Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Carlsbad gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $253K, 3.2 years of the Carlsbad area’s $78K median household income. It grades C overall, 23rd of 72 graded towns in New Mexico. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and its police reported 184 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. On the plus side, it has 21 miles of trail. 57% of working residents work locally in Carlsbad, above both the New Mexico town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). No town among the 73 in New Mexico we compare has a higher July high than Carlsbad. Carlsbad is home to Southeast New Mexico College.
Where Carlsbad beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
26,138 counted in 2010 and 32,238 in 2020; an estimated 32,524 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Carlsbad is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 963 in 1900, 32,238 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 4 maps from 1939 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad.
Carlsbad has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, has home values still below their peak and has added a third more jobs in ten years.
The property crime rate in Carlsbad is 27 per 1,000 residents. Carlsbad reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The violent crime rate in Carlsbad is 5.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Carlsbad | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.8 per 1,000 residents | 4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Carlsbad school district. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad Intermediate School - PR Leyva CampusLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 908 | – |
| Carlsbad HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,685 | – |
| Carlsbad Early College HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 200 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
Since 2002, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carlsbad.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest place to walk is Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, 652 acres with 2.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Living Desert Zoo & Gardens | 2.1 mi | 652 |
| 2. Bataan Recreation Area | 0.8 mi | 42 |
| 3. Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area | 0.7 mi | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Carlsbad weather station records that about 119 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 29.2°.
Carlsbad has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Carlsbad’s January low is 29°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $253K, is 8% below its June 2021 peak. At about $253K, home values are down 5% in five years, against a rise of 25% across New Mexico.
The typical Carlsbad home is worth about $253,000, up 2.8% in a year, 20% below the New Mexico typical home.
| Carlsbad | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,236 a month | $936 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here grew from 11,258 in 2013 to 15,878.
Jobs based in Carlsbad grew to 15,878 in 2023, 4,620 more than in 2013. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Carlsbad. The top destinations are Albuquerque (4%), Hobbs (4%) and Roswell (3%).
| Carlsbad | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 8.4% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Carlsbad beats the New Mexico average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 66% of Carlsbad adults had a checkup this year. Only 5 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Carlsbad.
| Carlsbad | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 69% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Carlsbad | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6.2% | 7.2% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 11.4% | 13.2% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 39.8% | 32.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carlsbad. Close and well known come first.
16 mi National ParkCarlsbad Caverns National Park411K visitors a year
21 mi CaveLechuguilla Cave
in town GardenLiving Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
19 mi TheatreBat Flight AmphitheaterCarlsbad Caverns National Park: Eric Guinther, User:Marshman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lechuguilla Cave: Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park: J Dykstra, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bat Flight Amphitheater: Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Carlsbad
About 3 of every 100 Carlsbad residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
20 notable people were born in Carlsbad.
City in New Mexico, United States
Carlsbad ( KARLZ-bad) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62/180 and 285, and is the principal city of the Carlsbad-Artesia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has a total population of 62,314. Located in the southeastern part of New Mexico, Carlsbad straddles the Pecos River and sits at the eastern edge of the Guadalupe Mountains. Carlsbad is a hub for potash mining, petroleum production, and tourism. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of the city, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park lies 54 miles (87 km)…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Carlsbad.
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad | #23 | C | A− | D | B− | C+ |
| La Huerta | — | — | C+ | — | B− | A− |
| Livingston Wheeler | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Happy Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
La Huerta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. La Huerta reports no FBI crime data of its own. Livingston Wheeler and Happy Valley aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Carlsbad with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carlsbad grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #23 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within New Mexico, it does better than 39% of towns.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
20 notable people were born here, including Bruce Cabot and F. Drew Gaffney.
