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In New Mexico it's a given that you have to watch out for flying saucers and aliens in Roswell and temperatures that could fry an egg on a sidewalk, but did you know that you also have to watch out for the state's most dangerous places?
That's right. There really are dangerous places in New Mexico. Some might say it's because there are a lot of illegals, some might say the state needs to offer better jobs with competitive salaries, and some might say that it's just people being people; any way you look at it, the numbers don't lie. And lucky for you, RoadSnacks is here to tell you the top ten most dangerous places in The Land of Enchantment for 2021.
How'd we determine the most dangerous places in New Mexico? We consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 22 cities. We looked at the FBI's latest crime report for violent crime and property crime statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents.
We discovered a couple of things. One, the residents of New Mexico should not be too shocked by this considering they are the number two most dangerous state in the country. Two, the state's violent crime and property crime numbers have left the national average in the dust.in a bad way, And three, you should probably take a look at our list before you make in life changing decisions.
Have we piqued your interest? Want to know more about our methodology and where the most dangerous places in New Mexico are located? Keep reading.
The Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico For 2021
- Gallup (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Belen (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Deming (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Los Lunas (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Roswell (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Clovis (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Artesia (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Las Cruces (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Taos (Photos | Homes For Sale )
- Bernalillo (Photos | Homes For Sale )
Yes, the state has 146 law enforcement agencies employing close to 5,000 police officers, but they just can't be everywhere. So, bigger cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe are starting to feel the effects; but, the place that's getting hit the worst is New Mexico's most dangerous place, Gallup.
The New Mexico places on our most dangerous list could definitely use a hug. If you're looking to be that diamond in the ruff, or you're just curious to see if your city made the list, take a look at our list below. And if you don't see your city there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in New Mexico.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more New Mexico reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In New Mexico
- Cheapest Places To Live In New Mexico
- Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico
The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In New Mexico For 2021
Located in the northwest corner of New Mexico, Gallup is famous for being mentioned in the song Route 66. But now, Gallup is also famous because it ranks highest in property crime and second highest in violent crime, making it the most dangerous city in New Mexico for 2021. These numbers may be why Gallup is also known for being one of the worst places to live in New Mexico.
Gallup experienced 437 violent crimes, mostly aggravated assault. And of the property crimes, residents experienced 987 personal property crimes. For a city with a population of 21,935 those numbers are high. So if you're taking a ride down Route 66 and stop in Gallup, watch out for suspicious characters and keep your valuables close to you.
Belen is Spanish for Bethlehem, but this small town is not quite peaceful. For a town of 7,094, Belen has a lot of crime, and its 188% higher than the national average. That means you have a 1 in 49 chance of being a victim of murder, rape, robbery, or aggravated assault. And you have a 1 in 19 chance of being a victim of property crime. Thats why Belen ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021 and is also on the worst places to live in New Mexico list too.
Belen may be a historic community in the Rio Grande Valley but not a safe place to live.
When Deming was founded, residents nicknamed it New Chicago. Being located at a major railroad hub, everyone believed that Deming would grow to be a large, bustling city. Deming never did grow as expected, but it has one thing in common with the big city of Chicago -- crime.
Deming is has been one of the worst place sto live in New Mexico last several years. With crime statistics like residents having a 1 in 19 chance of a property crime and ranking fourth highest in violent crime, its no wonder why Deming ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021.
Los Lunas is one of the fastest-growing cities in New Mexico. Maybe thats why Los Lunas is also one of the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021, which is up 1 from last year.
Located 19 miles south of Albuquerque, Los Lunas was named after the first settlers, the Luna family. Todays residents have a 1 in 24 chance of being a property crime victim and a 1 in 77 chance of being a victim of a violent crime victim like rape, robbery, or aggravated assault. As part of the growing Albuquerque metropolitan area, Los Lunas is also one of the richest cities in New Mexico.
The 1% in this town better hold on to their valuables.
