Ruidoso makes New Mexico’s top 10 on 4 lists
Ruidoso is ranked on 38 lists against the 72 New Mexico towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 4 and the top quarter on 9.
Ruidoso is on New Mexico’s podium 3 times
Each list ranks every NM town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Ruidoso marked.
More vacation homes than 100% of New Mexico
Not better or worse, just Ruidoso’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 10 for health insurance
Lists where Ruidoso sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Ruidoso lands in the top half on 16 of 24 lists
Each dot is Ruidoso’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NM, the right end is last. Areas where Ruidoso does best come first.
Ruidoso out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every NM list, and where Ruidoso lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Taos · 13.3 per resident
#2
Most library borrowing#1 Bosque Farms · 61.8 per resident
#7
Best libraries for kids#1 Taos · 18.6 per child
#2 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Ruidoso · 43.5%
#1
Most new homes#1 Los Lunas · 14.3 per 1,000
#2
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Rio Communities · +73.0%
#36 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Holloman AFB · 8.1 min
#12 Health
Healthiest#1 White Rock · 99 / 100
#25
Lowest obesity#1 Eldorado at Santa Fe · 22%
#14
Fewest smokers#1 White Rock · 6%
#35
Most active#1 White Rock · 13%
#20
S
Fewest uninsured#1 Sandia Heights · 4%
#11
L
Lowest depression#1 La Mesilla · 20%
#49
P
Closest to a top hospital#1 Paradise Hills · 1.6 mi
#54 Schools
Best schools#1 University Park · +44.4 pts
#12
Highest graduation rate#1 Los Alamos · 93%
#17 People
S Most educated#1 Sandia Heights · 72.5% #18
Youngest#1 University Park · 20.1
#57
Oldest#1 Placitas · 64.8
#15
Most residents 65+#1 Placitas · 49.5%
#7
Most kids#1 Ranchos de Taos · 36.9%
#62 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Bloomfield · 57.5%
#33
Most trails#1 Los Alamos · 7.4 mi / sq mi
#24
P
Most walkable#1 Paradise Hills · 125 / sq mi
#26 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Dulce · 0.8 yrs
#44
Cheapest rent#1 Dulce · $550/mo
#35
Lowest property tax#1 Vado · $392/yr
#43
Rent easiest to afford#1 Los Alamos · 29.8%
Climate
Snowiest#1 Dulce · 56 in
#7
Least snow#1 Las Cruces · 1.0 in
#61
Mildest winters#1 Santa Teresa · 32.5°
#32
Hottest summers#1 Carlsbad · 97.0°
#72
Coolest summers#1 Ruidoso · 81.7°
#1
Longest growing season#1 Chaparral · 264 days
#55
Wettest#1 Ruidoso · 20 in
#1 Safety
Safest#1 Corrales · 9.6
The number on the right is Ruidoso’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.