Best places to live in the Albuquerque metro area

Written by:
July 8, 2025
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Best places to live in the Albuquerque metro area

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in the Albuquerque metro area using data from the Niche. Niche uses 15 weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on cost of living, higher education rate, housing, public schools, diversity, and crime. You can read more about Niche's methodology here.

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#25. Rio Communities

- Niche grade: C
- Public school grade: C+
- Population: 4,924

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#24. Santo Domingo Pueblo

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: C-
- Population: 2,162

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#23. Algodones

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: C-
- Population: 1,198

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#22. Belen

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: B-
- Population: 7,427

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#21. Tome

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 1,525

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#20. Jarales

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: C+
- Population: 1,939

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#19. Meadow Lake

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 3,959

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#18. South Valley

- Niche grade: C+
- Public school grade: C
- Population: 36,605

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#17. Peralta

- Niche grade: B-
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 3,385

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#16. Bernalillo

- Niche grade: B-
- Public school grade: C
- Population: 9,068

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#15. El Cerro

- Niche grade: B
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 3,093

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#14. North Valley

- Niche grade: B
- Public school grade: B-
- Population: 11,474

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#13. Las Maravillas

- Niche grade: B
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 1,776

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#12. Los Lunas

- Niche grade: B
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 17,932

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#11. Bosque Farms

- Niche grade: B
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 4,042

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#10. Valencia

- Niche grade: B
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 2,219

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#9. Paradise Hills

- Niche grade: B+
- Public school grade: B+
- Population: 4,662

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#8. Albuquerque

- Niche grade: B+
- Public school grade: B+
- Population: 562,488

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#7. Placitas

- Niche grade: B+
- Public school grade: C
- Population: 4,375

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#6. Los Chaves

- Niche grade: B+
- Public school grade: C+
- Population: 4,641

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#5. Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

- Niche grade: A-
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 5,869

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#4. Edgewood

- Niche grade: A-
- Public school grade: B
- Population: 6,122

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#3. Rio Rancho

- Niche grade: A-
- Public school grade: A-
- Population: 106,533

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#2. Corrales

- Niche grade: A
- Public school grade: B+
- Population: 8,557

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#1. Sandia Heights

- Niche grade: A+
- Public school grade: A+
- Population: 3,083

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