Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is New Mexico a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in New Mexico.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Land Of Enchantment based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of New Mexico, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 33 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Land Of Enchantment for 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In New Mexico For 2021
Los Alamos County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in New Mexico. And you might want to avoid Mckinley County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move New Mexico, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in New Mexico and the cheapest places to live in New Mexico.
The Best Counties To Live In New Mexico For 2021
1. Los Alamos County
Biggest Place: Los Alamos
Population: 18,625
Median Income: $121,324 (best)
Median Home Price: $302,800.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (3rd best)
More on Los Alamos County: Photos | Data
2. Bernalillo County
Biggest Place: Albuquerque
Population: 677,858
Median Income: $53,329 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $199,300.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.7% (10th best)
More on Bernalillo County: Photos | Data
3. Santa Fe County
Biggest Place: Santa Fe
Population: 149,293
Median Income: $61,200 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $291,800.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (4th best)
More on Santa Fe County: Photos | Data
4. Sandoval County
Biggest Place: Rio Rancho
Population: 142,704
Median Income: $63,802 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $200,900.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 7.0% (15th best)
More on Sandoval County: Photos | Data
5. Lincoln County
Biggest Place: Ruidoso
Population: 19,461
Median Income: $46,216 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $193,900.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (5th best)
More on Lincoln County: Photos | Data
6. Eddy County
Biggest Place: Carlsbad
Population: 57,732
Median Income: $65,328 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $155,900.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (6th best)
More on Eddy County: Photos | Data
7. Grant County
Biggest Place: Silver City
Population: 27,669
Median Income: $37,843 (2best)
Median Home Price: $125,100.0 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (17th best)
More on Grant County: Photos | Data
8. Taos County
Biggest Place: Taos
Population: 32,786
Median Income: $38,329 (20th best)
Median Home Price: $239,500.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 8.7% (26th best)
More on Taos County: Photos | Data
9. Catron County
Biggest Place: Reserve
Population: 3,526
Median Income: $41,910 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $175,400.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (23rd best)
More on Catron County: Photos | Data
10. Colfax County
Biggest Place: Raton
Population: 12,168
Median Income: $36,302 (22nd best)
Median Home Price: $104,800.0 (25th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (11th best)
More on Colfax County: Photos | Data
How do you determine which New Mexico county is the best?
To give you the best county in New Mexico, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in New Mexico across each of the criteria from one to 33, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In New Mexico”.
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Land Of Enchantment.
Read on to see why Los Alamos County is the best county, while Mckinley County is probably in contention for being the worst county in New Mexico.
There You Have It – The Best Counties In New Mexico To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in New Mexico can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in New Mexico according to the data:
- Mckinley County
- Luna County
- Doã±A Ana County
For more New Mexico reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In New Mexico
- Cheapest Places To Live In New Mexico
- Best Counties To Live In New Mexico
- Safest Places In New Mexico
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In New Mexico
| County | Rank |
|---|---|
| Los Alamos County | 1 |
| Bernalillo County | 2 |
| Santa Fe County | 3 |
| Sandoval County | 4 |
| Lincoln County | 5 |
| Eddy County | 6 |
| Grant County | 7 |
| Taos County | 8 |
| Catron County | 9 |
| Colfax County | 10 |
| Harding County | 11 |
| Torrance County | 12 |
| Valencia County | 13 |
| Union County | 14 |
| Socorro County | 15 |
| Lea County | 16 |
| Hidalgo County | 17 |
| Otero County | 18 |
| Guadalupe County | 19 |
| Rio Arriba County | 20 |
| Sierra County | 21 |
| Curry County | 22 |
| San Juan County | 23 |
| De Baca County | 24 |
| Chaves County | 25 |
| Mora County | 26 |
| Quay County | 27 |
| Roosevelt County | 28 |
| San Miguel County | 29 |
| Cibola County | 30 |
| Doã±a Ana County | 31 |
| Luna County | 32 |
| Mckinley County | 33 |
