Census-designated place Thoreau is a census-designated place in New Mexico, in McKinley County. A census-designated place is an unincorporated community that the Census Bureau defines for statistics; it has no city government of its own.
The Census Bureau does not publish a reliable median property tax bill for Thoreau. The median home value was $52,900 (± $8,614), compared with $232,200 in New Mexico and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Thoreau | New Mexico | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,795 ± 314 | 2,114,768 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | Too imprecise to report (estimate $438, margin of error ± $323) | $1,669 ± $21 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $52,900 ± $8,614 | $232,200 ± $1,548 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $43,953 ± $7,370 | $62,125 ± $608 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | Too imprecise to report (estimate 0.83%, margin of error ± 0.63 points) | 0.72% ± 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 90.8% ± 6.0 points | 69.3% ± 0.4 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 35.4% ± 12.4 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 35% of the estimate | 36.8% ± 0.3 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | Too imprecise to report (estimate 7.5%, margin of error ± 7.9 points) | 20.6% ± 0.5 points | 22.2% ± 0.1 points |
How to read these numbers
- These are estimates from a survey, not a count. The American Community Survey asks a sample of households. The ± figure is the Census Bureau’s margin of error: the true value is very likely within that range of the estimate. Small places have large margins.
- “Too imprecise to report” means the margin of error is at least half of the estimate, so printing the number would suggest accuracy that does not exist. A “rough guide only” note means the margin is a quarter to a half of the estimate.
- Property tax bill and home value are medians for owner-occupied homes. Half of the homes are above the figure and half below. A median bill is not the rate set by a city or town; the bill combines taxes levied by every local government that serves the home, such as the school district and county.
- “Calculated” rows are worked out by Untax the Roof from the Census figures above them. They compare two medians, so they describe the place, not a particular household.
- Missing is not zero. Where the Census Bureau publishes no figure, this page says so.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2019–2023: tables B25103 (real estate taxes), B25077 (home value), B19013 (household income), B01003 (population), B25003 (owners and renters), B25007 (age of householder), B25091 (housing costs as a share of income); see the Census ACS data page.
If property taxes go unpaid in New Mexico
How it works. State Property Tax Division delinquent-real-property public auction; state issues tax deed after sale
Excess sale money. Property Tax Code regulation 3.6.7.80 states when sale proceeds exceed amounts retained by PTD and remitted to county treasurer, department notifies former owners of record of right to claim refund of excess funds under 7-38-71 procedures
These rules are set by New Mexico, not by Thoreau, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full New Mexico entry with statute links.