Best Places88012, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 88012, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
88012 ranks 10,285th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 88012
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.
88012's strengths and weaknesses
Where 88012 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 169 pleasant days a year, better than 94% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 88012 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 32% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 88012
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 88012 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $72,001, 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 88012's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 88012
88012 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 88012.
Who works in 88012, and how
Work in 88012 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 88012
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 88012.
What the weather is like in 88012, month by month
88012 sees roughly 169 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 58, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 43° | 31° |
| April | 81° | 65° | 48° |
| July | 98° | 83° | 70° |
| October | 80° | 64° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 88012
The nearest airport, El Paso International, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 183 miles away.
The best schools in and around 88012
Schools across 88012 average a C+, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Centennial High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Organ Mountain High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Mayfield HighC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 88012 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
88012 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 88012 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 88012 suits
Common questions about living in 88012
Is 88012 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 88012 ranks 10,285th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, the weather, and cell coverage, and lowest on tree cover and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 88012 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $239,435. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $72,001 median income, cost of living beats 54% of zip codes.
Is 88012 safe?
88012 is safer than 42% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $474 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 88012?
July highs average about 98 degrees, and January highs near 58 with lows near 31. That works out to about 169 pleasant days a year, more than 94% of zip codes.
Is 88012 good for families?
Schools beat 62% of zip codes, crime safety beats 42%, and childcare runs $742 a month.
Compare 88012 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 88012. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 88012 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.
88012 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 88012: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 88012: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 88012: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 88012: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
88012 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.