Most Americans have never been to small town New Mexico. However, as the New Mexican who live there know, small town New Mexico is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New Mexico has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Land of Enchantment. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 96 of New Mexico’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in New Mexico where you’d never want to live:
27.3% unemployment · $43,750 median income
10.8% unemployment · $45,469 median income
12.1% unemployment · $49,453 median income
18.8% unemployment · $1,000 median income
21.1% unemployment · $32,208 median income
39.2% unemployment · $53,846 median income
6.1% unemployment · $35,083 median income
3.7% unemployment · $36,133 median income
9.9% unemployment · $43,486 median income
4.8% unemployment · $43,649 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
New Mexico statewide median: 6.0%
On the map
Where New Mexico’s worst small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in New Mexico is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in New Mexico, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 96 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the worst small places to live in New Mexico.
The full plate
Worst Small Towns In New Mexico
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keeler Farm | 1,376 | 27.3% | $183,590 | $43,750 |
| 2 | Thoreau | 1,973 | 10.8% | $121,542 | $45,469 |
| 3 | Upper Fruitland | 1,457 | 12.1% | $110,052 | $49,453 |
| 4 | Jal | 2,364 | 18.8% | $135,868 | $1,000 |
| 5 | Navajo | 2,181 | 21.1% | $0 | $32,208 |
| 6 | Estancia | 1,432 | 39.2% | $211,927 | $53,846 |
| 7 | Church Rock | 1,381 | 6.1% | $49,919 | $35,083 |
| 8 | Milan | 2,327 | 3.7% | $96,391 | $36,133 |
| 9 | Hatch | 1,588 | 9.9% | $131,245 | $43,486 |
| 10 | Meadow Lake | 4,259 | 4.8% | $99,455 | $43,649 |
| 11 | Crownpoint | 2,882 | 6.9% | $78,007 | $51,011 |
| 12 | San Rafael | 1,039 | 11.2% | $153,715 | $83,423 |
| 13 | Columbus | 1,196 | 6.3% | $134,820 | $26,090 |
| 14 | Moriarty | 2,102 | 11.6% | $232,493 | $31,650 |
| 15 | San Felipe Pueblo | 1,119 | 9.9% | $268,235 | $1,000 |
| 16 | Taos Pueblo | 1,129 | 21.7% | $474,423 | $39,375 |
| 17 | La Plata | 2,233 | 8.5% | $314,746 | $57,071 |
| 17 | Lordsburg | 2,057 | 4.6% | $110,052 | $36,607 |
| 19 | Vado | 2,895 | 8.2% | $261,959 | $37,411 |
| 19 | Berino | 1,454 | 7.8% | $134,182 | $39,907 |
| 21 | Dexter | 1,128 | 10.7% | $154,448 | $43,846 |
| 22 | Clayton | 2,753 | 9.4% | $109,570 | $34,500 |
| 23 | Lee Acres | 4,272 | 15.2% | $239,254 | $44,583 |
| 24 | El Rito | 1,102 | 0.0% | $424,249 | $1,000 |
| 25 | Radium Springs | 1,908 | 8.7% | $173,759 | $43,836 |
| 26 | Dulce | 3,218 | 5.9% | $68,048 | $39,773 |
| 27 | Mountainair | 1,178 | 10.4% | $173,788 | $43,021 |
| 28 | Bayard | 2,057 | 12.8% | $104,463 | $34,477 |
| 29 | La Luz | 1,797 | 26.4% | $266,363 | $46,655 |
| 29 | Ohkay Owingeh | 1,194 | 2.6% | $0 | $47,067 |
| 31 | Loving | 1,357 | 16.2% | $219,082 | $43,884 |
| 32 | La Union | 1,071 | 8.2% | $321,474 | $56,411 |
| 33 | Dixon | 1,623 | 10.4% | $501,362 | $54,231 |
| 34 | Skyline-Ganipa | 1,226 | 5.3% | $107,115 | $56,992 |
| 35 | Waterflow | 1,140 | 10.5% | $247,861 | $61,429 |
| 36 | Rock Springs | 1,013 | 2.0% | $22,981 | $97,155 |
| 37 | McIntosh | 1,943 | 5.8% | $215,125 | $56,566 |
| 38 | University Park | 2,782 | 14.0% | $0 | $30,156 |
| 39 | Santo Domingo Pueblo | 2,370 | 9.1% | $199,676 | $57,375 |
| 40 | Eunice | 3,015 | 6.3% | $144,482 | $49,087 |
| 41 | West Hammond | 2,236 | 8.5% | $267,214 | $48,929 |
| 42 | El Valle de Arroyo Seco | 1,293 | 0.0% | $0 | $67,826 |
| 43 | Black Rock | 1,125 | 1.7% | $129,075 | $46,000 |
| 44 | Paraje | 1,333 | 0.0% | $0 | $33,239 |
| 45 | Los Luceros | 1,136 | 0.3% | $0 | $1,000 |
| 46 | Boles Acres | 1,848 | 1.8% | $0 | $52,788 |
| 47 | Arenas Valley | 1,247 | 7.7% | $167,624 | $44,300 |
| 48 | Santa Clara | 1,809 | 6.2% | $91,900 | $57,898 |
| 49 | Algodones | 1,479 | 7.2% | $392,075 | $67,994 |
| 50 | Polvadera | 1,033 | 0.0% | $157,928 | $27,158 |
| 51 | Agua Fria | 2,898 | 7.9% | $345,221 | $65,101 |
| 52 | Ruidoso Downs | 2,655 | 3.4% | $229,511 | $31,354 |
| 53 | Holloman AFB | 4,433 | 11.9% | $0 | $52,465 |
