there is no record of any traveling opera company stopping.

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18 on the National Register · #4 in NMHistoric places →

Know Socorro

The town at a glance, and the guide to how things work

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About Socorro

City in New Mexico, United States

1598Established

8,707Population

14.4 sq miArea

4,603 ftElevation

Socorro (, sə-KOR-oh) is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of 4,579 feet (1,396 m). At the 2020 census, the population was 8,707. It is the county seat of Socorro County. Socorro is located 74 miles (119 km) south of Albuquerque and 146 miles (235 km) north of Las Cruces. The instruments used by the LINEAR program are located at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site (ETS) on the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) near Socorro, New Mexico.

Official town website ↗

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

How Socorro ranks

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#3Most trails in NM #5Shortest commute in NM #10Cheapest rent in NM All NM rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code87801

Area code575

Living in Socorro

Housing in Socorro

$199K▲ 2.7% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Socorro home is worth about $199,000, up 2.7% in a year, 37% below the New Mexico typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Work & commute in Socorro

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49% of Socorro’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Albuquerque (18%), Lemitar (2%) and Las Cruces (2%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Albuquerque

18%

Lemitar

Las Cruces

Los Lunas

49%Work in townlive and work in Socorro 5 miWhere do people commute?the commute map 3,310Jobs based herebalanced

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSWork & commute in Socorro →

Health in Socorro

C⁺

Health Grade C+

Healthier than 44% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates, and 93% of towns with similar incomes.

Compared with New Mexico

2better than NM·2worse

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 28 are too close to call.

Conditions 2▲ 10 close Habits all close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind all close Everyday needs all close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

6%Fewer adults who have had cancerNM 7.4% · better 21.9%Fewer adults with arthritisNM 25.6% · better 56.6%Fewer adults seeing a dentistNM 61.4% · worse

Care nearby

Socorro General HospitalSocorro · 0.8 mi · ER · rural critical access

Pms-Socorro Comm Health CenterSocorro · 1.5 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Socorro · CMS · HRSAHealth in Socorro →

Natural hazards in Socorro

Very high

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities.

🌊 Inland flooding🏚️ Earthquakes

2Does Socorro flood?paid flood claims since 1999 2Disasters that paid out herefederal disasters sent FEMA money to Socorro

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025 · OpenFEMANatural hazards in Socorro →

Climate in Socorro

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Socorro has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

56° / 23°Winter

77° / 39°Spring

94° / 59°Summer

75° / 40°Fall

How much snow does Socorro get?About 2 inches a winter.Rain & snow →When is the first frost?Around Oct 25, with the last in spring around Apr 16.Frost dates →Is it warmer than it used to be?+2.2° vs. the 20th century.Then & now →

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Climate in Socorro →

Schools in Socorro

All Socorro schools →

B⁻

School Grade B-

The public schools Socorro’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 51% of New Mexico’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

#9Best public schoolsof 47 in NM

DistrictSOCORROSchools4

Parkview ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 382 students Cottonwood Valley CharterElementary · Grades K–8 · 170 students R. Sarracino MiddleMiddle · Grades 6–8 · 221 students Socorro High B+High · Grades 9–12 · 378 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within NM. Ratings are from neighbors.