Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 114,419, Rio Rancho does well: it grades B, 3rd among New Mexico's 72 graded towns. Its schools outperform 85% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country. Its lowest mark is a C in cost of living. Rio Rancho’s trail density is 3.2 miles per square mile, above both New Mexico’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 9 of New Mexico’s 161 towns score higher on hazard risk. Rio Rancho's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Rio Rancho beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ernest Stapleton Elementary | K–5 | 798 |
| Vista Grande Elementary | K–5 | 786 |
| Sandia Vista Elementary | PK–5 | 713 |
87,521 counted in 2010 and 104,046 in 2020; an estimated 114,419 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.9% since 2020, after 18.9% in the decade before.
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 Rio Rancho is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,985 in 1980, 104,046 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1995 and 5 maps from 1934 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rio Rancho. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
in town Stadium & arenaRio Rancho Events Center
7 mi National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument311K visitors a year
35 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
38 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year
14 mi TheatreKiMo TheaterUniversity Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · Rio Rancho Events Center: Maryabm2009, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petroglyph National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Bandelier National Monument: Andrew Dunn (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Valles Caldera National Preserve: Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, Public domain · KiMo Theater: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rio Rancho, 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 Rio Rancho.
Rio Rancho carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of New Mexico (mostly inland flooding), has schools in the top 5% of New Mexico and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
328 miles of trail in 47 parks and preserves. Rio Rancho Bosque Nature Preserve, at 196 acres with 6.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rio Rancho Bosque Nature Preserve | 6.8 mi | 196 |
| 2. Mountain View Park | 1.6 mi | 42 |
| 3. A Park Above | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #3 of the 73 New Mexico towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Rio Rancho school district. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Rancho Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,024 | – |
| Cleveland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,596 | A− |
| Rio Rancho HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,568 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of New Mexico towns, with expected losses of about $125 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Rio Rancho’s FEMA risk score is 17 of 100, below both the New Mexico town median (67 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 2001, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rio Rancho.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
69% of Rio Rancho adults had a checkup this year. Rio Rancho beats the New Mexico average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 21% of Rio Rancho adults get no exercise outside work.
| Rio Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 69% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 28% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Rio Rancho | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.6% | 14.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14.2% | 20.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Rio Rancho for work: only 19% work in town. 7.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Rio Rancho. Jobs based in Rio Rancho grew to 24,093 in 2023, 2,208 more than in 2013.
| Rio Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 8.4% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 2,092 to 1,481 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Rio Rancho’s violent crime rate is 3.2 per 1,000 residents. Within New Mexico, it does better than 82% of towns. Rio Rancho’s property crime rate is 9.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Rio Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.7 per 1,000 residents | 16.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Rio Rancho has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Rio Rancho is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Rio Rancho home is worth about $361,000, up 0.7% in a year, 14% above the New Mexico typical home. Among 70 New Mexico towns, just 4 have a higher median rent than Rio Rancho.
| Rio Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,514 a month | $936 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 48% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New Mexico average. Rio Rancho has grown 9.9% since 2020, to 114,419 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across New Mexico.
| Rio Rancho | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 39.5 years | 37.2 years | 40.5 years |
50.4% women, 49.6% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.5 points. Across New Mexico, 50.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.4, men 38.5.
| Rio Rancho | NM | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 25.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 25% | 22.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 9.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.1% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3 within 15 miles of the center of Rio Rancho
About 7 of every 100 Rio Rancho residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
City in New Mexico, United States
Rio Rancho (Spanish: Río Rancho) is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. Part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, it is the third-largest city in New Mexico, and one of the most rapidly growing. Rio Rancho had a population of 104,046 at the 2020 census. The name Rio Rancho derives from Los Ranchos, the Spanish colonial ranches established along the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque Basin, and throughout historic Nuevo México. There were large ranches also in neighboring Corrales. Since the late 20th century, it has developed as a suburb of Albuquerque.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Rio Rancho.
At #3 in NM, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Corrales (B−) comes closest. Bernalillo next door grades lower for schools (C− to Rio Rancho’s A) and higher for cost of living (A− to C).
| Town | NM rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Rancho | #3 | B | C | C | A | A− |
| Rio Rancho Estates | — | — | A+ | — | A | B+ |
| Corrales | #5 | B− | C− | A− | C+ | A− |
| Albuquerque | #44 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | B |
| Bernalillo | #34 | C− | A− | C− | C− | C |
Rio Rancho Estates has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rio Rancho Estates reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Rio Rancho with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Rio Rancho grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #3 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades A− for health, C for safety and A for schools.
Within New Mexico, it does better than 82% of towns.
That is 5.1 years of the area's median household income ($70,783 across the Albuquerque, 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 C.
2 notable people were born here, including Alan Branch and Imani Morlock.
