New Mexico’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Attitudes about crime and safety show high levels of concern and experience with crime in New Mexico. According to our State of Safety survey, 56% of New Mexico respondents say they worry about their safety every day—the seventh-highest level of concern in the US. Just one in four New Mexicans feel safe calling New Mexico home, putting The Land of Enchantment in third place for where people feel least safe overall.

Last year we didn't have enough reliable data to calculate crime rates or rank cities for New Mexico, so we won't be able to share year over year comparisons on crime rates.

New Mexico continues to have higher-than-average crime rates across the board, with the highest violent crime rate in the country and the third-highest property crime rate. The state's violent crime rate is 9.0 incidents per 1,000 people, but the safest cities reported only 2.3 per 1,000. 

Property crime came in at 32.2 incidents per 1,000 people, but again, the safest cities did much better, reporting just 5.5 incidents per 1,000.

Reflecting the state's high property crime rate, New Mexicans' personal experiences with property crime increased year over year to 40%, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the nation. With that said, 36% of New Mexicans said they increased their security or safety measures in the 12 months prior to the survey.

• 6 in 10 survey respondents (61%) said they're highly concerned about property crime on a regular basis (US 52%).
• Property crime experiences increased from 39% to 40% year over year (US 27%). That's the second-highest in the US.
• 39% of New Mexicans experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is the same as last year and the eleventh-highest rate in the nation.
• 77% told us they use some type of security measures to protect their property.
• 42% of survey respondents said they rely on guard dogs to protect their property in New Mexico, followed by 36% who use security cameras. 
• Verified delivery is the most popular way (29%) New Mexico respondents protect their packages from porch pirates. 

New Mexicans have the fourteenth-highest level of concern about violent crime in the nation with 58% of State of Survey respondents indicating they worry about it on a daily basis. Concern about gun violence is higher with 60% of participants reporting daily concern.

• 25% of people in New Mexico reported feeling safe in their state compared to 45% of Americans. 
• New Mexico's violent crime rate of 9.0 incidents per 1,000 people is 127% higher than the nationwide rate of 4.0. It's also the highest of any state.
• 18% of New Mexicans reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is 19% above the national average and represents an increase of 20% year over year for New Mexico.
• 4 in 10 survey participants report using some form of personal protection— above the US average of 36%.
• Pepper spray and pocket knives are the most popular personal safety devices carried, each used by 45% of survey respondents.

• 6 in 10 New Mexico respondents named gun violence as a top safety concern—well above the US average of 51%.
• 14% of residents reported experiencing gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, down 13% from our previous report.
• Mass shooting incidents decreased 25% in New Mexico in 2023, falling from 4 to 3.
• 40% of respondents rely on a concealed firearm for personal protection and 35% use firearms for home security.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 24 cities met criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Los Alamos is the safest city in New Mexico, reporting just 71 total crimes among its population of nearly 20,000. 
• 3 cities reported no murders: Los Alamos, Corrales, and Anthony.
• Grant is the only city to report no rapes.
• Although Sunland Park saw upticks in its crime rates year over year, it still came in as the fifth-safest city in New Mexico.
• The collective violent crime rate of the safest cities is 2.3 incidents per 1,000 people—75% below the statewide rate. 
• The collective property crime rate of the safest cities is 5.5 incidents per 1,000 people—83% below the statewide rate.

• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.