The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Las Cruces, NM: Crime Maps and Statistics

D-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D-
Property Crime Grade	D-
Other Crime Grade	D

Which crimes are included?

$133.1 million

Cost of Crime™ for Las Cruces, NM

In 2025, crime will cost $2,066 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Las Cruces with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Las Cruces, NM Safe?

The D- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Las Cruces's combined rate is much higher than the norm. Las Cruces sits in the 14th percentile, ahead of 14% of cities and behind 86%. The grade covers only Las Cruces's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Las Cruces is 43.77 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 15 in the south neighborhoods to 1 in 42 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the south parts of Las Cruces, NM report the most crime, about 1,576 cases per year. The north part reports the fewest, around 346 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Las Cruces, NM

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Las Cruces for 2025 is $133,146,089, about $792 per resident and $2,066 per household. That equals 2.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 50.8%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 37.4%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.7%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Las Cruces Compared to Other Cities?

Las Cruces, NM:	$792
Taos, NM:	$1410
Paradise Hills, NM:	$411
New Mexico:	$835
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Las Cruces is $792 per year, which is $327 more than the national average and $43 less than New Mexico's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Las Cruces:

In Taos, NM, crime costs $1,410 per person, which is $618 more than in Las Cruces.
In Paradise Hills, NM, crime costs $411 per person, which is $381 less than in Las Cruces

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Las Cruces for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Las Cruces	Cost per Las Cruces Resident
Murder	$49.8 million	$296
Rape/Sexual Assault	$8.57 million	$51
Robbery	$3.61 million	$21
Assault	$19.1 million	$114
Kidnapping	$3.39 million	$20
Vehicle Theft	$11.3 million	$67
Burglary	$7.26 million	$43
Theft	$13.2 million	$79
Arson	$580,620	$3
Vandalism	$12.2 million	$72
Animal Cruelty	$71,504	$0
Drug Crimes	$3.10 million	$18
Identity Theft	$883,239	$5
Total Cost of Crime	$133,146,089	$792

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Las Cruces, NM

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Las Cruces totals $377,342,297 ($2,243 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $510,488,386 ($3,035 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The central part of the city holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Las Cruces has 27, do the same, and of Las Cruces's 168,219 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Las Cruces, NM at ISP Reports.

Las Cruces Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Las Cruces residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.962
Robbery	0.6818
Rape	0.8406
Murder	0.1576
Total Violent Crime	5.642 (D-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	15.20
Vehicle Theft	4.339
Burglary	4.758
Arson	0.1429
Total Property Crime	24.44 (D-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.3321
Drug Crimes	2.495
Vandalism	10.13
Identity Theft	0.6784
Animal Cruelty	0.0575
Total "Other" Rate	13.69 (D)

Individual Las Cruces Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Las Cruces is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Las Cruces.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Dona Ana, NM	C-	D	C-
Mesilla, NM	F	D-	F
Mesilla Park, NM	D-	F	D-
Spaceport City, NM	C-	D+	C
Santo Tomas, NM	D-	F	D-
Organ, NM	D	D	D+
White Sands, NM	F	F	D-
Fairacres, NM	D	D-	D
Orogrande, NM	F	F	F
Ventura, NM	D	C-	D+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Las Cruces is higher versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Duluth, GA	C-	C-	C-
Douglasville, GA	C+	C+	C+
Dublin, CA	B	B-	B-
Dublin, OH	B	A-	A-
Dayton, OH	C-	C	C
Dothan, AL	C-	D+	D+
Denton, TX	C-	C-	C-
Denver, CO	D-	D	D
Duluth, MN	D-	D+	D+
Des Moines, IA	C+	C+	C+

Considering only the crime rate, Las Cruces is safer than the New Mexico state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Las Cruces, NM average SchoolGrade of C+, with 38% actual proficiency versus 29% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Las Cruces schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.