Crime in Sierra Vista, NM

Sierra Vista is a community of 283 in Lincoln County, about 40 miles north of downtown Alamogordo · Updated November 2026

Is Sierra Vista, NM safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Sierra Vista has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 94% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 973 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

94% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Sierra Vista as a whole, and 6% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Sierra Vista scores 973.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 971 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 976 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Sierra Vista

Map of Sierra Vista shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Sierra Vista, NM at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Sierra Vista, 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


Crime rates and types in Sierra Vista

CrimeGrade™ estimates Sierra Vista has about 27 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 27% less than the US as a whole and 57% less 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.

Vandalism is the most common crime in Sierra Vista, about 33% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.150.05
RapeA+under 10.230.38
RobberyA+under 10.070.62
AssaultA+27.512.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+under 11.42.4
TheftA+26.713.1
Vehicle theftA+under 11.82.7
ArsonA+under 10.310.12
VandalismA+38.95.5

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.


How Sierra Vista compares with nearby cities

Sierra Vista has less crime than 7 of its 10 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Sierra VistaA+973A+A+283
Alto 5 milesA+950A+A+2,760
Ruidoso 5 milesA860AA8,020
Ponderosa Heights 8 milesA+954A+A+505
Ruidoso Downs 9 milesA-805A-B+3,120
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Nogal 9 milesA+980A+A+966
Fort Stanton 10 milesA+978A+A+159
Capitan 10 milesA+945A+A+2,080
Glencoe 12 milesA+968A+A+226
Mescalero 15 milesA+935AA+2,960
Oscura 19 milesA+986A+A+92

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Sierra Vista. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Sierra Vista has more crime than 61% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Sierra VistaA+973A+A+283
Aimwell, LAA+993A+A+283
Kerr, MOA+991A+A+283
Lumaghi Heights, ILA+982A+A+283
New Russia, NYA+981A+A+282
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Prospect, NYA+979A+A+283
Savona, OHA+976A+A+283
Buttonwood, PAA+975A+A+283
Carrington, MOA+974A+A+283
Oak Bowery, MSA+970A+A+283
Fatio, FLA918AA283

What crime costs Sierra Vista

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Sierra Vista about $964 a year per household, 20% less than 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 $720,000 a year, or $2,558 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$79,000$280
Rape$4,000$14
Robbery$600$2
Assault$28,000$98
Burglary$3,700$13
Theft$9,800$35
Vehicle theft$7,600$27
Arson$2,100$7
Vandalism$18,000$63
Total$150,000$539

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 Sierra Vista 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. Sierra Vista is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.

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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Sierra Vista

Schools in Sierra Vista, NM average a SchoolGrade of B+: 35% of students test proficient, against 33% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Sierra Vista on SchoolGrade