The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico - 2018 Ranking!

New Mexico was a Spanish colony and home large numbers of Native Americans. It became a state quite late in 1912 after the Mexican-American War. It has the highest percentage of the Hispanic population of all states.

“The Land of Enchantment” is known for its scenic beauty, multicultural history, and various art forms. Visitors are mesmerized by the extraterrestrial-themed museums and UFO amusement parks of Roswell, which is set near the infamous Area 51. Outside the city, New Mexico can proudly claim one of the most diverse landscapes in the world, such as the White Sands National Monument, the marvel of the Rio Grande Gorge, and the shimmering waters of Santa Rosa.

The state also boasts of being home of the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, where over five hundred hot air balloons and tens of thousands of people gather for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every October.

If you are considering moving to New Mexico or you already live there, make sure to continue reading to find out how safe New Mexico is compared to other states, and learn about its safest cities based on the most recent FBI crime report.

Although it's the 5th largest state by area, New Mexico remains the sixth least densely populated in the nation. It comes last in terms of safety with a 702.5 violent crime rate per 100,000 people and a 3,937.1 property crime rate per 100,000 people; making it the least safe state in the country.

When it comes to safe and dangerous cities, Los Alamos takes the #1 spot on the list as being the safest city in New Mexico with an 889 crime rate per 100,000 people. Nicknamed "The City of Vision," Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in New Mexico, ranked #4 in terms of safety with a 2582 crime rate per 100,000 people.

Belen, a city in Valencia County in the central region of New Mexico, comes in 1st as the most dangerous city with a 9247 crime rate per 100,000 people. Coming next is Taos, a small town located in the north-central part of New Mexico that is considered to be the state’s the 2nd most dangerous place to live in. The state's capital, Santa Fe, ranks 4th in population and 14th in terms of safety. Major cities like Las Cruces and Roswell rank at #18 and #19 respectively.

Home to the University of New Mexico and the largest international balloon festival in the world with a population of 561,560 residents, Albuquerque ranked at #27 in terms of safety.

Find out if your city is one of the safest in the state, then review our resources for crime prevention tips and home security information.

More Information About New Mexico

Capital: Santa Fe

Number of Counties: 33

Overall Population: 2.081 million inhabitants

Land Area: 121,697 square miles

Education Statistics: 26.7% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher, (percent of persons age 25 years+, 2011-2015)

Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

Crime Stats In New Mexico

Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 702.5

Property Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 3,937.1

New Mexico’s Safety Rank: #50

Disclaimer:

In creating this ranking, we excluded all cities with population less than 5,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

Table 1: Top 10 Safest Cities In New Mexico

Table 2: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico

Table 3: All Cities, Ranked By Population