White Sands is a city of 1,609 people in New Mexico. This skews young, with a median age of 22.5. 0% of homes are owner-occupied. 68% were living in the same home a year earlier. Getting to work takes 11 minutes on average. That is roughly 40% ahead of the New Mexico median.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $89,565, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 22.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
45% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Renter-heavy
0% owner-occupied
US average: 65%
Unique to this place
What stands out about White Sands
What changed most since 1990
Population2,616 → 1,609(−38%)US over the same years: +35%
Hispanic share15.7% → 11.2%(−4.5 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Black share14.3% → 3.0%(−11.3 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)89.1%(82)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)57.6%(53)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era0%(0)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0%(0)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 92 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
White Sands, decade by decade
White Sands population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
2,616
$60,823
$316,809
19.1%
65.0
2000
1,323
$79,242
$136,624
41.0%
70.7
2010
1,651
$70,326
–
28.0%
72.8
2020
926
$77,105
–
28.6%
75.0
2024
1,609
$89,565
–
45.3%
68.3
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
