Albuquerque’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Albuquerque.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in New Mexico thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Albuquerque. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Albuquerque neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Albuquerque hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 188 of Albuquerque’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$26,698 median income
$36,114 median income
$35,551 median income
$31,813 median income
$47,483 median income
$40,949 median income
$49,972 median income
$35,613 median income
$53,846 median income
$53,846 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Mexico’s statewide median.
New Mexico statewide median: $316,750
New Mexico statewide median: $64,059
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Albuquerque neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Albuquerque:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Albuquerque.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 188 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Albuquerque for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albuquerque Meadows | 280 | $21,200 | $26,698 |
| 2 | Mountain View | 2,151 | $125,967 | $36,114 |
| 3 | Alta Monte | 1,814 | $9,999 | $35,551 |
| 4 | Martineztown | 251 | $110,700 | $31,813 |
| 5 | Encanto Village | 195 | $145,500 | $47,483 |
| 6 | Wildflower | 744 | $96,100 | $40,949 |
| 7 | Villa De Paza | 111 | $120,800 | $49,972 |
| 8 | Wells Park | 1,829 | $181,100 | $35,613 |
| 9 | Yale Village | 35 | $152,300 | $53,846 |
| 10 | Kirtland Community | 106 | $152,300 | $53,846 |
| 11 | Riverview Heights | 230 | $155,700 | $42,423 |
| 12 | Vista Sandia Hoa | 518 | $130,400 | $42,647 |
| 13 | Clayton Heights-Lomas Del Cielo | 1,421 | $140,500 | $43,681 |
| 13 | Vista Magnifica | 319 | $155,700 | $42,423 |
| 15 | Barelas | 3,338 | $202,640 | $42,865 |
| 16 | Sawmill | 1,261 | $213,800 | $43,698 |
| 17 | La Mesa | 6,415 | $148,260 | $27,187 |
| 18 | Skyview West | 1,211 | $133,400 | $32,724 |
| 18 | San Jose | 2,469 | $105,600 | $36,271 |
| 20 | Stronghurst | 71 | $146,900 | $52,802 |
| 21 | Singing Arrow | 3,317 | $157,700 | $32,660 |
| 22 | Alameda N Valley | 1,132 | $158,700 | $49,261 |
| 23 | Santa Barbara | 2,066 | $163,575 | $37,930 |
| 23 | West Mesa | 5,519 | $134,820 | $36,466 |
| 25 | Monkbridge Gardens | 1,070 | $171,600 | $41,827 |
| 26 | Los Jardines | 73 | $248,400 | $17,344 |
| 27 | North Hills | 309 | $132,500 | $32,766 |
| 27 | Grande Hts | 194 | $161,000 | $48,382 |
| 29 | South San Pedro | 6,616 | $149,250 | $26,809 |
| 30 | Palomas Park | 343 | $132,500 | $32,766 |
| 31 | Vecinos Del Bosque | 620 | $126,000 | $37,546 |
| 32 | Bel-Air | 1,797 | $142,467 | $38,442 |
| 33 | Trumbull Village | 8,560 | $109,550 | $23,914 |
| 34 | Zuni | 708 | $186,500 | $43,350 |
| 35 | South Atrisco | 170 | $133,200 | $51,169 |
| 36 | Indian Moon | 878 | $159,300 | $45,455 |
| 37 | South Broadway | 3,439 | $118,467 | $31,396 |
| 38 | Siesta Hills | 903 | $157,100 | $39,528 |
| 39 | Academy Park | 113 | $224,900 | $51,827 |
| 40 | Huning Highland Historic District | 918 | $167,900 | $32,736 |
| 41 | Raynolds | 1,340 | $199,600 | $27,062 |
| 42 | La Sala Grande | 386 | $264,400 | $29,208 |
| 43 | Highlands North | 400 | $200,050 | $51,942 |
| 44 | Winrock South | 228 | $182,300 | $33,352 |
| 45 | Conchas Park | 925 | $160,500 | $31,728 |
| 46 | West Bluff | 1,798 | $164,200 | $47,431 |
| 46 | Stinson Tower | 593 | $159,550 | $62,210 |
| 48 | Westgate Vecinos | 2,615 | $132,333 | $46,548 |
| 49 | San Antonio | 103 | $95,200 | $52,833 |
| 50 | Alamosa | 4,205 | $126,167 | $32,277 |
| 50 | Jade Park | 746 | $95,200 | $41,900 |
| 52 | Mark Twain | 1,859 | $170,800 | $43,440 |
| 53 | Avalon | 3,355 | $87,550 | $38,703 |
| 54 | Inez | 1,092 | $199,150 | $50,619 |
