Albuquerque, NM vs Santa Fe, NM: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
Santa Fe is the safer city
Santa Fe scores 52/100 (grade D) versus 18/100 (grade F) for Albuquerque — a 34-point gap. Albuquerque's violent-crime rate is 2.0× Santa Fe. Across the 8 offense categories, Santa Fe has the lower rate in 7.
Albuquerque, NM
Crime Index
- Population
- 559,192
- Violent / 100k
- 1,022
- Property / 100k
- 4,040
- In New Mexico
- #4 of 4
Santa Fe, NM
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 91,268
- Violent / 100k
- 517
- Property / 100k
- 2,894
- In New Mexico
- #2 of 4
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | Albuquerque | Santa Fe | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 18F | 52D | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,022 | 517 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 4,040 | 2,894 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 12.7 | 5.5 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 5,062 | 3,411 | 1,802 |
Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.
By offense
Rate per 100,000 residents — the lower (safer) city is highlighted.
| Offense | Albuquerque | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 12.7 | 5.5 |
| Rape | 57 | 47.1 |
| Robbery | 125 | 47.1 |
| Aggravated assault | 828 | 417 |
| Burglary | 671 | 520 |
| Larceny-theft | 2,774 | 2,042 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 582 | 316 |
| Arson | 13.1 | 15.3 |
Crime trends
Albuquerque
Santa Fe
Frequently asked questions
Is Albuquerque or Santa Fe safer?
Which has more violent crime, Albuquerque or Santa Fe?
What are the odds of violent crime in Albuquerque vs Santa Fe?
No area has zero risk
A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →
Protecting yourself in Albuquerque & Santa Fe
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