City safety & data profile

PortalesNM

Portales, NM is a 12K-resident city in Roosevelt County with a median household income of $50,555.

Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Portales, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Portales has a population larger than 13% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $133,400, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

12K
Population
Top 87%
By size
$50,555
Median income
$133,400
Median home
28.1%
Poverty rate

The read on Portales

Portales posts a median household income higher than 10% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Portales area.

Top 90%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Portales

Where Portales income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$50,555 Bottom 10% higher than 10% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. NM $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Portales, NM beyond the headline numbers

Portales sits inside Roosevelt County, New Mexico, at roughly 34.19°N, -103.33°W. Population 11,995, $50,555 median household income. Median home value $133,400, median rent $903. Poverty rate 28.1%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Portales's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 35.5%, then obesity at 31.7%. 1 hospital in/around Portales, 0 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Portales from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
11,995
Portales
Median Income
$50,555
-26% vs avg
Median Home Value
$133,400
-41% vs avg
Median Age
27.1
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Roosevelt County) - Portales's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
19K-5%
Median Income
$52,685+36%
Median Home Value
$135,800+22%
Poverty Rate
21.8%-14%
Unemployment
5.2%-49%

Economics

Economics indicators for Portales, NM
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$903/mo
Poverty Rate
28.1% +98% vs avg
Unemployment 7.1%
Bachelor's Degree+ 25.4%
Work From Home 3.7%
Public Transit 0%

Population

White 60.2%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.9%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
35.5%
Obesity
31.7%
High Blood Pressure
28.3%
Physical Inactivity
25.4%
Frequent Mental Distress
18.5%
Lack of Health Insurance
15.7%
Binge Drinking
15.5%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.1%
Current Smoking
12.5%
Diabetes
10.2%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 59%
Annual Checkup 63.9%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
10.1%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.6%
Stroke
3%

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Portales, NM? ▼
Portales, NM has a population of 11,995 people, located in Roosevelt County, New Mexico.
What is the median household income in Portales? ▼
The median household income in Portales, NM is $50,555 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 28.1%.
What is the median home value in Portales? ▼
The median home value in Portales, NM is $133,400. Median rent is $903/month.
What are the top health concerns in Portales? ▼
The top health indicators in Portales include Short Sleep Duration (35.5%), Obesity (31.7%), High Blood Pressure (28.3%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Portales? ▼
Portales has 1 hospital. 0 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Portales? ▼
The median age in Portales, NM is 27.1 years. 25.4% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Portales, NM is located in Roosevelt County, New Mexico. With a population of 12K and a $50,555 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital. Safety alerts for the Portales area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - New Mexico

Real-time AQI for every monitored New Mexico location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Clovis, NM 39K Hereford, TX 15K Levelland, TX 14K Lovington, NM 12K Roswell, NM 49K Hobbs, NM 38K Lubbock, TX 249K Canyon, TX 15K
All cities in New Mexico → Compare Portales vs Clovis → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Portales's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Portales area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Portales against New Mexico peers on any ranking lens. Explore New Mexico

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Roosevelt County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.