Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Roswell grades D− overall, 70th among New Mexico's 72 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 308 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 93% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $52K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it has 28 miles of trail. 52% of working residents work locally in Roswell, above both New Mexico’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Robert H. Goddard House and James Phelps White House. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Roswell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
James Phelps White House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus | 1,388 |
| New Mexico Military Institute | 459 |
Census counts: 2,049 in 1900, 48,422 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Roswell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Roswell, 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 Roswell.
Roswell has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
Reported crimes fell from 1,777 to 1,399 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Roswell’s violent crime rate is 6.6 per 1,000 residents. Roswell reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. Roswell’s property crime rate is 23.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Roswell | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.3 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Roswell school district. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 557 | C− |
| Roswell HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,437 | D |
| Early College High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 151 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
At about $175K, home values are up 1% in five years, against a rise of 25% across New Mexico.
The typical Roswell home is worth about $175,000, up 0.8% in a year, 45% below the New Mexico typical home. The median rent in Roswell is $876 a month.
| Roswell | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $876 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1978, 71 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Roswell.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,329 U.S. towns with household incomes like Roswell’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Roswell beats the New Mexico average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 21% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Roswell.
| Roswell | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 69% | 79% |
| What stands out | Roswell | NM |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 20.6% | 15.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.9% | 20.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.3% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest park or preserve is Cielo Grande Park, at 190 acres.
| Roswell | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Poe Corn Park | 0.5 mi | 22 |
| 2. Melendez Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 3. Noon Optimist Park | 0.3 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Roswell Ind Air Pk weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 110 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.1°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 25.4°.
Only 2 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher July high than Roswell. Roswell has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Roswell | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5% of Roswell workers work from home. The top destinations are Albuquerque (5%), Artesia (4%) and Carlsbad (3%).
| Roswell | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5% | 8.4% | 11% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Roswell. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumInternational UFO Museum And Research Center
12 mi State parkBottomless Lakes State Park
in town MuseumRoswell Museum and Art Center
in town MuseumAnderson Museum of Contemporary ArtInternational UFO Museum And Research Center: J Dykstra, Public domain · Bottomless Lakes State Park: NMMIMAJ, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roswell Museum and Art Center: Myotus, CC BY 4.0 · Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art: AllenS, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Roswell
About 6 of every 100 Roswell residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Mexico.
2 colleges in town.
14 places in Roswell on the National Register of Historic Places.
37 notable people were born in Roswell.
City in Chaves County, New Mexico, US
Roswell ( ROZ-well) is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,422 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous city in New Mexico. It is home to the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), founded in 1891. The city is also the location of an Eastern New Mexico University campus. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located a few miles northeast of the city on the Pecos River. Bottomless Lakes State Park is located 12 miles (19 km) east of Roswell on US 380. Chaves County forms the entirety of the Roswell micropolitan area. The Roswell incident in 1947 was named after the town, though the crash site of the alleged UFO was so…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Roswell grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #70 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within New Mexico, it does better than 29% of towns.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($52,938 across the Roswell, NM 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−.
37 notable people were born here, including Demi Moore and John Denver.
