Best PlacesLaurelwood, Albuquerque, NM Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Laurelwood, Albuquerque, 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.
Laurelwood, Albuquerque ranks 3,270th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Laurelwood, Albuquerque
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.
Laurelwood, Albuquerque's strengths and weaknesses
Where Laurelwood, Albuquerque ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$853 a month, better than 81% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 162 pleasant days a year, better than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Laurelwood, Albuquerque ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Laurelwood, Albuquerque
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Laurelwood, Albuquerque home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $67,925; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Laurelwood, Albuquerque's effective rate of 0.91%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Laurelwood, Albuquerque
Laurelwood, Albuquerque 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 Laurelwood, Albuquerque.
Who works in Laurelwood, Albuquerque, and how
Work in Laurelwood, Albuquerque centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in Laurelwood, Albuquerque
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Laurelwood, Albuquerque.
What the weather is like in Laurelwood, Albuquerque, month by month
Laurelwood, Albuquerque sees roughly 162 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 33° | 20° |
| April | 71° | 54° | 36° |
| July | 92° | 77° | 60° |
| October | 72° | 56° | 39° |
Flying in and out of Laurelwood, Albuquerque
Albuquerque International Sunport sits about 8 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 Laurelwood, Albuquerque
Schools across Laurelwood, Albuquerque average a C+, better than 66% of neighborhoods.
Top high schools
- Nex Gen AcademyA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Laurelwood, Albuquerque school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Laurelwood, Albuquerque 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 Laurelwood, Albuquerque against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Laurelwood, Albuquerque
Is Laurelwood, Albuquerque a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Laurelwood, Albuquerque ranks 3,270th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a strong job market, low disaster risk, and heat safety, and lowest on internet speeds and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Laurelwood, Albuquerque expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $258,740. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $67,925 median income, cost of living beats 49% of neighborhoods.
Is Laurelwood, Albuquerque safe?
Yes, Laurelwood, Albuquerque is safer than 64% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $481 per resident a year.
Compare Laurelwood, Albuquerque with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Laurelwood, Albuquerque. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Laurelwood, Albuquerque 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.
Laurelwood, Albuquerque detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Laurelwood, Albuquerque: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Laurelwood, Albuquerque: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Laurelwood, Albuquerque: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Laurelwood, Albuquerque: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Laurelwood, Albuquerque 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.