New Mexico earns a composite livability score of 49.1, placing it just slightly below the national median of 50.0. This score reflects a state that balances high affordability against significant economic and health-related challenges across its 33 counties.

A Haven for Low Taxes and Affordability

The state's strongest assets are its tax score of 77.0 and cost score of 64.0, indicating a highly favorable climate for personal finance. These figures suggest that residents enjoy a significantly lower financial burden than the average American when it comes to daily expenses and state levies.

Lagging Income and Health Metrics

New Mexico faces its steepest hurdles in the income and health dimensions, which score 26.0 and 37.7 respectively. A risk score of 41.1 further highlights vulnerabilities that drag down the overall composite, despite the state's low cost of living.

Rural Harding and Wealthy Los Alamos Shine

Harding County leads the state with a 71.2 composite score due to elite tax and cost marks above 91.0. Los Alamos County follows at 68.5 with a nearly perfect 99.7 income score, while Catron County ranks third at 64.0 for its extreme affordability.

Best for Budget-Conscious or Remote Professionals

With its 49.1 composite score, New Mexico is a prime destination for retirees and remote workers who can trade local job market access for low taxes. It offers high value for those who prioritize stretching their dollar in a scenic, affordable environment.

All County Rankings in New Mexico

Search, sort, and filter all 33 ranked counties

Showing 1–25 of 33 counties

Rank
1	Harding County	71.2	95.2	91.1	3.6	97.5	35.3	50.9	99.7	20	49	29.4	52.4
2	Los Alamos County	68.6	77.6	8.9	99.7	84	99.6	67.3	96.4	86	62.5		38.4
3	Catron County	64	96.8	88.3	8.9	56.9	56.1	51.2	63.4	1.1	45.8		28.2
4	Mora County	63.5	82.3	78.7	14.9	63	54.3	65.3	61.2	2.5	54.6		45.2
5	Grant County	61.5	89.8	77.5	8.2	87.9	42.7	32.9	25.9	17.9	55.4		30.2
6	Union County	60.8	77.8	85.6	7.7	80.3	26.8	43.1	87.9	7	44.3	30	50.4
7	Rio Arriba County	60.6	91.8	83.9	22.6	97.5	23.2	24.4	19.5	4.4	45.3		28.9
8	Guadalupe County	60.1	83.5	96.3	2.9	47.6	35	53.6	91.2	5.3	50.8	24.3	34.6
9	Luna County	59	77.2	88.7	2	97.5	17.6	23.1	48.4	23.9	43.1	17	17
10	De Baca County	58.6	86	87.4	3.2	28.8	26.6	68.5	96	86	54.6	17.3	31.7
11	Lincoln County	58.3	82	56.5	17.9	92	46.8	35.5	20.5	20.2	54.6		36.4
12	Colfax County	54.4	77.3	79.5	20.1	46.2	45.3	44.5	41.5	2	48.1	38.5	44
13	Socorro County	54.4	80.1	94.3	10.3	63.2	20.1	27.3	38.5	12.2	45.9		30.7
14	Hidalgo County	54.1	89.7	76.5	12.7	35.8	35.8	47	91.1	1.9	48.3	13.4	15.8
15	Quay County	53.3	72.4	83.7	5.7	54.6	24.1	36.3	74.1	31.3	52		40.4
16	Sierra County	53.1	80.9	91.9	2	35.9	30	47.5	44.2	7.4	55.1		16.9
17	Cibola County	52.9	51.6	89.5	18	75.4	23.5	29.1	41.6	12.1	46		29.8
18	Sandoval County	50.1	56.6	13.9	87.8	93.8	58.9	27.9	23	18.1	39		29.7
19	Taos County	48.2	97.3	46.3	35.3	38.9	50.1	29.7	25.7	10.1	48.5		29.8
20	San Miguel County	45.9	79.5	80.7	10.1	26.9	42.1	21.1	25.4	4	45.9		33.5
21	Otero County	44.4	79.2	58.5	20.1	38.8	43.6	18.8	15.3	15.8	53.3		26.4
22	Torrance County	42.2	89.2	67.7	8.7	16.2	31.3	21.6	53.9	3.3	46		31
23	Roosevelt County	41.9	91.6	46.6	19.6	18.3	38	36.5	15.9	24.8	54	14.4	23.9
24	Doña Ana County	41	64.9	45.1	26.9	N/A	41.3	24.3	3.9	N/A	48.9		12.9
25	Chaves County	36.1	69.2	64.7	18.6	5.7	26.1	19.8	12.4	58.1	53.3		20