| 54 | Tularosa | 2,597 | 20.2% | $184,071 | $52,375 |
| 55 | Questa | 2,466 | 3.0% | $298,110 | $47,308 |
| 56 | Jemez Pueblo | 2,199 | 8.5% | $363,670 | $55,551 |
| 57 | Springer | 1,017 | 1.9% | $111,073 | $50,345 |
| 58 | Pojoaque | 2,327 | 7.0% | $211,422 | $74,028 |
| 59 | Santa Rosa | 2,462 | 2.4% | $142,480 | $48,789 |
| 60 | Flora Vista | 2,770 | 0.0% | $303,288 | $44,352 |
| 61 | Nambe | 2,035 | 9.3% | $384,926 | $59,375 |
| 62 | Hurley | 1,044 | 3.4% | $109,276 | $36,202 |
| 63 | Santa Ana Pueblo | 1,026 | 2.9% | $191,506 | $86,250 |
| 64 | Cannon AFB | 2,405 | 18.9% | $0 | $63,000 |
| 64 | Tesuque | 1,079 | 19.5% | $1,084,305 | $55,865 |
| 66 | Jarales | 2,144 | 0.0% | $0 | $55,676 |
| 67 | Tome | 1,723 | 13.9% | $343,816 | $85,448 |
| 68 | Ranchos de Taos | 2,536 | 14.3% | $418,542 | $1,000 |
| 69 | Ponderosa Pine | 1,442 | 4.9% | $400,502 | $87,361 |
| 70 | Chimayo | 2,390 | 1.0% | $339,441 | $56,484 |
| 71 | Elephant Butte | 1,790 | 5.3% | $233,337 | $53,482 |
| 71 | San Ysidro | 2,118 | 15.8% | $428,079 | $89,473 |
| 73 | Capitan | 1,191 | 6.5% | $261,728 | $52,864 |
| 74 | La Cienega | 3,543 | 1.5% | $660,184 | $85,250 |
| 75 | Angel Fire | 1,111 | 1.2% | $501,804 | $107,554 |
| 76 | Cuartelez | 1,512 | 20.8% | $389,012 | $114,151 |
| 77 | Los Chaves | 4,838 | 1.6% | $364,754 | $79,662 |
| 78 | High Rolls | 1,313 | 0.0% | $328,879 | $86,375 |
| 79 | El Rancho | 1,451 | 0.9% | $359,264 | $80,417 |
| 80 | Spencerville | 1,264 | 3.3% | $325,559 | $78,899 |
| 81 | El Cerro | 2,923 | 4.5% | $397,693 | $106,136 |
| 82 | Atoka | 1,347 | 0.0% | $148,353 | $83,704 |
| 83 | Mesilla | 1,717 | 6.8% | $384,799 | $74,750 |
| 84 | Arroyo Seco | 2,112 | 4.5% | $628,574 | $62,348 |
| 85 | Las Maravillas | 1,594 | 3.4% | $293,642 | $63,375 |
| 86 | Bosque Farms | 4,071 | 5.9% | $429,396 | $82,188 |
| 87 | La Mesilla | 2,697 | 1.9% | $403,183 | $81,438 |
| 88 | Pecos | 1,204 | 7.0% | $392,458 | $88,490 |
| 89 | Peralta | 3,404 | 4.3% | $404,893 | $73,131 |
| 90 | White Sands | 1,609 | 0.0% | $0 | $89,565 |
| 91 | Sandia Knolls | 1,445 | 3.8% | $375,223 | $91,827 |
| 92 | Paradise Hills | 4,591 | 4.3% | $325,049 | $73,295 |
| 93 | La Huerta | 1,288 | 0.0% | $440,591 | $78,861 |
| 94 | La Villita | 1,534 | 0.0% | $323,644 | $104,162 |
| 95 | Placitas CDP (Sandoval County) | 4,223 | 3.5% | $717,635 | $109,750 |
| 96 | Sandia Heights | 3,160 | 3.5% | $855,519 | $143,646 |
Source: FBI crime data + U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 96 New Mexico towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In New Mexico
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Land of Enchantment with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The worst small towns in New Mexico are Keeler Farm, Thoreau, Upper Fruitland, Jal, Navajo, Estancia, Church Rock, Milan, Hatch, and Meadow Lake. Not sold on New Mexico? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Small Towns In New Mexico FAQs
What is the worst small town in New Mexico?
Keeler Farm is the worst small town in New Mexico for 2026, according to the data. The median household income there is $43,750 and unemployment sits at 27.3%.
What are the worst small towns in New Mexico?
The worst small towns in New Mexico are Keeler Farm, Thoreau, Upper Fruitland, Jal, Navajo, Estancia, Church Rock, Milan, Hatch, and Meadow Lake. We ranked all 96 New Mexico towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Why does Keeler Farm rank as the worst small town?
Keeler Farm posts the worst combined score on the measures we track: unemployment at 27.3%, a median income of $43,750, and a median home value of $183,590. Low housing demand and dropout rates factor in too.
Which small town in New Mexico came out best?
Sandia Heights lands at the bottom of the worst-towns ranking, which makes it the best of the 96 small towns we scored. Our separate best small towns in New Mexico ranking covers the happier end in detail.
How serious is this ranking?
The data is real — density, unemployment, housing demand, income, dropouts, and crime — but the framing is infotainment. If you love your small town, the numbers will not change that; they just say times are tougher in these 96 places.
