As of the census of 2000, there were 35,582 people, 13,704 households, and 9,728 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,839.0 inhabitants per square mile (710.0 /km). There were 15,920 housing units at an average density of 822.8 per square mile (317.7 /km). The racial makeup of the city was 75.4% White; Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.0% of the population, with 5.6% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 12.1% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races.
There were 13,704 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
In 1999 the median income for a household in the city was $30,928, and the median income for a family was $35,673. Males had a median income of $28,163 versus $18,860 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,662. About 13.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Alamogordo's July 1, 2007 population was estimated at 35,607 by the United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program.
Three U.S. highways pass through Alamogordo:
U.S. Route 54 enters Alamogordo from the south and merges with U.S. Route 70 which enters the city from the southwest. The terminus for U.S. Route 82 is in Alamogordo and begins where U.S. Route 54 and U.S. Route 70 merge at the southern end of the city. North of Alamogordo, U.S. Route 82 diverges from the still merged U.S. Route 54 and U.S. Route 70. At this point, U.S. Route 82 turns east into the Sacramento Mountains and the Lincoln National Forest, while U.S. Route 54 and U.S. Route 70 continue north several more miles until they diverge in the neighboring village of Tularosa.
U.S. Route 54 / U.S. Route 70 splits into a business route (White Sands Boulevard) running through the city and a bypass route (Charlie T. Lee Memorial Relief Route) running west of the city.
Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport is the municipal airport serving the Alamogordo area. It is primarily used for general aviation. There is also scheduled commercial service from New Mexico Airlines, operating under a subsidy from the Essential Air Service program.
Greyhound Lines offers intercity bus service to Alamogordo. There are two taxi companies. Z-Trans is the mass transit system, providing paratransit and scheduled service within the city center and to White Sands Mall, Holloman Air Force Base and Inn of the Mountain Gods, a casino in Mescalero. Z-Trans is unusual in that it is privately-owned (by Zia Therapy Center, a non-profit), although it does get some local and state subsidies.
Alamogordo is building a network of bike routes and walking routes. More information and maps are in the Alamogordo Comprehensive Plan. The New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association operates a Rails to Trails project to convert old railroad beds to walking trails. Its trail system in Otero County, the Cloud Climbing Rail Trail, will eventually surround Alamogordo. Otero Walkability Advocacy Group (formerly Alamogordo Walkability Advocacy Group) is a group that works to popularize walking and to make walking safer and more convenient.
Electric power and natural gas are supplied within the city by PNM Resources. PNM also provides electrical power in the Tularosa Basin, while Otero County Electric Cooperative, a member of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, serves the mountain and rural areas. The natural gas service generally does not go outside the city limits, and houses in rural areas use LP gas from house tanks, although this is not always the case.
Alamogordo has a dark sky ordinance that is intended to reduce the amount of light pollution in the night skies. City streetlights are high-pressure sodium vapor lamps. Alamogordo's dark sky ordinance is a result of the two sun and night sky observatories situated above Alamogordo in the Sacramento Mountains.
City of Alamogordo operates the water system within the city limits. Rural houses have individual wells. The city system includes a sewage treatment plant to reclaim the sewer water. The reclaimed water is used to water Desert Lakes Golf Course and city parks and is sold to construction companies for dust control.
Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center is a private not-for-profit 99-bed general hospital that serves the Alamogordo area. The hospital is a shared military/civilian facility that is also the hospital for nearby Holloman Air Force Base.
The Otero County Community Health Council prepares a detailed health profile each year with many facts and figures about health in Otero County. Otero County is ranked in the middle of most health rankings within the state. New Mexico is near the bottom of most national rankings, for example it was 38th in the United Health Foundation 2007 report, but has been slowly improving (it was 40th in 2005). One survey where New Mexico did well is in a book by Norman D. Ford ranking the 50 healthiest places to live and retire in the US, where 6 of the 50 places are in New Mexico. Alamogordo is one of the 50 places, and civic boosters such as the Chamber of Commerce publicize this ranking. The reason for the discrepancy seems to be that most health rankings are based on healthiness of the population, and Ford's book is based on the number of health-promoting features in the community.