Known for the UFO incident of 1947, Roswell ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021. Roswell is the county seat of Chaves County and is also the home to Eastern New Mexico University. If you live in Roswell, you can almost guarantee that someone has tried to steal your personal property with larceny numbers at 1,362.
Not only is Roswell on this list, but its also on the worst places to live in the New Mexico list. Because these numbers are up 4 from last year, Roswell residents and the little green men can't be happy that.
Clovis may be one of the most diverse places to live in New Mexico, but its also one of the most dangerous cities in New Mexico as well. Located near the Texas border, Clovis is named after the indigenous people of the area believed to have traveled over the Bering Strait to follow migrating mammoths.
Clovis is one of the best cities for singles but it also ranks number 1 in rape and number 10 in murder for the entire state.
But these numbers are a bit misleading because residents have something to celebrate. Cloviss ranking on this list is down 6 from last year.
Be careful when you walk down Main Street in this small town. Artesia ranks ninth highest in violent crime and ninth highest in property crime. Although Artesia is down 7 from last year, residents have a 1 in 32 chance of being a victim of a property crime and a 1 in 190 chance of being a violent crime victim. For a town of 12,366, those numbers are alarming.
Named after the artesian aquifer in the area, Artesia is between Roswell to its north and Carlsbad to its south. Its ironic that Aretesia also ranks as one of the best places to live in New Mexico.
Home to New Mexico State University, Las Cruces is the second-largest city in New Mexico. Residents in Las Cruces have a 1 in 201 chance of being a victim of a violent crime and a 1 in 27 chance of being a property crime victim.
Las Cruces is one of the fastest-growing cities and is one of the best places for singles in New Mexico. Not only that, its one of the most expensive places to live. Maybe thats why crime rates are up 7 from last year.
If you live in the city of crosses, be sure to keep your purses, wallets, and cell phone in your sights at all times.
Located in the Sangre de Cristos Mountains in Northern New Mexico, the artist residents of Taos have a 1 in 18 chance of being a victim of a property crime, which is a lot for a town of 5,963. But the good news is that crime is down 3 from last year.
Taos is one of the most diverse cities in New Mexico. But it also is number 9 on the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021.
If youre thinking about relocating or retiring to Taos to experience the clean air and mythical light, just know that this town is also known as one of the worst places to live in New Mexico.
Known for its local vineyards, Bernalillo ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021, which is 10 from last year. For a town of 10,353, residents have a 1 in 121 chance of being a victim of a violent crime, particularly aggravated assault. Bernalillo not only made this list, but it also is one of the worst places to live and one of the most expensive places to live in New Mexico.
Bernalillo is located in the Sandia Mountains and hugs the banks of the Rio Grande River.
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In New Mexico
How we determined the most dangerous cities in New Mexico for 2021?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2019 data, specifically the 2019 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2021.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered New Mexico cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 22 cities in New Mexico.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 22 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one "Dangerous Index".
Finally, we ranked every city on the "Dangerous Index" with the lowest index being the most dangerous in New Mexico -- Gallup. Any ties went to the smaller city. You can download the data here.
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in New Mexico.
Locking It All Up In New Mexico
The latest FBI crime data shows that Gallup ranks as the most dangerous city in New Mexico for 2021.
We want to point out again that there's still safes places in Gallup and that this isn't a comment on the people that live there. So please don't beat us up.
If you're curious enough, here are the safest cities in New Mexico:
- Rio Rancho (Pop. 99,359)
- Raton (Pop. 5,939)
- Corrales (Pop. 8,715)
For more New Mexico reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New Mexico
- Safest Places In New Mexico
- Worst Places To Live In New Mexico
Where Are The Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gallup | 21,935 |
| 2 | Belen | 7,094 |
| 3 | Deming | 14,011 |
| 4 | Los Lunas | 15,929 |
| 5 | Roswell | 47,533 |
| 6 | Clovis | 38,734 |
| 7 | Artesia | 12,366 |
| 8 | Las Cruces | 103,520 |
| 9 | Taos | 5,963 |
| 10 | Bernalillo | 10,353 |
How Is Your Town In ?
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