Best Places87112, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 87112, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
87112 ranks 6,282nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 87112
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
87112's strengths and weaknesses
Where 87112 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 175 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 87112 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 87112
A household needs to earn about $75,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 87112 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,022, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 87112's effective rate of 0.88%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 87112
87112's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 87112.
Who works in 87112, and how
Work in 87112 centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 87112
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 87112.
What the weather is like in 87112, month by month
87112 sees roughly 175 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 37° | 24° |
| April | 74° | 58° | 42° |
| July | 95° | 80° | 67° |
| October | 75° | 60° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 87112
Albuquerque International Sunport sits about 7 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.6 million passengers in 2025, with 69 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 87112
Schools across 87112 average a B−, better than 63% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Nex Gen AcademyA · 75% proficient
- Southwest Secondary Learning CenterB · 50% proficient
- Public Academy For Performing ArtsB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 87112 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
87112 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 87112 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 87112 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 70% of zip codes and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 87112
Is 87112 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 87112 ranks 6,282nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, low disaster risk, and the weather, and lowest on air quality and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 87112 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $285,047. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $81,022 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 87112 safe?
87112 is safer than 14% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $692 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 87112?
July highs average about 95 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 24. That works out to about 175 pleasant days a year, more than 95% of zip codes.
Is 87112 good for families?
Schools beat 63% of zip codes, crime safety beats 14%, and childcare runs $853 a month.
Compare 87112 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 87112. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 87112 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
87112 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 87112: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 87112: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 87112: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 87112: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
87112 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.