Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Albuquerque.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Albuquerque compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 562,488City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $65,604Incorporated place (ACS)16% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 84ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)16% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $266,700City limits (ACS)12% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,085City limits (ACS)20% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 43Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Property crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Summer high
- 90°F3.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 28°F6.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 8.8 in73% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 30916% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Albuquerque with another city
Relocators eyeing Albuquerque, New Mexico will find roughly 562,488 residents within city limits. Households here report a median income near $65,604; our housing-derived cost index is about 84 (among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs). Budget for median rents around $1,085 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
High-desert light, monsoon storms, and Hispanic cultural roots are unmistakable. Roughly 309 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 23 minutes one-way, with walkability near 43/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.3% for the surrounding county. FBI Crime Data Explorer did not return usable agency rates here — verify recent local PD reports block by block.
Albuquerque sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Albuquerque with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Albuquerque city, 1600000US3502000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN350010000000003 (Bernalillo County, May 2026)
- Crime: data unavailable
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00023050 ALBUQUERQUE INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28