Pajarito Mesa is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 579.[3] It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico
Census-designated place
Pajarito Mesa
Coordinates: 34°59′51″N 106°47′50″W
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Bernalillo
Area [1]
• Total	21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
• Land	21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	5,480 ft (1,670 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	260
• Density	12.22/sq mi (4.72/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code	505
FIPS code	35-54940
GNIS feature ID	2584171

Pajarito Mesa is an informal settlement lacking basic services including electricity, running water, and formal roads, and existing largely outside of government regulation.[4] It does not meet the U.S. government definition of a colonia because it is more than 150 miles (240 km) from the U.S.–Mexico border,[5] but otherwise exhibits the same features as a colonia. The mesa was first settled in the 1970s and the population had grown to about 250 families by 2013.[6]

Geography

Pajarito Mesa is located on a mesa between the Rio Grande and Rio Puerco valleys, about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of central Albuquerque.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²), all land.[3]

Demographics

Education

It is zoned to Albuquerque Public Schools.[8]

References