Lake Arthur, NM · standard
ZIP Code 88253
Chaves County, New Mexico - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 935
- 2/sq mi Low-density area
- $85,813
- Median income Above-median income area
- $168,300
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 29.3%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Lake Arthur pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 31%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 34th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 2
- people per sq mi
- 68%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 88253 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 88253 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Lake Arthur, Chaves County, New Mexico, home to just 935 residents across 492.1 square miles, a density of 2 people per square mile, in the Denver time zone.
ZIP 88253 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $85,813 (45% above the average New Mexico ZIP), while per-capita income is $39,053. The poverty rate is 8.0%, with unemployment at 8.0%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $168,300 (22% below the average New Mexico ZIP), and median rent is $1,079; owner occupancy is 67.9%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 29.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 34, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 1 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 4 more in Chaves County, so 88253 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 88253, Lake Arthur, NM · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
935
Population
492.1
Area (sq mi)
2
People / sq mi
Denver
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 88253?
34.0
Median Age
48.3%
Male
51.7%
Female
7.4%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$85,813
Median Household Income
+45% vs state ZIP avg
$39,053
Per Capita Income
8.0%
Poverty Rate
8.0%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 88253 ranks among New Mexico ZIPs
Lake Arthur, NM household income vs. every New Mexico ZIP code
Median household income among 265 reporting New Mexico ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$85,813 Top 12% higher than 88% of 265 New Mexico ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more New Mexico ZIPs. 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, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
360housing units
360
Total Housing Units
315
Occupied Units
45
Vacant Units
2.86
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$168,300
Median Home Value
-22% vs state ZIP avg
$1,079
Median Rent
1993
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 7 business establishments in ZIP 88253, employing approximately 11 people with a combined annual payroll of $1,971,000.
7
Businesses
11
Employees
$2.0M
Annual Payroll
0
Industry Sectors
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 88253 vs 88232 →
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88232 | Hagerman, NM | 2,525 | 6.5 mi |
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 88253, both outside NM so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Chaves County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 88253 in?
ZIP code 88253 (Lake Arthur) is located in Chaves County, New Mexico. Chaves County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/chaves-nm.
What is the population of ZIP code 88253?
ZIP code 88253 in Lake Arthur, NM has a population of 935 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 88253?
The median household income in ZIP 88253 is $85,813, which is 12% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 88253?
The median home value in ZIP 88253 is $168,300, which is 39% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 88253?
The largest racial group in ZIP 88253 is White at 43.6%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 45.4% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 88253?
ZIP code 88253 has 7 business establishments employing approximately 11 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 88253?
In ZIP code 88253, 62.6% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 29.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 88253?
In ZIP code 88253, approximately 67.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 32.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 88253?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 88253 is 8.0% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
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What to do with ZIP 88253's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 88253 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Lake Arthur, NM ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.