New Mexico’s Safest Cities

See Which New Mexico Cities Made the List

Based on a Population of at least 8k

Methodology: We use a variety of factors to determine these rankings. To see our full methodology, click here.

The Land of Enchantment, New Mexico is known for its beautiful and unique landscapes. People from all over come to witness the wonder of the White Sands National Monument, the marvel of the Rio Grande Gorge, the awe-inspiring grandeur of Shiprock, and to explore the depths of Carlsbad Caverns. The largest hot air balloon festival in the world happens here, as well as for the unique southwestern foods. Below we’ll go over the safest cities in the state for those of you looking to move here.

We ranked the top 25 safest cities in the state, with one coming out in the top 500 safest cities in the nation. Nearly 10 of the safest cities had a safety score above 70. There is a high unemployment rate in the state, which contributes to the higher crime rates in certain areas. Checking through our rankings will help you find the safest areas to reside in within New Mexico.

The safest city is Sunland Park, with a safety rating of 88.21 and a population of 15,700. It has seen a 14.9% reduction in violent crimes, which were already low. It is safe because it is a very family-oriented town, with good public schools and a tight community.

Other safe cities tend to be clustered around Albuquerque and Santa Fe, where the majority of jobs are held. There is Corrales (86.46), Lovington (83.16), and Rio Rancho (82.69). The larger cities tend to have lower safety scores due to the much higher population density. Albuquerque has a safety rating of 52.34 while Santa Fe is at 65.25. Not at all bad for such large cities, but as always, the surround suburbs tend to be much safer.


1 Top 10th Percentile in U.S.
Safety Score: 88.21

Sunland Park, NM

15,700 n/a 14 -14.9% 177 16.3%

2 Top 25th Percentile in U.S.
Safety Score: 86.46

Corrales, NM

8,376 597 15 68.7% 89 -19.6%

3 Top 25th Percentile in U.S.
Safety Score: 83.16

Lovington, NM

12,062 325 31 200.5% 259 527.7%

4
Safety Score: 82.63

Rio Rancho, NM

95,329 211 207 15.4% 1,877 0.9%

5
Safety Score: 79.61

Grants, NM

9,250 n/a 40 -24.4% 198 -32.6%

6
Safety Score: 78.81

Bloomfield, NM

7,522 n/a 36 27.5% 160 12.5%

7
Safety Score: 76.08

Ruidoso, NM

7,774 n/a 24 2.3% 278 19.4%

8
Safety Score: 74.46

Portales, NM

12,199 487 68 203.5% 413 4.2%

9
Safety Score: 74.01

Las Vegas, NM

13,389 n/a 144 11.7% 412 -8.4%

10
Safety Score: 69.99

Farmington, NM

44,076 249 187 -36.2% 1,688 14%

11
Safety Score: 69.81

Alamogordo, NM

31,151 2595 116 26.3% 987 3.3%

12
Safety Score: 68.3

Carlsbad, NM

28,594 n/a 161 10.4% 1,332 6.4%

13
Safety Score: 67.89

Hobbs, NM

37,916 n/a 275 7.7% 1,710 4.2%

14
Safety Score: 65.25

Santa Fe, NM

70,845 n/a 311 26.7% 3,111 2.5%

15
Safety Score: 65.18

Roswell, NM

48,633 n/a 318 -14.5% 2,455 -19.7%

16
Safety Score: 64.94

Bernalillo, NM

8,619 n/a 73 -10.6% 351 -11.4%

17
Safety Score: 64.78

Los Lunas, NM

15,251 n/a 132 7.3% 626 -14.4%

18
Safety Score: 63.14

Las Cruces, NM

102,227 n/a 268 -9.3% 5,065 9.7%

19
Safety Score: 62.02

Artesia, NM

11,970 n/a 140 -11.9% 587 41.2%

20
Safety Score: 61.62

Deming, NM

14,543 n/a 106 -31.6% 809 13.3%

21
Safety Score: 57.78

Clovis, NM

40,265 638 170 16.8% 2,575 9.9%

22
Safety Score: 52.34

Albuquerque, NM

559,721 n/a 5,406 9.4% 33,993 11.5%

23
Safety Score: 51.34

Socorro, NM

8,684 n/a 62 -6.8% 556 20.2%

24
Safety Score: 48.51

Espanola, NM

10,100 n/a 265 0.7% 478 -23%

25
Safety Score: 34.62

Gallup, NM

22,623 n/a 352 -27.5% 2,069 -13.5%


Let Everyone Know Your City Made the List!

Copy this code to embed and share this badge on your website:

<iframe src="https://www.safehome.org/safest-cities/"><img src="https://www.safehome.org/badges/SafestCities-Badge-New Mexico.png" /></iframe>

Want to See Other States?