Best Places87117, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 87117, 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.
87117 ranks 7,935th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 87117
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.
87117's strengths and weaknesses
Where 87117 ranks high
- Short commute6.3 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 95% of zip codes
Where 87117 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
Who lives in 87117
87117 runs younger than the country, 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 87117.
Who works in 87117, and how
Work in 87117 centers on hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 30%
Life in 87117
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 87117.
What the weather is like in 87117, month by month
87117 sees roughly 173 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 87117
Albuquerque International Sunport sits about 3 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 87117
Schools across 87117 average a C+, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Nex Gen AcademyA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 87117 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
87117 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 87117 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 87117
Is 87117 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 87117 ranks 7,935th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, population health, and biking, and lowest on civic engagement and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 87117 safe?
87117 is safer than 11% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $717 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 87117?
July highs average about 95 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 24. That works out to about 173 pleasant days a year, more than 94% of zip codes.
Compare 87117 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 87117. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 87117 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.
87117 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 87117: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 87117: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 87117: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 87117: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
87117 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.
- 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.