Racial diversity in New Mexico is a mixed bag.
There are parts of New Mexico where there’s a high level of diversity. But where will you find the most diverse places in New Mexico?
To answer that question, we went to the US Census data. Using Saturday Night Science, we measured the Gini coefficient for all 34 cities in New Mexico to rank them from most to least diverse.
#1 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
San Juan County, New Mexico
Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the US state of New Mexico. As of the 2013 population estimate from the United States Census Bureau the city had a total population of 45,426 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimate in 2011 for Farmington was about 45,256.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
Socorro County, New Mexico
Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of 4,579 feet. In 2012 the population was 8,906. It is the county seat of Socorro County. Socorro is located 74 miles south of Albuquerque and 146 miles north of Las Cruces.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
McKinley County, New Mexico
Gallup is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 21,678 as of the 2010 census. A substantial percentage of its population is Native American, with residents from the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes. Gallup is the county seat of McKinley County and the most populous city between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, along the historic U.S. Route 66.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
San Juan County, New Mexico
Bloomfield is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,112 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Albuquerque AL-b-kur-kee; Navajo: Beeeldl Dahsinil ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The high-elevation city serves as the county seat of Bernalillo County, and it is situated in the north central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population is 559,277 as of the July 1, 2016 population estimate from the United States Census Bureau, and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. The Albuquerque metropolitan statistical area has a population of 909,906 according to the United States Census Bureau’s most recently available estimate for 2016. Albuquerque is the 60th-largest United States metropolitan area. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Placitas, Corrales, Los Lunas, Belen, Bosque Farms, and forms part of the larger Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas combined statistical area, with a total population of 1,171,991 as of the July 1, 2016, Census Bureau estimates.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#6 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
San Juan County, New Mexico
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
Sandoval County, New Mexico
Rio Rancho is the largest city and economic hub of Sandoval County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the third-largest and also one of the fastest expanding cities in New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, Rio Rancho had a population of 93,820.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
Otero County, New Mexico
Alamogordo is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by White Sands National Monument. It is the city nearest to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 30,403 as of the 2010 census. Alamogordo is known for its connection with the Trinity test, the first explosion of an atomic bomb, and also for the Atari video game burial of 1983.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
Curry County, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 37,775 as of the 2010 census, and a 2014 estimated population of 39,860. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most diverse in New Mexico
Located in
Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Mexico’s statewide median.
On the map
Where diversity lives in New Mexico
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in New Mexico for 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census — and Saturday Night Science. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across New Mexico.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
- Hispanic or Latino
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 34 cities.
