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 19 cities in the Land of Enchantment with over 6,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In New Mexico
What city has the highest murder rate in New Mexico? The city with the highest murder rate in New Mexico is Grants with 32.6 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 125 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in New Mexico ranked. There were ‘only’ 19 cities in New Mexico where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 13 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Land of Enchantment check out:
- Best Places To Live In New Mexico
- Cheapest Places To Live In New Mexico
- Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico
The 10 Murder Capitals Of New Mexico For 2024
/10
Population: 9,199
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.6 (Most)
More on Grants: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 560,557
Murders: 125 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.3 (2nd Most)
More on Albuquerque: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 47,625
Murders: 9 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.9 (3rd Most)
More on Roswell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 11,322
Murders: 2 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.7 (4th Most)
More on Lovington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 6,125
Murders: 1 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.3 (5th Most)
More on Edgewood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 7,335
Murders: 1 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.6 (6th Most)
More on Bloomfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 7,460
Murders: 1 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.4 (7th Most)
More on Belen: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 7,826
Murders: 1 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.8 (8th Most)
More on Ruidoso: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 21,228
Murders: 2 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.4 (9th Most)
More on Gallup: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 114,102
Murders: 10 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.8 (10th Most)
More on Las Cruces: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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 19 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 Grants. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in New Mexico. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In New Mexico For 2024
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 Grants, Albuquerque, Roswell, Lovington, Edgewood, Bloomfield, Belen, Ruidoso, Gallup, and Las Cruces.
For more New Mexico reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New Mexico
- Fastest Growing Cities In New Mexico
- Safest Places In New Mexico
- Best Cities For Singles In New Mexico
- Worst Places To Live In New Mexico
Murder Rates By City In New Mexico
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grants, NM | 9199 | 3 | 32.61 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 560557 | 125 | 22.3 |
| 3 | Roswell, NM | 47625 | 9 | 18.9 |
| 4 | Lovington, NM | 11322 | 2 | 17.66 |
| 5 | Edgewood, NM | 6125 | 1 | 16.33 |
| 6 | Bloomfield, NM | 7335 | 1 | 13.63 |
| 7 | Belen, NM | 7460 | 1 | 13.4 |
| 8 | Ruidoso, NM | 7826 | 1 | 12.78 |
| 9 | Gallup, NM | 21228 | 2 | 9.42 |
| 10 | Las Cruces, NM | 114102 | 10 | 8.76 |
| 11 | Farmington, NM | 46249 | 4 | 8.65 |
| 12 | Portales, NM | 11975 | 1 | 8.35 |
| 13 | Hobbs, NM | 38912 | 3 | 7.71 |
| 14 | Las Vegas, NM | 13151 | 1 | 7.6 |
| 15 | Sunland Park, NM | 17441 | 1 | 5.73 |
| 16 | Santa Fe, NM | 88705 | 5 | 5.64 |
| 17 | Carlsbad, NM | 31532 | 1 | 3.17 |
| 18 | Rio Rancho, NM | 107435 | 3 | 2.79 |
| 19 | Clovis, NM | 37734 | 1 | 2.65 |