Should I Move To
Roughly 111,273 people live in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 18% below the national average. Median rent runs about $907/mo; the typical household pulls in $51,013. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 47/100 — a D, putting it at #595 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Las Cruces sits at 82 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($907/mo against $51,013 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $197,200.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 96°F in summer, 36°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 9 inches. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Crime statistics are on the rougher end of the US distribution; the citywide aggregate hides safer pockets but the headline number isn't great. Air quality reads good (AQI 26).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Las Cruces isn't the strongest match. It earns 49/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on environmental quality (99/100); weakest on safety (7/100).
For retirees, Las Cruces isn't the strongest match. It earns 50/100 (grade C-) on the retirees profile. Strongest on environmental quality (99/100); weakest on safety (7/100).
For remote workers, Las Cruces is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 60/100 (grade C+) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on environmental quality (99/100); weakest on safety (7/100).
For young professionals, Las Cruces isn't the strongest match. It earns 39/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on environmental quality (99/100); weakest on safety (7/100).
Las Cruces, New Mexico pulls a 47/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #595 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Las Cruces's cost-of-living index is 82 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very affordable band — 18% below the national average. Median rent runs about $907/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 96°F, winter averages around 36°F, with about 9 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 59/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Las Cruces has about 111,273 residents, 36% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 32.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Las Cruces head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Las Cruces stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Las Cruces with other New Mexico cities scored on UrbRank.
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