| 56 | Princess Jeanne | 2,982 | $150,429 | $57,382 |
| 56 | Vista Montecito | 107 | $214,400 | $66,696 |
| 56 | Silver Hill | 1,573 | $175,000 | $28,529 |
| 58 | Elder Homestead | 1,514 | $157,100 | $39,528 |
| 59 | Northeast Valley | 1,517 | $250,950 | $58,598 |
| 60 | Pat Hurley | 1,620 | $153,400 | $39,695 |
| 61 | Near N Valley | 6,365 | $201,514 | $54,722 |
| 62 | Montgomery Park | 1,258 | $194,850 | $45,460 |
| 63 | Route 66 West | 3,621 | $143,400 | $61,600 |
| 64 | Montgomery Heights | 516 | $225,500 | $25,525 |
| 65 | Arroyo Del Oso North | 438 | $553,200 | $29,409 |
| 66 | Chelwood Vista | 1,985 | $162,400 | $37,731 |
| 67 | Huning Castle | 623 | $281,800 | $59,654 |
| 68 | Quail Ridge | 128 | $145,800 | $53,500 |
| 69 | Quaker Heights | 991 | $195,000 | $67,347 |
| 70 | Del Norte | 6,649 | $205,800 | $46,233 |
| 71 | McKinley | 3,158 | $135,033 | $52,779 |
| 72 | Alvarado Park | 1,118 | $207,000 | $41,912 |
| 73 | Plaza Vieja | 281 | $224,000 | $45,417 |
| 74 | Jackson Area | 984 | $168,300 | $68,108 |
| 74 | Matheson Park | 1,386 | $181,200 | $44,958 |
| 76 | Uptown | 3,098 | $171,650 | $43,898 |
| 77 | Story Rock | 261 | $227,200 | $78,049 |
| 78 | West Old Town | 2,152 | $221,100 | $43,700 |
| 79 | University Hts | 2,130 | $162,100 | $31,575 |
| 80 | Fair Heights | 1,097 | $161,400 | $56,250 |
| 81 | North Eastern | 3,133 | $162,600 | $58,061 |
| 82 | Academy Acres North | 5,159 | $226,517 | $63,260 |
| 83 | Richland Hills | 323 | $266,900 | $91,250 |
| 84 | San Gabriel | 940 | $259,500 | $72,583 |
| 85 | Broadway Central | 803 | $177,100 | $31,260 |
| 86 | Painted Sky | 554 | $161,100 | $68,476 |
| 87 | Del Rey R | 549 | $95,200 | $52,833 |
| 88 | Sycamore | 1,446 | $175,000 | $25,160 |
| 89 | Los Volcanes | 4,132 | $180,200 | $37,500 |
| 90 | Valley Gardens | 1,002 | $138,900 | $47,629 |
| 91 | Sombra Del Monte | 1,010 | $209,550 | $63,632 |
| 92 | Tijeras Arroyo | 4,026 | $157,700 | $70,173 |
| 93 | Academy North | 189 | $243,900 | $77,273 |
| 94 | Skyview Acres | 260 | $287,800 | $36,676 |
| 95 | Downtown | 3,345 | $196,800 | $36,005 |
| 96 | La Luz De Sol | 740 | $227,200 | $78,049 |
| 97 | Bosque Dell Acres | 267 | $287,800 | $36,676 |
| 98 | Cherry Hills | 414 | $243,900 | $77,273 |
| 99 | South Los Altos | 3,620 | $116,800 | $51,158 |
| 100 | Vista Grande | 376 | $293,200 | $56,576 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 188 Albuquerque neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Albuquerque
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Albuquerque with Albuquerque Meadows landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Albuquerque are Albuquerque Meadows, Mountain View, Alta Monte, Martineztown, Encanto Village, Wildflower, Villa De Paza, Wells Park, Yale Village, and Kirtland Community.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Albuquerque aren’t all bad. Heritage East takes the cake as the best place to live in Albuquerque.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on New Mexico? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Albuquerque FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Albuquerque?
Albuquerque Meadows ranks as the worst neighborhood in Albuquerque for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Mountain View and Alta Monte are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Albuquerque?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Albuquerque are Albuquerque Meadows, Mountain View, Alta Monte, Martineztown, Encanto Village, Wildflower, Villa De Paza, Wells Park, Yale Village, and Kirtland Community. We scored all 188 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Albuquerque Meadows rank as the worst?
Albuquerque Meadows posts the roughest combined numbers in Albuquerque: a median household income of $26,698 and a median home value of $21,200, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
