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Place dossier plate
SheetNM-SANTA-FE-NM · Santa Fe, NM 88,224 pop · income 50th pct · 57 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Santa Fe
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Santa Fe on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Roswell · lowest
50,294
Roswell · lowest
50,294 median HH income
27.2% of the leader · rank #1
Aplington · near
70,093
Aplington · near
70,093 median HH income
37.9% of the leader · rank #2
Temple Hills · near
70,097
Temple Hills · near
70,097 median HH income
37.9% of the leader · rank #3
Gresham Park · near
70,101
Gresham Park · near
70,101 median HH income
37.9% of the leader · rank #4
Orrville · near
70,103
Orrville · near
70,103 median HH income
37.9% of the leader · rank #5
Santa Fe · this city
70,110
Santa Fe · this city
70,110 median HH income
37.9% of the leader · rank #6
Newton · highest
184,989
Newton · highest
184,989 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Santa Fe on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 88,224.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Santa Fe - the verdict
Santa Fe ranks in the 50th percentile for household income and the 2nd percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
50th
percentile, household income
78th
percentile, home value
39th
percentile, median rent
2nd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Santa Fe, NM
88,224 people live in Santa Fe, New Mexico - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Santa Fe households earn a median of $70,110 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.6%. Santa Fe's housing stock carries a median value of $411,500, and the median resident age is 46.4 years. About 45.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 244 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 59% from five years earlier. Santa Fe's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 5998.8 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 50.0°F with 12.8 inches of precipitation per year and 20.2 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in New Mexico run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, New Mexico scores 92.2 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,129 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in New Mexico run around $167, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 58.9 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Santa Fe's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from climate and hazard context to schools and households to population change to reported crime to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to within-city variation to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Santa Fe, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Santa Fe?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.0°F, with 12.8 inches of precipitation and 20.2 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for New Mexico is 58.9 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 41 public schools within the city match. 45.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Which cities make useful reference points for Santa Fe?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within New Mexico, the closest population matches are Rio Rancho (106,533 residents, $85,755 income); Las Cruces (112,612 residents, $55,176 income); Roswell (47,823 residents, $50,294 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Lawrence, MA (88,297 residents); Santa Barbara, CA (88,024 residents); Newton, MA (88,504 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
PlainCities matches 57 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Santa Fe growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +2,097 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 244 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
87,740
2025 estimate
89,837
Period change
+2.4%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Santa Fe?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 5998.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 163% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
5998.8
Violent rate
842.1
Property rate
5156.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Santa Fe?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
69.8%
Work from home
16.2%
Public transit
1.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 42,971 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in Santa Fe?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
5.9×
Home value
$411,500
Household income
$70,110
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 10.6% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
92.2 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, New Mexico average
D
City profile score · Santa Fe, NM
47/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A-
45.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living B+
92.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income D
$70,110
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
10.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
842 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Santa Fe profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 80/100 (A-) · 45.4%
Cost of living: 77/100 (B+) · 92.2 index
Household income: 49/100 (D) · $70,110
Poverty rate: 37/100 (F) · 10.6%
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 842 /100k
Where Santa Fe sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Santa Fe's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Santa Fe highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Santa Fe, NM (this city): home $411,500, crime 5,999/100k
Lawrence, MA : home $393,500, crime 1,439/100k
Santa Barbara, CA : home $1,466,400, crime 2,458/100k
Newton, MA : home $1,202,500, crime 648/100k
San Leandro, CA : home $813,600, crime 4,472/100k
Greenville, NC : home $213,100, crime 3,367/100k
Champaign, IL : home $199,700, crime 2,781/100k
Rio Rancho, NM : home $273,300, crime 1,658/100k
Las Cruces, NM : home $217,400, crime 5,593/100k
Roswell, NM : home $139,200, crime 3,357/100k
Farmington, NM : home $225,400, crime 3,411/100k
Hobbs, NM : home $180,700, crime 4,542/100k
How does Santa Fe compare to other US cities?
Santa Fe measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income50% higher than other cities
Home value78% pricier than other cities
Median rent39% pricier than other cities
Safety2% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just New Mexico and the picture shifts: Santa Fe ranks #41 of 42 New Mexico cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Santa Fe against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to New Mexico only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
New Mexico-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Santa Fe near the bottom of New Mexico's cities
Among the 409 New Mexico cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Santa Fe ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Santa Fe only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#101 of 324
69th percentile in New Mexico
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 409
0th percentile in New Mexico
Median Home Value
#37 of 324
89th percentile in New Mexico
Poverty Rate
#222 of 408
46th percentile in New Mexico
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#53 of 409
87th percentile in New Mexico
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within New Mexico only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
50th percentile nationally for median household income · 2nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Santa Fe's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Santa Fe's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Santa Fe's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$411,50022nd percentilemore affordable than 22% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Santa Fe's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,992 of 15,516
More affordable than 10% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#562 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 5.9×, Santa Fe sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,992 of 15,516 and #562 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$70,110Santa Fe, NM median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Santa Fe, NM median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Santa Fe, NM.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)45.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)10.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)57.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
88,224
Median Income
$70,110
Median Home Value
$411,500
Median Age
46.4
Poverty Rate
10.6%
Labor force participation
57.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
45.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
5998.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
842.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
5156.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
50.0°F
Annual Precipitation
12.8"
Annual Snowfall
20.2"
Schools
Total Schools
41
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Santa Fe's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
87,740 residents
2021
88,363 residents
2022
89,068 residents
2023
89,409 residents
2024
90,265 residents
2025
89,837 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
244
housing units authorized
Single-Family
244
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
589
344
245
$108.7M
2020
577
279
298
$117.6M
2021
840
228
612
$133.8M
2022
590
177
413
$134.1M
2023
926
264
662
$194.4M
2024
244
244
0
$91.4M
Permit volume decreased 59% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
69.8%
Carpool
8.7%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
16.2%
Other
1.5%
Based on 42,971 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
New Mexico statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $167
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across New Mexico at $167 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are New Mexico statewide averages, not a meter reading for Santa Fe. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
New Mexico's BEA cost-of-living index is 92.2 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Santa Fe is $1,129/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to New Mexico statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 58.9 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a New Mexico statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Santa Fe sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Santa Fe compares to similar-size New Mexico cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.