Chaparral, NM vs Carlsbad, NM

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricChaparral, NMCarlsbad, NM
Population18,18631,746
Median Household Income$46,017$72,306
Median Rent$853/mo$1,236/mo
Median Home Value$109,300$200,000
Cost of Living (US = 100)90—
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income30.1%29.4%
Poverty Rate27.4%13.8%
Unemployment Rate4.9% (county)3.2%
Violent Crime Rate /100k—*576
Property Crime Rate /100k—*2,721
Median AQI—49
Good AQI Days /yr—196
Summer Highs94°F96°F
Winter Lows36°F32°F
Snowfall0 in/yr3 in/yr
Avg Commute29.9 min22.3 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—1.0 / 5
Students per Teacher15.218.4
College Degree Rate10.5%19.2%
Foreign-Born %30.6%8.6%
Population Growth (2020–2025)—+1.1%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Chaparral (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.