Metro Life Score
Las Cruces, NM
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 70th percentile of the national corpus.
- 54.7
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #116
- of 387 metros
- 70%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Las Cruces is above-median composite Life Score — #116 of 387 (54.7/100, grade B+, 70th percentile). Carried by environment at 99/100; held back most by safety at 1/100.
- 70th
- composite percentile
- #116
- of 387 peers
- 73rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 41st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · signature cost
Las Cruces: affordability leads the Life Score story
Las Cruces is a UPPER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 73rd percentile of 387 US metros (CHEAP) while composite is #116 (54.7/100, grade B+). Environment at 99/100 carries the upside; Safety at 1/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Las Cruces, NM ranks #116 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #103 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.2 (rent-RPP 63.0). BLS median salary $62,792, 72,370 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). HUD 2BR FMR $1,042/mo (studio $744).
FBI UCR (NM): 697 violent, 2706 property/100K. NCES: 12.7:1 ratio, 11.6% charter. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (NM).
Where Las Cruces sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
55 70th percentile higher than 70% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. 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 PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 54.7 is built
Las Cruces's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Las Cruces scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NM state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Las Cruces With...
Ranking Context
Las Cruces outranks 70% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #113 | Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 54.8 | B+ |
| #114 | Saginaw, MI | 54.8 | B+ |
| #115 | Springfield, IL | 54.9 | B+ |
| #116 | Las Cruces, NM | 54.7 | B+ |
| #117 | Sheboygan, WI | 54.7 | B |
| #118 | Macon-Bibb County, GA | 54.5 | B |
| #119 | Morgantown, WV | 54.4 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Las Cruces, NM's quality rank (top 30% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 27% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
NM Metro Scores
Read with Las Cruces
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Las Cruces (UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Sheboygan, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 54.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Saginaw, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 54.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
ABS(composite) peer at 54.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Cheyenne, WY
ABS(composite) peer at 54.9 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Bowling Green, KY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 74/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Lawrence, KS (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 73/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Las Cruces, NM relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Las Cruces's top-third Life Score
Las Cruces scores 54.7/100 overall, but Environment (99.2) and Safety (1.0) sit 98.2 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment is the strongest of Las Cruces's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Farmington is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Farmington
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.