We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 3,147 (Farmington) to 9,853 (Anthony).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI, with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Farmington took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Anthony was the least diverse city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most diverse places in New Mexico.
The full plate
Race By City In New Mexico For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | HHI | % White | % Black | % Hispanic | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmington | 46,314 | 3,147 | 44.0% | 0.7% | 24.1% | 0.9% |
| 2 | Socorro | 8,481 | 3,321 | 27.6% | 0.6% | 48.1% | 3.2% |
| 3 | Gallup | 21,023 | 3,384 | 17.9% | 1.2% | 23.8% | 3.4% |
| 4 | Bloomfield | 7,395 | 3,396 | 43.2% | 0.0% | 35.8% | 0.8% |
| 5 | Albuquerque | 562,218 | 3,736 | 37.5% | 2.9% | 47.7% | 3.2% |
| 6 | Aztec | 6,150 | 3,800 | 55.8% | 0.0% | 18.6% | 0.4% |
| 7 | Rio Rancho | 108,515 | 3,813 | 44.7% | 2.8% | 42.1% | 1.5% |
| 8 | Alamogordo | 31,307 | 3,945 | 53.3% | 5.8% | 32.4% | 2.4% |
| 9 | Clovis | 37,942 | 4,026 | 39.9% | 5.3% | 48.9% | 1.2% |
| 10 | Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | 5,857 | 4,134 | 43.0% | 0.4% | 47.4% | 0.4% |
| 11 | Portales | 11,968 | 4,238 | 41.4% | 0.9% | 49.8% | 0.7% |
| 12 | Silver City | 9,536 | 4,267 | 43.1% | 0.7% | 48.8% | 2.1% |
| 13 | Santa Fe | 89,019 | 4,272 | 42.5% | 1.1% | 49.5% | 1.9% |
| 14 | Edgewood | 6,124 | 4,318 | 53.7% | 0.5% | 37.2% | 0.2% |
| 15 | Los Lunas | 18,618 | 4,351 | 29.4% | 2.0% | 58.7% | 2.2% |
| 16 | Taos | 6,458 | 4,370 | 45.4% | 0.3% | 47.9% | 1.9% |
| 17 | Grants | 8,951 | 4,373 | 24.2% | 1.0% | 60.7% | 0.0% |
| 18 | Carlsbad | 31,746 | 4,440 | 39.6% | 2.2% | 53.5% | 0.8% |
| 19 | Las Cruces | 114,197 | 4,710 | 32.6% | 1.9% | 60.3% | 1.7% |
| 20 | Hobbs | 40,252 | 4,780 | 28.2% | 5.1% | 62.9% | 1.0% |
| 21 | Roswell | 47,638 | 4,826 | 33.6% | 1.8% | 60.7% | 1.4% |
| 22 | Raton | 6,026 | 4,867 | 37.2% | 0.4% | 59.0% | 0.4% |
| 23 | Truth or Consequences | 6,019 | 4,868 | 60.0% | 0.3% | 35.4% | 0.3% |
| 24 | Corrales | 8,555 | 4,958 | 63.9% | 0.9% | 29.4% | 0.8% |
| 25 | Ruidoso | 7,699 | 4,996 | 64.3% | 1.9% | 29.2% | 0.6% |
| 26 | Tucumcari | 5,160 | 5,011 | 33.4% | 0.1% | 62.3% | 0.0% |
| 27 | Artesia | 12,576 | 5,098 | 29.7% | 0.0% | 64.8% | 0.7% |
| 28 | Bernalillo | 9,086 | 5,179 | 28.4% | 0.2% | 66.0% | 0.2% |
| 29 | Belen | 7,450 | 5,346 | 26.1% | 0.9% | 68.2% | 0.2% |
| 30 | Lovington | 11,498 | 5,485 | 26.6% | 0.9% | 69.1% | 0.9% |
| 31 | Deming | 15,221 | 5,683 | 22.6% | 1.5% | 71.9% | 1.7% |
| 32 | Las Vegas | 13,000 | 6,117 | 16.5% | 1.1% | 76.3% | 0.1% |
| 33 | Sunland Park | 17,463 | 8,784 | 5.1% | 0.9% | 93.6% | 0.0% |
| 34 | Anthony | 8,767 | 9,853 | 0.3% | 0.0% | 99.3% | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 34 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Diversity Across New Mexico
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across New Mexico, this is an accurate list.
The most diverse cities in New Mexico are Farmington, Socorro, Gallup, Bloomfield, Albuquerque, Aztec, Rio Rancho, Alamogordo, Clovis, and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Not sold on New Mexico? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Diverse Cities In New Mexico FAQs
What is the most diverse city in New Mexico?
Farmington is the most diverse city in New Mexico for 2026, posting the lowest diversity index (3,147) of the 34 places we measured. Socorro and Gallup are next.
What are the 10 most diverse cities in New Mexico?
The ten most diverse cities in New Mexico are Farmington, Socorro, Gallup, Bloomfield, Albuquerque, Aztec, Rio Rancho, Alamogordo, Clovis, and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. We ranked all 34 places with more than 5,000 residents by their racial-diversity HHI.
How do you measure diversity?
We use a Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) across each city’s White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian population shares from the Census American Community Survey. A lower score means the mix is more even, so the lowest HHI wins.
What is the least diverse city in New Mexico?
Anthony is the least diverse city in New Mexico, with a diversity index of 9,853. That means one group makes up most of its population.
Where does this data come from?
All population shares come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020-2024). Diversity scores in New Mexico range from 3,147 in Farmington to 9,853 in Anthony.
