Best Places88030, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 88030, 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.
88030 ranks 28,433rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and the cost of living against local pay is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 88030
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.
88030's strengths and weaknesses
Where 88030 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 156 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Short commute18.5 minutes each way, better than 90% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$602 a month, better than 85% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 88030 ranks low
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$38,514 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 88030
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 88030 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $38,514, 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 88030'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 88030
88030 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 88030.
Who works in 88030, and how
Work in 88030 centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 88030
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 88030.
What the weather is like in 88030, month by month
88030 sees roughly 156 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 42° | 26° |
| April | 82° | 63° | 42° |
| July | 99° | 83° | 67° |
| October | 82° | 64° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 88030
The nearest airport, Grant County, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 204 miles away.
The best schools in and around 88030
Schools across 88030 average a C−, better than 32% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Santa Teresa ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Santa Teresa MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
- Gadsden MiddleF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Early College High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Alta Vista Early College High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Mayfield HighC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 88030 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
88030 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 88030 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 88030 suits
Common questions about living in 88030
Is 88030 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 88030 ranks 28,433rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, short commutes, and low disaster risk, and lowest on the cost of living against local pay and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 88030 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $144,977. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $38,514 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 88030 safe?
88030 is safer than 29% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $574 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 88030?
July highs average about 99 degrees, and January highs near 60 with lows near 26. That works out to about 156 pleasant days a year, more than 91% of zip codes.
Is 88030 good for families?
Schools beat 32% of zip codes, crime safety beats 29%, and childcare runs $602 a month.
Compare 88030 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 88030. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 88030 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.
88030 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 88030: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 88030: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 88030: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 88030: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
88030 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.