Dulce is #1 in New Mexico for affordability
Dulce is ranked on 30 lists against the 72 New Mexico towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 4.
Dulce is on New Mexico’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every NM town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Dulce marked.
More snow than 100% of New Mexico
Not better or worse, just Dulce’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Dulce lands in the top half on 5 of 18 lists
Each dot is Dulce’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NM, the right end is last. Areas where Dulce does best come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for short commutes
Lists where Dulce sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every NM list, and where Dulce lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Dulce · 0.8 yrs
#1
Cheapest rent#1 Dulce · $550/mo
#1
Lowest property tax#1 Vado · $392/yr
Rent easiest to afford#1 Los Alamos · 29.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Holloman AFB · 8.1 min
#4 Health
Healthiest#1 White Rock · 99 / 100
#69
Lowest obesity#1 Eldorado at Santa Fe · 22%
#70
Fewest smokers#1 White Rock · 6%
#69
Most active#1 White Rock · 13%
#48
S
Fewest uninsured#1 Sandia Heights · 4%
#15
L
Lowest depression#1 La Mesilla · 20%
#67
P
Closest to a top hospital#1 Paradise Hills · 1.6 mi
#41 
People
S Most educated#1 Sandia Heights · 72.5% #64
Youngest#1 University Park · 20.1
#37
Oldest#1 Placitas · 64.8
#36
Most residents 65+#1 Placitas · 49.5%
#38
Most kids#1 Ranchos de Taos · 36.9%
#54 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Bloomfield · 57.5%
Most trails#1 Los Alamos · 7.4 mi / sq mi
#65
P
Most walkable#1 Paradise Hills · 125 / sq mi
#63 Schools
Best schools#1 University Park · +44.4 pts
#47
Highest graduation rate#1 Los Alamos · 93%
#68 Climate
Snowiest#1 Dulce · 56 in
#1
Least snow#1 Las Cruces · 1.0 in
#68
Mildest winters#1 Santa Teresa · 32.5°
#72
Hottest summers#1 Carlsbad · 97.0°
#65
Coolest summers#1 Ruidoso · 81.7°
#8
Longest growing season#1 Chaparral · 264 days
#71
Wettest#1 Ruidoso · 20 in
#5 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Ruidoso · 43.5%
#20
Most new homes#1 Los Lunas · 14.3 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Rio Communities · +73.0%
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Taos · 13.3 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Bosque Farms · 61.8 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Taos · 18.6 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Corrales · 9.6
The number on the right is Dulce’s spot. All of New Mexico’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NM list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.