Do you live in one of the murder capitals of New Mexico?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in New Mexico with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 15 cities in the Land of Enchantment with over 5,000 residents.
What city has the highest murder rate in New Mexico? The city with the highest murder rate in New Mexico is Gallup with 35 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in New Mexico with highest number of murders? The city in New Mexico with the highest number of murders is Albuquerque with 103 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in New Mexico ranked. There were ‘only’ 15 cities in New Mexico where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 12 places had no murder.
35 per 100k · #1 highest murder rate 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
21 per 100k · #2 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
Lea County, New Mexico
Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 34,122 at the 2010 Census, increasing from 28,657 at the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
18 per 100k · #3 highest murder rate 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
17 per 100k · #4 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
Sierra County, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences is a city and county seat in Sierra County, New Mexico, United States. In 2012, the population was 6,411. It is commonly known within New Mexico as T or C. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
16 per 100k · #5 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
San Juan County, New Mexico
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13 per 100k · #6 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
Chaves County, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in New Mexico. It is the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 48,411, making it the fifth-largest city in New Mexico. It is a center for irrigated farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also the home of New Mexico Military Institute, founded in 1891. 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 east of Roswell on US 380.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12 per 100k · #7 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
Doña Ana County, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as “The City of the Crosses”, is the seat of Doa Ana County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 97,618, and in 2015 the estimated population was 101,643, making it the second largest city in the state, after Albuquerque. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doa Ana County and southern New Mexico. The Las Cruces metropolitan area had an estimated population of 213,676 in 2014. It is the principal city of a metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Doa Ana County and is part of the larger El Paso-Las Cruces combined statistical area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12 per 100k · #8 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
Sandoval County, New Mexico
Corrales is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 8,329 at the 2010 Census. With proximity to the Rio Grande, the village was founded for agricultural purposes. The Rio Grande Bosque on the eastern edge of the village provides refuge for native animals and plants. The village fights hard to maintain its rural character in light of being surrounded by the rapidly expanding cities of Rio Rancho and Albuquerque.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8 per 100k · #9 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
Roosevelt County, New Mexico
Portales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 12,280 at the 2010 census. Portales is located near the larger city of Clovis as well as Cannon Air Force Base, a major contributor to the economy of the region.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8 per 100k · #10 highest murder rate in New Mexico
Located in
San Miguel County, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas, separated by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000 census. Las Vegas, NM is located 110 miles south of Raton, New Mexico, 65 miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico, 122 miles northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 257 miles south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and 326 miles south of Denver, Colorado.
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 New Mexico’s murders happen
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of New Mexico
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in New Mexico for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 15 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Gallup. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in New Mexico. We updated the list for 2026.
The full plate
Murder Rates By City In New Mexico
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gallup | 20,019 | 7 | 35 |
| 2 | Hobbs | 38,972 | 8 | 21 |
| 3 | Albuquerque | 558,745 | 103 | 18 |
| 4 | Truth or Consequences | 5,985 | 1 | 17 |
| 5 | Aztec | 6,109 | 1 | 16 |
| 6 | Roswell | 46,677 | 6 | 13 |
| 7 | Las Cruces | 115,977 | 14 | 12 |
| 8 | Corrales | 8,653 | 1 | 12 |
| 9 | Portales | 11,772 | 1 | 8 |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 12,816 | 1 | 8 |
| 11 | Rio Rancho | 112,817 | 8 | 7 |
| 12 | Los Lunas | 19,707 | 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Santa Fe | 89,652 | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | Farmington | 46,150 | 2 | 4 |
| 15 | Carlsbad | 31,243 | 1 | 3 |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report. 15 New Mexico cities that reported a murder.
Summary
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In New Mexico For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in New Mexico with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in New Mexico are Gallup, Hobbs, Albuquerque, Truth or Consequences, Aztec, Roswell, Las Cruces, Corrales, Portales, and Las Vegas.
