City of Belen, The Hub City

Demographics and Statistics

The following data is from the US Census Bureau 2008 Census estimates. The data is for the 87002 zip code  which consists of Belen and the surrounding area.

 

Quick Stats about Belen

  • The population of Belen is approximately 7,159 (2008).
  • The approximate number of families is 2,622 (1990).
  • The amount of land area in Belen is 10.773 sq. kilometers.
  • The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
  • The Public Service Company of NM (PNM) provides power to Valencia County over a 115kV and a 46kV transmission lines.
  • PNM also has provided natural gas to the county for more than 40 years.
  • Qwest provides phone service and DSL while Comcast provides cable television and broadband internet. 

Location

Belen is located in Central New Mexico 32 miles South of Albuquerque. Rio Communities is three miles east of Belen and Tierra Grande is seven miles southeast of Rio Communities. Los Lunas is 10 miles north of Belen along US Hwy 85, and south from Belen along I-25 is Socorro.

The distance from Belen to Washington DC is 1760 miles. The distance to the New Mexico state capital is 85 miles.

Belen is positioned 34.65 degrees north of the equator and 106.77 degrees west of the prime meridian. Belen’s elevation is 4,800 feet above sea level.

Geography

Geography Belen is in the Rio Grande valley west of the Manzano Mountains.  Mesas boarder the west side of Belen and stretches into Socorro County.

Climate & Weather

In Belen the sun shines nearly 80% of the time. In the Winter daytime highs average in the low 50's while night time lows average in the low 20's. In the summer the daytime average is around 95 with average night time low in the 60's.

The last expected frost is mid to late April. While the first frost is expected in late October.

Belen's average annual precipitation is 7.15 inches per year. The average annual humidity is 43%.

Labor

Belen’s close proximity to Albuquerque allows it to draw from the largest labor pool in New Mexico. To learn more about the current labor statistics in Valencia County visit the Greater Belen Economic Development site.

Business Incentives

There are a lot incentives available for business looking to relocate to New Mexico. The Greater Belen Economic Development has the latest information for those companies. The original and oldest industry in Belen is the railroad. Belen is headquarters for the District office of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.