Best Places88354, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 88354, 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.
88354 ranks 25,959th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 88354
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.
88354's strengths and weaknesses
Where 88354 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 200 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 88354 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 88354
A household needs to earn about $90,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 88354 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $72,210, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 88354's effective rate of 0.56%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 88354
88354 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 88354.
Who works in 88354, and how
Work in 88354 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 0%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 88354
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 88354.
What the weather is like in 88354, month by month
88354 sees roughly 200 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 42° | 29° |
| April | 79° | 64° | 47° |
| July | 96° | 82° | 69° |
| October | 78° | 64° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 88354
The nearest airport, Roswell Air Center, is about 68 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 169 miles away.
The best schools in and around 88354
Schools across 88354 average a B−, better than 56% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cloudcroft ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cloudcroft MiddleB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Centennial High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Alamogordo HighB− · 43% proficient
- Alta Vista Early College High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 88354 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
88354 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 88354 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 88354
Is 88354 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 88354 ranks 25,959th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, clean air, and the weather, and lowest on cell coverage and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 88354 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $354,135. The overall cost of living runs about 8% above the national average. Set against a $72,210 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 88354 safe?
88354 is safer than 10% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $825 per resident a year.
Compare 88354 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 88354. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 88354 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.
88354 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 88354: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 88354: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 88354: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 88354: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
88354 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.