Town guide

Tatum, New Mexico

Tatum is a town in Lea County, New Mexico, home to about 598 people across 1.6 square miles. Its ZIP code is 88267.

Population598376 per sq mi
Median home value$111,200Census, as estimated by owners

ZIP codes in Tatum

1 ZIP code

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Around Tatum

Distances

Nearest major airportEl Paso International Airport (ELP)204 miles away
Closer regional airportLea County Regional Airport (HOB)40 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Lubbock, TX85 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+Dallas, TX380 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Tatum; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population over time

Tatum had 706 residents in the 2020 census, up 3% since 2000.

It’s the 218th largest of 494 towns in New Mexico by population.

Lea County grew from 3,545 residents in 1920 to 74,455 in 2020.

Tatum population by census2000: 683, 2010: 798, 2020: 706683200079820107062020

Lea County, 1920–2020

Lea County population, 1920 to 20201920: 3,545, 1930: 6,144, 1940: 21,154, 1950: 30,717, 1960: 53,429, 1970: 49,554, 1980: 55,993, 1990: 55,765, 2000: 55,511, 2010: 64,727, 2020: 74,4554K’20’3021K’40’5053K’60’7056K’80’9056K’00’1074K’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 93°F in summer, and winter lows average 23°F. About 15.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 6 inches of snow.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near TatumJan: high 55°F, low 23°F, 0.5 in; Feb: high 60°F, low 27°F, 0.4 in; Mar: high 67°F, low 33°F, 0.8 in; Apr: high 75°F, low 40°F, 0.7 in; May: high 84°F, low 50°F, 1.9 in; Jun: high 92°F, low 60°F, 1.7 in; Jul: high 93°F, low 64°F, 2.2 in; Aug: high 92°F, low 62°F, 2.1 in; Sep: high 84°F, low 55°F, 2.5 in; Oct: high 76°F, low 43°F, 1.2 in; Nov: high 63°F, low 31°F, 0.7 in; Dec: high 55°F, low 25°F, 0.6 in55°23°Jan0.560°27°Feb0.467°33°Mar0.875°40°Apr0.784°50°May1.992°60°Jun1.793°64°Jul2.292°62°Aug2.184°55°Sep2.576°43°Oct1.263°31°Nov0.755°25°Dec0.6Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tatum, NM weather station (3 miles away).

Jobs in Lea County

24,911 jobs at 1,730 businesses in Lea County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Lea CountyMining, oil and gas: 5,033 jobs; Retail trade: 3,396 jobs; Hotels and restaurants: 2,843 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 2,674 jobs; Construction: 2,602 jobs; Transportation and warehousing: 1,820 jobs; Administrative and support: 1,420 jobs; Wholesale trade: 1,239 jobsMining, oil and gas 20% Retail trade 14% Hotels and restaurants 11% Health care and social assistance 11% Construction 10% Transportation and warehousing 7% Administrative and support 6% Wholesale trade 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

1 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Tatum.

Nearest hospitals

  • Nor-Lea Hospital DistrictCritical access hospital · emergency room · Lovington20.5 miles
  • Yoakum County HospitalCritical access hospital · emergency room · Denver City34.2 miles
  • Covenant Health Hobbs HospitalGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Hobbs35.3 miles

Providers with an office here

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants1

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Tatum

Parks (1 nearby)

  • Tatum City Park · 9 acres0.1 mi

Libraries (1 nearby)

  • Tatum Community Library0.2 mi

Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Schools in Tatum

Public schools here are run by Tatum. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (3)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
Tatum ElementaryTatumPre-K–6128Public0.5 mi
Tatum Jr. HighTatum7–853Public0.6 mi
Tatum HighTatum9–12129Public0.6 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Where Tatum is

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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.