Albuquerque, New Mexico

Area Profile

562,218 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Albuquerque, in Bernalillo County.

58out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 48% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
Opportunity3,871st of 4,199 cities measured32
SchoolsTop 30% of 4,162 cities measured65
Growth2,299th of 4,224 cities measured48
Housing affordability2,115th of 4,218 cities measured67
ClimateTop 45% of 4,225 cities measured71
Physical resilienceTop 38% of 4,226 cities measured69
AccessTop 31% of 4,226 cities measured97
Economic stability2,901st of 4,226 cities measured47
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 5.3% and the Opportunity signal places Albuquerque in the bottom 8%.

In the public schools here, 25% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 12.7 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 31% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.3 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
562,218
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$68,317
Top 48% nationally
Density
3,002/sq mi
187.3 sq mi of land
Median age
38.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
New Mexico
Metro area
Nearest major airport
ABQ
5 mi · Albuquerque Intl Sunport
Median home value
$291,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.3% — higher than in all but 17% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 2.9% over the past year, to 274,851 employed residents.

39% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 81% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsBernalillo County, NM’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$59,61926th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftBernalillo County, NM’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$69,18943rd percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$1,6772024 ACS 5-Year$68,317Top 48%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$6292024 ACS 5-Year$40,469Top 32%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year14.9%Bottom 35%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year23.6 minTop 33%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year39.2%Top 19%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year70.7%30th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 2026274,851Top 27%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−2.7%Bottom 16%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−2.9%Bottom 9%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 2026290,12873rd percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year78.8%Top 48%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageAlbuquerque, NM Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$64,480Bottom 29%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageAlbuquerque, NM Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$48,060Bottom 23%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year0.9%83rd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.6%Bottom 15%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20265.3%Bottom 17%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year15.0%76th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/077.42.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.3% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 2 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202468k56k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $68,317 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Albuquerque, NM

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides16,860$30,170
Fast Food and Counter Workers14,510$29,140
Retail Salespersons11,370$34,160
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive11,020$46,950
Registered Nurses10,290$96,040
Customer Service Representatives10,270$41,790

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

25% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 33% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.7 students for every full-time teacher across 140 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
149
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.7
across 140 of them
Math proficiency
24.9%
Top 32% in New Mexico
Reading proficiency
33.2%
Top 50% in New Mexico
The 12 largest of 149 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Volcano Vista HighALBUQUERQUE2,08913.425%40%
Sandia HighALBUQUERQUE1,61814.328%46%
Eldorado HighALBUQUERQUE1,57914.628%46%
Albuquerque HighALBUQUERQUE1,56814.810%36%
Cibola HighALBUQUERQUE1,51715.523%49%
Explore Academy · charterEXPLORE ACADEMY1,41312.348%63%
Mission Achievement and Success 1.0 · charterMISSION ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS1,19315.531%35%
Manzano HighALBUQUERQUE1,15712.912%38%
Highland HighALBUQUERQUE1,14413.56%19%
Del Norte HighALBUQUERQUE1,07915.411%26%
Abq School of Excellence · charterABQ SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE1,00516.543%50%
Valley HighALBUQUERQUE96213.08%25%

89.2% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against New Mexico’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 6% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 93.6, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Albuquerque, NM Metro Area is up 45% over five years, and up 2.2% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,678 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.92% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,464, some 28% above the $1,145 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,464 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $58,600 a year, about 86% of the median household income here of $68,317.

The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,145 a month.

A median home at $291,500 costs 3.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $88,372, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
93.6

Prices here run about 6% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Albuquerque, NM Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
31.4%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,464
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,145
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$291,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Albuquerque’s median household income of $68,317, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Albuquerque, NM Metro Area’s figure202393.6Top 21%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Albuquerque, NM Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+2.2%35th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Albuquerque, NM Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+44.6%55th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Albuquerque, NM Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+93.5%51st percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year3.3Bottom 28%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year61.8%23rd percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±9292024 ACS 5-Year258,17899th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,185Top 36%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,036Top 43%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,464Top 38%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$172024 ACS 5-Year$1,145Bottom 35%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$3,3102024 ACS 5-Year$291,50071st percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$322024 ACS 5-Year$2,67869th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,2152024 ACS 5-Year$88,372Top 38%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year0.92%47th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year31.4%Bottom 34%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±4082024 ACS 5-Year1,50899th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.6%58th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year5.0%39th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1,0592024 ACS 5-Year14,44599th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

48/ 100
Ranks 2,299 of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 560,326 in 2024.

Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before: 1,417 units authorized in 2025, up 29% on the prior year.

63% of the 1,524 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

Federal tax returns show Bernalillo County, which contains Albuquerque, lost about 0.5% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $59,619, below the $69,189 of households that moved out.

At 2.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
1,524
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.7
Top 49% nationally
Year over year
+18%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
62.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024565k560k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.5%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
61%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$59,619
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$69,189
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Sandoval County, NM 3,033 people · 14% of arrivals
  2. Valencia County, NM 1,166 people · 5.2% of arrivals
  3. Santa Fe County, NM 1,123 people · 5.0% of arrivals
  4. Maricopa County, AZ 670 people · 3.0% of arrivals
  5. McKinley County, NM 538 people · 2.4% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Sandoval County, NM 4,183 people · 17% of departures
  2. Valencia County, NM 1,768 people · 7.0% of departures
  3. Maricopa County, AZ 1,014 people · 4.0% of departures
  4. Santa Fe County, NM 855 people · 3.4% of departures
  5. Torrance County, NM 401 people · 1.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Bernalillo County, NM. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2020202120222023202420252k865
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+64%).

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 91°F and January a low of 26°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 8.8 inches, including 7.9 inches of snow.

Air quality measures a median index of 61, in the Moderate band, and about 30 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station ALBUQUERQUE INTL AP, 4.7 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND1.6"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year972024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals8.8"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals7.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals26°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals91°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year302024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year612024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals42°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
61
Moderate on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
97
90th percentile index
Days above 100
30
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

69 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and heat wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 61% of it. Inland flooding and heat wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

EarthquakeModerate
WildfireModerate
DroughtModerate
AvalancheModerate

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, lightning, inland flooding, heat wave, hail, strong wind, ice storm, cold wave, tornado, landslide, volcanic activity, tsunami, hurricane, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
1,024
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
4,044
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Albuquerque's police department reported 1,024 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 4,044.

Bernalillo County records 11.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 23.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 52.9 per 100,000 residents in Bernalillo County.

Homicide
11.8
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
23.1
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
52.9
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
23.2
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Albuquerque’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Albuquerque (Bernalillo County) rather than Albuquerque itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Albuquerque Intl Sunport at 5 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year90.5%Top 47%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle5 miTop 9%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle3Bottom 20%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year6.5%Top 45%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Albuquerque Intl SunportABQ5 mi13,793 ft
Santa Fe RgnlSAF47 mi8,366 ft
Las Vegas MuniLVS93 mi8,199 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
58
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Other cities in Albuquerque, NM

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
Rio RanchoSandoval County108,51553Rio Rancho vs Albuquerque
South ValleyBernalillo County37,12051South Valley vs Albuquerque
Los LunasValencia County18,61847Los Lunas vs Albuquerque
Los AlamosSandoval County13,31767
North ValleyBernalillo County10,45554

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Albuquerque side by side with a similar place.

Albuquerque vs ProvidenceAlbuquerque vs Topeka

Moving to Albuquerque from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Albuquerque

13 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Albuquerque with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Albuquerque closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
8711470,117$84,277$333,40060
8712066,097$86,907$300,60055
8711157,085$90,290$379,50064
8711244,250$73,937$281,400—
8712342,252$64,359$249,500—
8711039,685$64,892$273,900—
8710939,324$58,900$325,800—
8710836,331$42,724$243,200—
8710727,566$61,672$311,800—
8710626,953$49,781$354,200—
8710220,123$42,990$197,300—
8711316,074$95,922$385,200—
8710412,853$75,436$362,500—