South Valley is an unincorporated community of 38,600 in Bernalillo County, about 4 miles southwest of downtown Albuquerque · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in South Valley?
Property crime is high in South Valley: a C+, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 78% of Americans live. Theft makes up 41% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades C+, and vehicle theft grades B.
C+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 523 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
22% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than South Valley as a whole, and 78% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Valley scores 523.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in South Valley, NM at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Valley, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in South Valley
Car thefts run high in Vecinos del Bosque & South Atrisco. In this part of north South Valley, they run at more than double the rate in the rest of South Valley.
Burglaries run high. South Valley has burglaries at about double the US rate: 5.0 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in South Valley
Property crime changes a lot from one part of South Valley to the next: 38% of residents live in areas graded A or B, while 27% live in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across South Valley run from B+ to F.
38%35%27%
A or B 38%C 35%D or F 27%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Valley Gardens, southwestBurglaries run at less than half the rate in the rest of South Valley.B+729
2Mountain View, eastCar thefts run at about half the rate in the rest of South Valley.B-600
3Copes Orchard, northeastCar thefts run at more than double the rate in the rest of South Valley.D+305
4Vecinos del Bosque & South Atrisco, northThefts run about 70% higher here than in the rest of South Valley.D+251
Neighborhood areas of South Valley, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Property crime rates and types in South Valley
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Valley has about 42 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 78% more than the US as a whole and close to New Mexico.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in South Valley, about 41% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in South Valley and nearby cities
Of the 6 cities closest to South Valley, 5 have less property crime. Bosque Farms and Isleta have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from South Valley. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, South Valley has more property crime than 99% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set South Valley apart: it has 3% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and 24 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less car theft, yet car theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 82% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.24 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 80% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 87% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (14 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 62% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 79% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 78% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for South Valley: D+ (18 of 100).4 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 64% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs South Valley
Property crime costs South Valley about $13 million a year, or $332 per resident and about $919 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$1.7 million
$45
Theft
$3.4 million
$88
Vehicle theft
$4.0 million
$104
Arson
$76,000
$2
Vandalism
$3.6 million
$93
Total
$13 million
$332
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