Harding County

95.291.13.697.535.350.999.7204929.452.4N/A

71.2

Los Alamos County

77.68.999.78499.667.396.48662.5N/A38.4N/A

68.6

Catron County

96.888.38.956.956.151.263.41.145.8N/A28.2N/A

Mora County

82.378.714.96354.365.361.22.554.6N/A45.2N/A

63.5

Grant County

89.877.58.287.942.732.925.917.955.4N/A30.2N/A

61.5

Union County

77.885.67.780.326.843.187.9744.33050.4N/A

60.8

Rio Arriba County

91.883.922.697.523.224.419.54.445.3N/A28.9N/A

60.6

Guadalupe County

83.596.32.947.63553.691.25.350.824.334.6N/A

60.1

Luna County

77.288.7297.517.623.148.423.943.11717N/A

De Baca County

8687.43.228.826.668.5968654.617.331.7N/A

58.6

Lincoln County

8256.517.99246.835.520.520.254.6N/A36.4N/A

58.3

Colfax County

77.379.520.146.245.344.541.5248.138.544N/A

54.4

Socorro County

80.194.310.363.220.127.338.512.245.9N/A30.7N/A

54.4

Hidalgo County

89.776.512.735.835.84791.11.948.313.415.8N/A

54.1

Quay County

72.483.75.754.624.136.374.131.352N/A40.4N/A

53.3

Sierra County

80.991.9235.93047.544.27.455.1N/A16.9N/A

53.1

Cibola County

51.689.51875.423.529.141.612.146N/A29.8N/A

52.9

Sandoval County

56.613.987.893.858.927.92318.139N/A29.7N/A

50.1

Taos County

97.346.335.338.950.129.725.710.148.5N/A29.8N/A

48.2

San Miguel County

79.580.710.126.942.121.125.4445.9N/A33.5N/A

45.9

Otero County

79.258.520.138.843.618.815.315.853.3N/A26.4N/A

44.4

Torrance County

89.267.78.716.231.321.653.93.346N/A31N/A

42.2

Roosevelt County

91.646.619.618.33836.515.924.85414.423.9N/A

41.9

Doña Ana County

64.945.126.9N/A41.324.33.9N/A48.9N/A12.9N/A

Chaves County

69.264.718.65.726.119.812.458.153.3N/A20N/A

36.1

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Frequently Asked Questions about Counties in New Mexico

Common questions about county rankings and scores in New Mexico.

What is the best county in New Mexico?

Harding County is the top-ranked county in New Mexico with a CountyScore of 71.2/100. It leads the state across the available scoring dimensions, which include Property Tax, Cost of Living, Income & Jobs, Safety, Health, Schools, Disaster Risk, Water Quality, Weather & Climate, Soil Quality, Lawn Care, Farmers Markets.

How many counties are ranked in New Mexico?

New Mexico has 33 counties in total. Of those, 33 have been ranked with a composite score based on available data dimensions. The remaining 0 counties do not yet have enough data for a full score.

What factors determine a county's score?

Each county is scored 0–100 across up to eight data dimensions: Property Tax, Cost of Living, Income & Jobs, Safety, Health, Schools, Disaster Risk, and Water Quality. The composite score is a weighted average of whichever dimensions have data. Currently available dimensions are: Property Tax, Cost of Living, Income & Jobs, Safety, Health, Schools, Disaster Risk, Water Quality, Weather & Climate, Soil Quality, Lawn Care, Farmers Markets. Higher scores are always better — a score of 100 represents the best possible performance for that dimension.

What is the average county score in New Mexico?

The average composite CountyScore across all ranked counties in New Mexico is 49/100. The national average is 50/100, so New Mexico counties score 1 points below the national average.

How does New Mexico compare to other states?

New Mexico's average county score of 49/100 is 1 points below the national average of 50/100. You can compare New Mexico counties to counties in any other state using the county detail pages or the CountyScore compare tool.

Explore County Data by Category

Dive deeper into specific dimensions for counties in New Mexico.

TaxByCountyEffective property tax rate vs national benchmarks CostByCountyMedian rent, home values, and housing affordability IncomeByCountyMedian household income and per capita earnings CrimeByCountyViolent and property crime rates per 100K residents HealthByCountyLife expectancy, uninsured rates, and health access SchoolsByCountyGraduation rates, per-pupil spending, and attainment RiskByCountyFEMA National Risk Index — flood, fire, tornado, and more WaterByCountyEPA drinking water health violations and safety grades WeatherByCountyAverage temperatures, precipitation, and extreme weather events SoilByCountySoil composition, pH, drainage, and organic matter content LawnByCountyLawn difficulty score based on climate, soil, and grass suitability MarketsByCountyLocal market density, SNAP/EBT acceptance, and product variety

Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019–2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.

Best Counties in New Mexico — 2026 Rankings

Top Counties in New Mexico

Understanding County Scores in New Mexico

New Mexico Nears the National Average