Vado is #1 in New Mexico for low property taxes
Vado is ranked on 31 lists against the 72 New Mexico towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 4.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every NM town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Vado marked.
Longer growing season than 97% of New Mexico
Not better or worse, just Vado’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Vado lands in the top half on 5 of 18 lists
Each dot is Vado’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NM, the right end is last. Areas where Vado does best come first.
4 spots from the top 25 for low depression
Lists where Vado sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Vado lands in every NM ranking
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
#8
Cheapest rent#1 Dulce · $550/mo
#15
Lowest property tax#1 Vado · $392/yr
#1
Rent easiest to afford#1 Los Alamos · 29.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Holloman AFB · 8.1 min
#41 Health
Healthiest#1 White Rock · 99 / 100
#71
Lowest obesity#1 Eldorado at Santa Fe · 22%
#72
Fewest smokers#1 White Rock · 6%
#67
Most active#1 White Rock · 13%
#71
S
Fewest uninsured#1 Sandia Heights · 4%
#71
L
Lowest depression#1 La Mesilla · 20%
#29
P
Closest to a top hospital#1 Paradise Hills · 1.6 mi
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Bloomfield · 57.5%
#43
Most trails#1 Los Alamos · 7.4 mi / sq mi
#52
P
Most walkable#1 Paradise Hills · 125 / sq mi
#51 
People
S Most educated#1 Sandia Heights · 72.5% #72
Youngest#1 University Park · 20.1
#6
Oldest#1 Placitas · 64.8
#67
Most residents 65+#1 Placitas · 49.5%
#66
Most kids#1 Ranchos de Taos · 36.9%
#6 Climate
Snowiest#1 Dulce · 56 in
#65
Least snow#1 Las Cruces · 1.0 in
#1
Mildest winters#1 Santa Teresa · 32.5°
#5
Hottest summers#1 Carlsbad · 97.0°
#7
Coolest summers#1 Ruidoso · 81.7°
#65
Longest growing season#1 Chaparral · 264 days
#3
Wettest#1 Ruidoso · 20 in
#64 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Ruidoso · 43.5%
#68
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 Vado’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.