Census-designated place · Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Isleta, New Mexico

Isleta is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, part of the Albuquerque, NM metro area. It has 1,043 residents. Isleta, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 9 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,172 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Mexico it ranks #91 of 163 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), distance to an airport (low) and new business applications (high). It ranks worst on unemployment rate (high), property crime rate (high) and violent crime rate (high).

9Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,172 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Mexico: #91 of 163 in NM
Population: 1,043 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,427.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 3534620

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety1#15,484/15,637
Economy15#13,245/15,631
Housing—
Health7#14,517/15,609
Healthcare47#8,351/15,650
Environment38#9,563/15,453
Education15#13,294/15,649
Infrastructure27#11,393/15,650
Community30#11,013/15,651
Leisure & amenities41#9,286/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Isleta, New Mexico ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bernalillo 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

Effective property tax rate · low0.04%
100/100New Mexico 0.63%United States 0.94%2017-2021U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Distance to an airport · low8 mi
98/100New Mexico 56 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBernalillo County value
New business applications · high33.6 /1k
98/100New Mexico 19.2 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauBernalillo County value
Mental health providers · high596 /100k
93/100New Mexico 480 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBernalillo County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,797 /100k
91/100New Mexico 2,042 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBernalillo County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
89/100New Mexico 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBernalillo County value

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high32.8%
0/100New Mexico 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Property crime rate · high3,583 /100k
1/100New Mexico 2,240 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBernalillo County value
Violent crime rate · high957 /100k
1/100New Mexico 622 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBernalillo County value
Drug overdose deaths · high52.9 /100k
1/100New Mexico 46.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBernalillo County value
Drought exposure · high98%
3/100New Mexico 84%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAABernalillo County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100New Mexico 16.5United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBernalillo County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
688 (2016-2020) → 1,043 (2020-2024)
+52%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Unemployment rateWorsening
10.1% (2016-2020) → 32.8% (2020-2024)
+23 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$22,097 (2016-2020) → $37,224 (2019-2023)
+68%3 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $77,719
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
54.6% (2016-2020) → 67.6% (2020-2024)
+13 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
22.7% (2016-2020) → 10.6% (2020-2024)
−12 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
18.9% (2016-2020) → 12.0% (2020-2024)
−7 pts4 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.4% → 9.8%

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.

There is not enough history to compare Isleta, New Mexico over five years.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Isleta, 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.

No place that looked like Isleta, New Mexico five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

1,043 residents (±373)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,043 residents (±373)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

White0.0%0
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino15%†158

Education

845 residents (±347)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

No high school diploma20%†171
High school or GED33%†275
Some college22%†185

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

361 households (±107)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $25k17%†60
$25k–50k36%†131
$50k–75k14%†50
$75k–100k16%†59
$100k–150k14%†49
$150k–200k3.3%†12
$200k or more0.0%0

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

361 households (±107)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Own91%†329
Rent8.9%†32

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

23 households (±37)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $750100%†23
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

329 homes (±117)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under $150k40%†130
$150k–250k39%†129
$250k–400k12%†39

Age of homes

465 homes (±109)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

2010 or later32%†149
2000–20096.2%†29
1980–199915%†69

Size of homes

465 homes (±109)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom13%†59
2 bedrooms34%†157

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

304 workers (±175)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Drive alone86%†260
Carpool8.6%†26
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.9%†18
Other0.0%0

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

286 workers (±168)

Isleta, New Mexico
New Mexico share

Under 15 min42%†119
15–29 min35%†99
30–44 min15%†42

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Bernalillo County, the county holding most of Isleta's residents.

Bernalillo County has 16,349 employer establishments, 243 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248; 1.15× New Mexico's), with 277,465 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,010. The Census Bureau also counts 48,869 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 16,349; 48,869 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 243; US 248 · New Mexico 212
Paid employees: 277,465
Average annual pay: $55,010; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,443	21.5	1.03×About typical	17,186	$63,454	3,192
Restaurants and other eating places	1,329	19.8	1.08×About typical	28,758	$23,770	279
Specialty trade contractors	1,030	15.3	0.99×About typical	14,064	$63,292	2,276
Lessors of real estate	916	13.6	1.11×About typical	3,447	$53,348	5,291
Limited-service restaurants	671	10	1.25×About typical	14,103	$22,343	128
Legal services	611	9.1	1.69×More than typical	3,346	$98,295	563
Offices of other health practitioners	500	7.4	1.22×About typical	2,214	$47,536	1,699
Building equipment contractors	467	7	1.16×About typical	7,127	$70,929	548
Full-service restaurants	438	6.5	0.85×About typical	11,915	$25,918	91
Construction of buildings	418	6.2	0.82×About typical	4,139	$69,745	1,190
Automotive repair and maintenance	375	5.6	1.11×About typical	2,493	$47,066	486
Insurance agencies and brokerages	357	5.3	1.21×About typical	2,855	$70,122	693

Rank places for an industry Open Bernalillo County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 671,767 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 $120K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Isleta, New Mexico: $115 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $120K
Per resident: $115; US $1,995
Sole-source: 40%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$120K100%

Top recipients

SYSCO CORP$64.3K54%
PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW MEXICO$44.6K37%
J & N MARKETING, INC.$8,2676.9%
NEW MEXICO GAS COMPANY, INC$2,8642.4%

Spending by fiscal year

398.4KFY2019
395.6KFY2020
10.8KFY2021
633.6KFY2022
280.9KFY2023
290.5KFY2024
-9.2KFY2025
120KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Other food manufacturing · 3119$64.3K54%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$44.6K37%
Facilities support services · 5612$8,2676.9%
Natural gas distribution · 2212$2,8642.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Isleta, New Mexico, so they do not add up across cities.

Isleta, New Mexico's figures are part of those of Bernalillo County, NM ($6.4B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Bernalillo 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.

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

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

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

Bernalillo County42100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Albuquerque, NM39

Other cities and towns in Bernalillo 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
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/3534620

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

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