Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town with more to fix than most. Its lowest grade is for safety — its police reported 5,665 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 98% of U.S. towns. At C− overall, Albuquerque ranks 44th of 72 in New Mexico. Set against the rest, it does better than 17% of U.S. towns. Cost of living is weaker too: the typical home is worth about $344K, 4.9 years of the Albuquerque metro’s $71K median household income. Walkability is its strong suit (A): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Ernie Pyle House and Petroglyph National Monument. On the outdoors, just 5 of New Mexico’s 161 towns do better.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places · USGS PAD-US.
Where Albuquerque beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Ernie Pyle House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 18,901 |
| Central New Mexico Community College | 11,593 |
| Brookline College-Albuquerque | 492 |
Ernie Pyle House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 137 National Register listings are more than in any other New Mexico town with a listing.
The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1801 and 5 maps from 1934 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Albuquerque is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Albuquerque. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
in town National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
in town TheatreKiMo Theater
5 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseumin town Theme parkCliff's Amusement Park
7 mi MuseumNational Museum of Nuclear Science & HistoryUniversity Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · KiMo Theater: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: AllenS, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albuquerque, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Albuquerque.
Albuquerque carries less natural-hazard risk than most of New Mexico (mostly inland flooding), is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Reported crimes fell from 33,667 to 27,787 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Albuquerque’s property crime rate stands at 39.6 per 1,000 residents, against 16.2 in New Mexico’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Among 32 New Mexico towns, just 3 have a higher level of violent crime than Albuquerque.
| Albuquerque | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 39.6 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Albuquerque school district. Three of its 206 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public school enrollment here: 3,812 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 865 | – |
| Volcano Vista HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,089 | A− |
| Albuquerque Institute of Math & ScienceTop results in townGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 311 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Albuquerque’s trail density stands at 1.7 miles per square mile, above both the New Mexico town median (1.0) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). There are 322 miles of trail across 255 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Petroglyph National Monument, 5,172 acres with 28 miles of trail.
| Albuquerque | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 16% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sandia Foothills Open Space | 34.1 mi | 1,133 |
| 2. Petroglyph National Monument | 28 mi | 5,172 |
| 3. Paseo de la Mesa Open Space | 27.6 mi | 3,788 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 86% of New Mexico towns, with expected losses of about $199 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Federal aid has come to Albuquerque households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2013. The town’s FEMA risk score is 26 of 100. It has had 48 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 58% come from inland flooding and 30% from earthquakes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Albuquerque: 15% of workers work from home. Jobs based in Albuquerque grew to 281,024 in 2023, 15,989 more than in 2013. The median commute is under 6 miles. Its mean commuting time is 22 minutes.
| Albuquerque | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 15% | 8.4% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,376 U.S. towns with household incomes like Albuquerque’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in Albuquerque who worry about having enough food: 19%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Albuquerque is ahead of New Mexico on 5 and behind on 1. Among adults here, 31% sleep under 7 hours and 11% have diabetes.
| Albuquerque | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 69% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Albuquerque | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.1% | 14.2% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 70.2% | 73.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearly two in five adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Albuquerque. No age group stands out against New Mexico: all are within 4 points.
| Albuquerque | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.8 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
50.9% women, 49.1% men
About 97 men for every 100 women. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.2, men 37.5.
| Albuquerque | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.7% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.8% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.3% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.9% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median property tax bill is $2,678, against $1,731 across New Mexico, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
A typical home in Albuquerque is worth about $344,000, up 1.7% in a year, 9% above the New Mexico typical home. In Albuquerque, 62% of households own their home. Homes sold in Albuquerque spent a median 35 days on the market.
| Albuquerque | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 48% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,145 a month | $936 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Albuquerque
About 8 of every 100 Albuquerque residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
4 colleges in town.
137 places in Albuquerque on the National Register of Historic Places.
51 notable people were born in Albuquerque.
City in New Mexico, United States
Albuquerque is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Founded in 1706 as La Villa de Alburquerque by Santa Fe de Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, and named in honor of Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque and Viceroy of New Spain, it was an outpost on El Camino Real, linking Mexico City to the northernmost territories of New Spain. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County. Located in the Albuquerque Basin, the city is flanked by the Sandia Mountains to the east and the West Mesa to the west, with the Rio Grande and its bosque flowing north-to-south through the middle. According to the 2020 census, Albuquerque had 564,559 residents, ma…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Albuquerque.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; North Valley (C−) is closest.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | #44 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | B |
| South Valley | #20 | C | B | — | C+ | C |
| North Valley | #29 | C− | C+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | #14 | C+ | D | — | C+ | B+ |
| Kirtland AFB | #8 | B− | D− | — | C+ | A |
| Carnuel | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rio Rancho | #3 | B | C | C | A | A− |
| Corrales | #5 | B− | C− | A− | C+ | A− |
South Valley, North Valley, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Kirtland AFB report no FBI crime data of their own. Carnuel isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Albuquerque with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Albuquerque grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #44 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades B for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
51 notable people were born here, including Demi Lovato and Jeff Bezos.
