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Most Americans have never been to New Mexico. However, as the people who live there know, New Mexico is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New Mexico has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Land Of Enchantment. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 70 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:
These are the worst small towns in New Mexico for 2020:
So what is the worst small town to call home in new mexico for 2020? According to the most recent census data, Thoreau is the worst small town to live in New Mexico.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since New Mexico has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in New Mexico or the worst places to live in New Mexico.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In New Mexico For 2020
/10
Population: 1,666
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $50,700 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 27.9% (2nd worst)
More on Thoreau: Data
/10
Population: 1,361
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $43,300 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.7% (15th worst)
More on Mescalero: Data
/10
Population: 1,008
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $37,500 (1st worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.5% (19th worst)
More on Twin Lakes: Data
/10
Population: 4,253
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $67,800 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.6% (13th worst)
More on Meadow Lake: Data
/10
Population: 1,498
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $47,300 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.8% (9th worst)
More on Navajo: Data
/10
Population: 1,165
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $65,400 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.6% (25th worst)
More on Columbus: Data
/10
Population: 1,489
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $78,800 (22nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 21.7% (5th worst)
More on Hatch: Data
/10
Population: 1,684
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $65,500 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 25.3% (3rd worst)
More on Black Rock: Data
/10
Population: 2,500
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $63,400 (9th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 21.2% (6th worst)
More on Crownpoint: Data
/10
Population: 1,804
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $74,400 (19th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.8% (27th worst)
More on Keeler Farm: Data
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in New Mexico, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in New Mexico for 2020
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2014-2018 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 a lot - 70 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
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.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in New Mexico, according to science:
- Placitas CDP (Sandoval County) (Pop. 4,441)
- Sandia Knolls (Pop. 1,566)
- Sandia Heights (Pop. 3,366)
For more New Mexico reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In New Mexico
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Thoreau | 1,666 |
2 | Mescalero | 1,361 |
3 | Twin Lakes | 1,008 |
4 | Meadow Lake | 4,253 |
5 | Navajo | 1,498 |
6 | Columbus | 1,165 |
7 | Hatch | 1,489 |
8 | Black Rock | 1,684 |
9 | Crownpoint | 2,500 |
10 | Keeler Farm | 1,804 |
11 | Laguna | 1,151 |
12 | Berino | 1,610 |
13 | Lordsburg | 2,539 |
14 | Ruidoso Downs | 2,597 |
15 | La Luz | 1,472 |
16 | Vado | 2,579 |
17 | Dulce | 2,663 |
18 | El Cerro Mission | 4,734 |
19 | Tucumcari | 4,958 |
20 | San Miguel | 1,054 |
21 | Fort Sumner | 1,228 |
22 | Estancia | 1,643 |
23 | Milan | 3,636 |
24 | Clayton | 3,104 |
25 | Fairacres | 1,309 |
26 | Radium Springs | 1,731 |
27 | Jemez Pueblo | 2,031 |
28 | Dexter | 1,091 |
29 | Moriarty | 2,223 |
30 | Santa Clara | 1,783 |
31 | Jal | 2,032 |
32 | Texico | 1,229 |
33 | San Pablo | 1,046 |
34 | Sausal | 1,944 |
35 | Pecos | 1,594 |
36 | Loving | 1,212 |
37 | Bayard | 2,419 |
38 | Jarales | 2,060 |
39 | Santa Rosa | 3,426 |
40 | Valencia | 1,826 |
41 | Boles Acres | 1,899 |
42 | Eunice | 3,059 |
43 | Questa | 2,019 |
44 | El Valle De Arroyo Seco | 1,721 |
45 | Agua Fria | 2,959 |
46 | Pojoaque | 2,018 |
47 | Waterflow | 1,769 |
48 | La Cienega | 3,526 |
49 | West Hammond | 2,787 |
50 | Nambe | 1,814 |
51 | Arenas Valley | 1,647 |
52 | La Puebla | 1,005 |
53 | Hurley | 1,439 |
54 | Elephant Butte | 1,366 |
55 | Flora Vista | 1,799 |
56 | Tularosa | 2,931 |
57 | Capitan | 1,441 |
58 | Ranchos De Taos | 2,460 |
59 | Carnuel | 1,724 |
60 | Spencerville | 1,746 |
61 | Peralta | 3,577 |
62 | Ponderosa Pine | 1,057 |
63 | San Ysidro | 2,091 |
64 | Mesilla | 2,138 |
65 | Las Maravillas | 1,668 |
66 | Bosque Farms | 3,827 |
67 | El Rancho | 1,088 |
68 | Placitas Cdp (Sandoval County) | 4,441 |
69 | Sandia Knolls | 1,566 |
70 | Sandia Heights | 3,366 |
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