What it's like to live in Clovis
Clovis is a small city in New Mexico with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Clovis deals with household incomes below the national average, a population that has been shrinking, a poverty rate above the national average, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Shrinking population
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Clovis compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Clovis
Based on Clovis's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,976
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,520 a year
- 48% of Clovis renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$33,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $16,940
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 30% below US
$988/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $988 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $169,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $169,400 · 48% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 19% below US
3.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 15% above US
378 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1562/100k · Clovis Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 37% below US
16 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 16.4 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 34% below US
24% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
18 public schools inside the boundary
There are 18 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Clovis's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a population that has been shrinking. A year of median rent ($988/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Clovis
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