Town · Sandoval County, New Mexico

Bernalillo, New Mexico

Bernalillo is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, part of the Albuquerque, NM metro area. It has 9,086 residents. Bernalillo, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 19 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,612 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #54 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), restaurants and bars (low) and social associations (low).

19Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,612 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #54 of 163 in NM
Population: 9,086 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,740.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3506970

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety31#10,769/15,637
Economy15#13,283/15,631
Housing59#6,182/14,977
Health38#9,686/15,609
Healthcare40#9,434/15,650
Environment84#2,546/15,453
Education15#13,307/15,649
Infrastructure9#14,199/15,650
Community18#12,797/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#15,075/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bernalillo, New Mexico ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Sandoval County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Preventable hospital stays · low1,682 /100k
93/100New Mexico 2,042 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSandoval County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.7 µg/m³
93/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySandoval County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.47%
90/100New Mexico 0.63%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100New Mexico 4.3%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySandoval County value
Public libraries · high1.1 /10k
78/100New Mexico 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSandoval County value
Mental health providers · high418 /100k
76/100New Mexico 480 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSandoval County value

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100New Mexico 84%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASandoval County value
Restaurants and bars · low2.8 /10k
1/100New Mexico 6.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSandoval County value
Social associations · low3.7 /10k
3/100New Mexico 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSandoval County value
Broadband subscriptions · low81.4%
4/100New Mexico 86.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
6/100New Mexico 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSandoval County value
Job growth · low-3.1%
7/100New Mexico -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSandoval County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
9,669 (2015-2019) → 9,086 (2020-2024)
−6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
18.2 /1k (2019) → 0.0 /1k (2024)
−100%5 yearsUS 4.2 /1k → 4.3 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$44,978 (2015-2019) → $63,880 (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
18.6% (2015-2019) → 11.8% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.5% (2015-2019) → 81.4% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.0% (2015-2019) → 44.1% (2020-2024)
−4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bernalillo, New Mexico improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Uninsured−6.8 points18.6% → 11.8%
Household income+42%$44,978 → $63,880
Broadband+5.9 points75.5% → 81.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Bernalillo, New Mexico between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.5 min2015-2019	27.1 min2020-2024	+2.6 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.2%2015-2019	22.5%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Broadband subscriptions	75.5%2015-2019	81.4%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Improved	37%
Child poverty rate	19.0%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	0.70%2015-2019	0.47%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	65%
High school diploma or higher	79.1%2015-2019	80.6%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4222015-2019	0.4422020-2024	+0.020	Within the margin of error	34%
Median household income	$44,9782015-2019	$63,8802020-2024	+42%	Improved	76%
Poverty rate	18.3%2015-2019	15.9%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent as share of income	29.6%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent-burdened households	49.0%2015-2019	44.1%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Unemployment rate	9.1%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.6%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Improved	92%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bernalillo, New Mexico five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bernalillo, New Mexico in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bernalillo, New Mexico itself moved +1.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

9,086 residents (±57)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,695 households (±255)

Bernalillo, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k19%708
$25k–50k21%768
$50k–75k18%666

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,695 households (±255)

Bernalillo, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own77%2,841
Rent23%854

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,595 workers (±315)

Bernalillo, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone72%2,580
Carpool7.9%285
Public transit0.2%†8

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Albuquerque, NM

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Sandoval County, the county holding most of Bernalillo's residents.

Sandoval County has 1,928 employer establishments, 124 for every 10,000 residents (0.50× the US rate of 248; 0.58× New Mexico's), with 27,552 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,158. The Census Bureau also counts 10,676 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,928; 10,676 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 124; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 27,552
Average annual pay: $54,158; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Sandoval County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	207	13.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	1,666	$58,160	769
Specialty trade contractors	162	10.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	1,029	$57,386	565
Restaurants and other eating places	152	9.8	0.53×Fewer than typical	3,565	$20,699	66
Lessors of real estate	113	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	262	$50,821	909
Construction of buildings	87	5.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,212	$72,015	275
Limited-service restaurants	79	5.1	0.63×Fewer than typical	2,061	$18,676	28
Offices of other health practitioners	77	4.9	0.81×About typical	318	$47,799	389
Building equipment contractors	74	4.7	0.79×Fewer than typical	396	$59,982	140
Real estate agents and brokers	61	3.9	0.80×About typical	117	$58,154	431
Services to buildings and dwellings	60	3.9	0.57×Fewer than typical	325	$33,335	343
Offices of dentists	54	3.5	0.86×About typical	351	$51,593	25
Full-service restaurants	47	3	0.39×Fewer than typical	1,119	$24,747	23

Rank places for an industry Open Sandoval County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 155,833 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $288.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bernalillo, New Mexico: $31.74 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $288.4K; +37% vs FY2025
Per resident: $31.74; US $1,994
Sole-source: 18%; US 30%
Single offer: 12%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Air Force$228.6K79%
Defense Logistics Agency$38.6K13%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$13.5K4.7%
U.S. Coast Guard$10K3.5%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.5MFY2017
1.9MFY2018
2.3MFY2019
752.5KFY2020
576.7KFY2021
248.4KFY2022
418.2KFY2023
124.8K

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$252.1K87%
Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment manufacturing · 3336$13.5K4.7%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$11.3K3.9%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$4,1891.5%
Other transportation equipment manufacturing · 3369$3,3801.2%
Plastics product manufacturing · 3261$3,2171.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bernalillo, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Bernalillo, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Sandoval County, NM ($12.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bernalillo is mostly in Sandoval County.

See federal money in Sandoval County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bernalillo, New Mexico is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Sandoval County51100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Albuquerque, NM39

Other cities and towns in Sandoval County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3506970

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends