IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Best small towns to live in New Mexico
The 25 New Mexico small towns with the best mix of affordability, safety, schools and jobs, picked from 57 real small towns of 1,000 to 15,000 people — not suburbs.
- 1White Rock, NM Score 81/100
5,716 people · typical home $501k · household income $157k · 61 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 4% of NM · 0.0% unemployment · 6 mi to a hospital
- 2Los Alamos, NM Score 78/100
13,317 people · typical home $502k · household income $141k · 61 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 4% of NM · 1.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
- 3Santa Rosa, NM Score 77/100
2,462 people · typical home $112k · household income $49k · schools in the top 29% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
- 4Capitan, NM Score 70/100
1,191 people · typical home $112k · household income $53k · schools in the top 34% of NM · 6.0% unemployment · 14 mi to a hospital
- 5Little Walnut Village, NM Score 68/100
1,445 people · typical home $293k · household income $125k · 409 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 35% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 15 mi to a hospital
- 6Clayton, NM Score 66/100
2,753 people · typical home $111k · household income $35k · 79 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 23% of NM · 9.0% unemployment · 12 mi to a hospital
- 7Atoka, NM Score 65/100
1,347 people · typical home $116k · household income $84k · 525 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 40% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 10 mi to a hospital
- 8La Villita, NM Score 62/100
1,534 people · typical home $254k · household income $104k · schools in the top 66% of NM · 1.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
- 9Estancia, NM Score 62/100
1,432 people · typical home $99k · household income $54k · 219 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 44% of NM · 31.0% unemployment · 36 mi to a hospital
- 10Tucumcari, NM Score 61/100
5,160 people · typical home $64k · household income $32k · schools in the top 63% of NM · 11.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
- 11Iyanbito, NM Score 60/100
1,233 people · typical home $64k · household income $53k · 488 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 11% of NM · 14.0% unemployment · 15 mi to a hospital
- 12Raton, NM Score 60/100
6,026 people · typical home $134k · household income $53k · 483 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 53% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
- 13Portales, NM Score 60/100
11,968 people · typical home $133k · household income $51k · schools in the top 43% of NM · 7.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
- 14Springer, NM Score 60/100
1,017 people · typical home $87k · household income $50k · 483 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 45% of NM · 3.0% unemployment · 31 mi to a hospital
- 15Socorro, NM Score 58/100
8,481 people · typical home $153k · household income $39k · 99 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 69% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 13 mi to a hospital
- 16Lovington, NM Score 58/100
11,498 people · typical home $166k · household income $69k · 363 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 72% of NM · 7.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
- 17Artesia, NM Score 58/100
12,576 people · typical home $229k · household income $75k · 411 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 40% of NM · 6.0% unemployment · 13 mi to a hospital
- 18Crownpoint, NM Score 57/100
2,882 people · typical home $61k · household income $51k · 488 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 73% of NM · 7.0% unemployment · 6 mi to a hospital
- 19Ruidoso, NM Score 56/100
7,699 people · typical home $244k · household income $53k · schools in the top 42% of NM · 3.0% unemployment · 0 mi to a hospital
- 20Angel Fire, NM Score 55/100
1,111 people · typical home $547k · household income $108k · 483 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 33% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 10 mi to a hospital
- 21Elephant Butte, NM Score 54/100
1,790 people · typical home $177k · household income $53k · 183 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 64% of NM · 5.0% unemployment · 53 mi to a hospital
- 22Truth or Consequences, NM Score 54/100
6,019 people · typical home $125k · household income $34k · 185 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 64% of NM · 2.0% unemployment · 49 mi to a hospital
- 23Grants, NM Score 54/100
8,951 people · typical home $137k · household income $47k · 63 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 82% of NM · 6.0% unemployment · 11 mi to a hospital
- 24Lordsburg, NM Score 53/100
2,057 people · typical home $86k · household income $37k · 430 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 76% of NM · 4.0% unemployment · 26 mi to a hospital
- 25Mountainair, NM Score 53/100
1,178 people · typical home $95k · household income $43k · 219 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 75% of NM · 10.0% unemployment · 40 mi to a hospital
How we ranked them
Every small town in New Mexico with 1,000–15,000 people that stands on its own (not part of a big metro core, by USDA rural-urban codes) and has solid Census data. Each town is scored against the others in New Mexico on: affordability (household income vs. home prices), safety (violent crime, FBI), schools (reading proficiency vs. other New Mexico districts), jobs (unemployment, half weight) and everyday access (distance to a hospital and a grocery store, quarter weight each). Missing numbers count as average.
The "best" town is different for everyone — weather, size, politics, things to do and more all matter too.
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