Living in Gallup, New Mexico: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.1% below the U.S. average in the parts of New Mexico outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood273 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 13.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 46.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town15 public schools: 7 elementary, 3 middle, 4 high schools and 1 other.
A hospital close byGallup Indian Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPhoenix is about 233 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Gallup meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Worth a closer look

Gallup has lost about 8% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $165,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 17%McKinley County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $927 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $58,303U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 52%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,696 a yearNew Mexico: $1,731
Homes built before 1940: 4%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.9U.S. average = 100 (the parts of New Mexico outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 17% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of New Mexico outside metro areas, not Gallup alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 19,9692020: 21,792
Median age: 34.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 30%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 24%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (36%); retail (15%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (13%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 21 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 27%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Gallup Indian Medical Center, Gallup, NM, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

15 public schools in Gallup, run by Gallup and Hozho Academy.

Colleges in or next to town: University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on New Mexico's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 65%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 87%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 16°F
July average high: 87°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 29 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 166 a year
Rain and melted snow: 12.5 inches a year
Snow: 21 inches a year
Elevation: 6,657 feet

Weather station: Gallup Sand & Gravel (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Rio Rancho, NMCity of 114,000116

Phoenix, AZMetro of 5.2 million233

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Rio Rancho, Phoenix.

McKinley County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 5, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

16 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Gallup Commercial Historic District and Halona Pueblo.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Chaco Culture National Historical Park37 miles
El Morro National Monument39 miles
Canyon de Chelly National Monument44 miles
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site47 miles
El Malpais National Monument50 miles

Read about Gallup's history on Wikipedia.

Know Gallup?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Fort Defiance, AZ3,400 people, 24 miles
Zuni Pueblo, NM5,900 people, 31 miles
Crownpoint, NM2,900 people, 36 miles
Milan, NM2,500 people, 53 miles
Grants, NM8,900 people, 57 miles
Chinle, AZ4,100 people, 64 miles

Smaller places

Catalpa Canyon, NM (unincorporated)302 people, 2 miles
Gamerco, NM (unincorporated)1,176 people, 4 miles
White Cliffs, NM (unincorporated)581 people, 5 miles
Sundance, NM (unincorporated)585 people, 6 miles
Crestview, NM (unincorporated)580 people, 7 miles
Williams Acres, NM (unincorporated)643 people, 7 miles
Yah-ta-hey, NM (unincorporated)507 people, 8 miles
Purty Rock, NM (unincorporated)133 people, 9 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.