Best Places87511, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 87511, 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.
87511 ranks 21,950th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 87511
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.
87511's strengths and weaknesses
Where 87511 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 160 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 87511 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 87511
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 87511 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,146, 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 87511's effective rate of 0.10%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 87511
87511 runs older than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 87511.
Who works in 87511, and how
Work in 87511 centers on construction and admin & support services. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 87511
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 87511.
What the weather is like in 87511, month by month
87511 sees roughly 160 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 24° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 85° | 72° | 62° |
| October | 65° | 53° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 87511
The nearest airport, Santa Fe Regional, is about 34 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 80 miles away.
The best schools in and around 87511
Schools across 87511 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Penasco HighC · 31% proficient
- Espanola Valley HighD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 87511 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
87511 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 87511 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 87511
Is 87511 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 87511 ranks 21,950th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, heat safety, and a strong job market, and lowest on air quality and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 87511 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $285,412. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $85,146 median income, cost of living beats 68% of zip codes.
Is 87511 safe?
87511 is safer than 15% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $690 per resident a year.
Compare 87511 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 87511. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 87511 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.
87511 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 87511: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 87511: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 87511: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 87511: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
87511 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.