Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Aztec earns a D, 51st of 72 graded towns in New Mexico, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $42K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. Its police reported 23 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. In its favor, it has 61 miles of trail and 48% conserved land. 48% of the land in Aztec is conserved, above both the New Mexico town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On walkability, just 14 of New Mexico’s 159 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Aztec Ruins National Monument and Aztec Main Street Historic District.
Where Aztec beats most towns.
Census counts: 509 in 1910, 6,201 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and a map from 1985 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Aztec is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Aztec, 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 Aztec.
Aztec keeps more of its land conserved than most of New Mexico, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Farmington and other neighbors.
Its 5,266 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 97% of New Mexico towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #2 of 73 in New Mexico.
In Aztec, the density of trails is 3.6 miles per square mile, above both New Mexico’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). 61 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Aztec Ruins National Monument, 280 acres with 1.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aztec Ruins National Monument | 1.9 mi | 280 |
| 2. Riverside Park | 1.2 mi | 32 |
| 3. Tiger Park | 0.2 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Three of its 7 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Aztec High, with 696 students. Its public schools are run by the Aztec school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.V. Koogler MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 521 | C |
| Aztec HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 696 | C |
| Lydia Rippey ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 354 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
For Aztec, the violent crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Within New Mexico, it does better than 64% of towns.
| Aztec | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Aztec than in 77% of U.S. communities. 85% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 6%. Since 1988, Aztec has seen 15 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 3,016 U.S. towns with household incomes like Aztec’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of adults in Aztec smoke cigarettes; 17% report frequent physical distress. For adults locally, the share who had a checkup this year is 70%.
| Aztec | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 69% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Aztec | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.6% | 14.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| More smokers | 17.4% | 13.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Aztec has about as many jobs (2,321) as working residents, but only 419 people both live and work here.
Just 16% of Aztec’s working residents have a job in town. The typical journey to work for Aztec comes to 21 minutes. Since 2013, Aztec has lost 238 jobs, to 2,321 in 2023. Half the trips to work are shorter than 11 miles.
| Aztec | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The midpoint rent in Aztec is $629 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 5.9% in value. The share of households in Aztec who live in a home they own: 63%.
| Aztec | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $629 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Aztec
About 2 of every 100 Aztec residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
48.2% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
17 places in Aztec on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Aztec.
County Seat in New Mexico, United States
Aztec is a city in and the county seat of San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The city population was 6,126 as of the 2022 population estimate. The Aztec Ruins National Monument is located in Aztec. The city was the site of the Aztec, New Mexico crashed saucer hoax, and it was near the site of the unrelated Project Gasbuggy, an underground nuclear detonation managed by the Atomic Energy Commission. The Aztec Museum hosts interpretive displays and preserved materials documenting each of the above. It also has materials related to the European-American settlement of the Aztec area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Aztec.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aztec | #51 | D | B | C− | C+ | C |
| Center Point | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| South River | — | — | B− | — | B | C |
| Spencerville | — | — | C | — | C+ | C |
| Bloomfield | #67 | D | C+ | C− | C+ | D |
Center Point, South River and Spencerville have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Center Point, South River and Spencerville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Aztec with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Aztec grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #51 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within New Mexico, it does better than 64% of towns.
That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($55,872 across the Farmington, NM metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Alex Kennedy and T. Ryan Lane.
