The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in DeSmet, NM
DeSmet is a city of 24,700 in San Juan County, next to Farmington · Updated November 2026
Is DeSmet, NM safe?
With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+, DeSmet has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 68% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, B+ against B. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within DeSmet run from A+ to D, so check the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 718 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
32% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than DeSmet as a whole, and 68% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. DeSmet scores 718.
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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 DeSmet, NM at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in DeSmet, 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 in DeSmet
Reported rapes run high for a B-graded city. DeSmet has 1.3 reported rapes a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a B-graded US city, the figure is 0.42.
Aggravated assaults and simple assaults both run high. In DeSmet, each runs at about triple the US rate: 8.2 aggravated assaults and 31.1 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 9.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of DeSmet
Low crime is the norm across DeSmet: 68% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 8% in areas graded D or F. Grades across DeSmet run from A+ to D; 13% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
68%24%
A or B 68%C 24%D or F 8%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within DeSmet, the east side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in DeSmet
CrimeGrade™ estimates DeSmet has about 83 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and 32% more than New Mexico.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
The largest share of crime reported in DeSmet is assault, about 48% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. 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.
Where and when crime happens in DeSmet
The Farmington Police Department polices DeSmet; these figures cover Farmington as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Farmington as a whole, 50% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 41% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (50%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (41%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Homes (41%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (43%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (30%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (49%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How DeSmet compares with nearby cities
Of the 8 cities closest to DeSmet, 7 have less crime. La Plata and Fruitland have the least.
Two things set DeSmet apart: it has 17.3 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 3.8 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft; here theft sits near the national middle.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.17.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 93% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.8 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 93% 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 and assault. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 56% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.64 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 82% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.8.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 73% of US city residents
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.83% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 68% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of DeSmet on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
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 crime costs DeSmet
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs DeSmet about $2,517 a year per household, about double the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $69 million a year, or $2,777 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.7 million
$67
Rape
$1.9 million
$78
Robbery
$600,000
$24
Assault
$11 million
$461
Burglary
$770,000
$31
Theft
$2.5 million
$102
Vehicle theft
$990,000
$40
Arson
$180,000
$7
Vandalism
$2.6 million
$107
Total
$23 million
$917
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in DeSmet means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
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.
Schools in DeSmet, NM average a SchoolGrade of C-: 30% of students test proficient, against 29% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in DeSmet on SchoolGrade
