New Mexico’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Results from our latest State of Safety survey suggest that crime is falling across New Mexico. However, official FBI data reveals New Mexico has the highest property crime rate one of the highest violent crime rates nationwide. About 54% of New Mexico respondents say they worry about their safety every day—the same percentage as last year. New Mexicans also reported the lowest confidence level nationwide when asked if they feel safe in their state. 

The violent crime rate in New Mexico is 8.78 incidents per 1,000 people, which is nearly double the national average of 4.43 and the fourth highest in the nation. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, New Mexico reported a slightly higher violent crime rate of 9.0.

On the other hand, property crime in The Land of Enchantment increased in recent years, rising from 32.2 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 38.56 incidents in this year's report. That's the highest property crime rate nationwide. For comparison, the national average is 22.89, and the lowest rate is 9.67 (Idaho). 

New Mexicans who took our State of Safety survey report the lowest confidence level nationwide. For the second year in a row, just 28% say they feel safe calling New Mexico home.

New Mexicans report the highest level of property crime experience and the second highest level of package theft experience nationwide. As such, it's no surprise that they also report the highest national levels of concern for both crimes.

• 25% of New Mexicans said they personally experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is a dramatic drop from 46% the previous year (US 21%).
• 58% of our survey participants said they worry about property crime on a daily basis, which is the third highest percentage nationwide but down from 71% the year before (US 46%).
• 27% of New Mexicans experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey, a substantial decrease from from 47% the year before (US 31%).
• 51% told us they worry about package theft, down from 67% the year before (US 44%).
• New Mexico residents prefer to protect their property with security cameras (48%), security systems (32%), and guard dogs (32%).

• 74% of New Mexico residents worries about drought, which is the highest percentage in the nation. 
• New Mexico residents are also among those most likely to worry about extreme temperatures (73%), but their neighbors in Arizona and Texas report the highest levels of concern nationwide at 77% and 74%, respectively.
• 65% of New Mexicans said they worry about fires and smoke, which is the third highest percentage in the country (US 47%). 
• 13% of our survey participants said they had evacuated due to a natural disaster in the 8 months prior to our survey, which is higher than the national average of 9%.

Concern about violent crime neither increased nor decreased in The Land of Enchantment compared to last year. Personal experiences with violent crime are declining, but New Mexicans are still more likely to have first-hand experience with violent crime than the average American.

• 15% of New Mexicans said they personally experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 19% the year before (US 12%).
• The percentage of New Mexico residents who worry about violent crime stayed at 67% year over year.
• Residents in only three other states worry more about violent crime than New Mexicans. 
• 37% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection.
• New Mexico residents prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (51%), pocket knives (43%), and firearms (43%). 

• 65% of New Mexico respondents named gun violence as a top safety concern, up from 62% the year before (US 55%).
• 15% said they had a personal experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey, up from 10% the previous year (US 9%). Only three other states reported higher percentages. 
• New Mexico experienced 2 mass shooting incidents in 2025, the same as the year before

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.

• 22 New Mexico cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Anthony  is this year's safest city in New Mexico.
• Property crime rates have decreased the last two years in a row in Anthony, Rio Rancho, and Las Vegas.
• Violent crime rates have decreased the last two years in a row in Sunland Park and Rio Rancho.
• Most of New Mexico's safest cities are suburbs of metros like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and El Paso. Notable exceptions include Grants, Artesia, and Bloomfield. 
• All of New Mexico's safest cities reported zero murders except for Corrales (1), Las Vegas (1), and Rio Rancho (8).
• Anthony reported zero rapes.
• Anthony and Los Alamos reported zero robberies.

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