Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Missouri instead of New Mexico, you would:
Health
be 16.5% more likely to be obese
In New Mexico, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Missouri, that number is 37.5% of people as of 2022.
Economy
be 21.4% less likely to be unemployed
In New Mexico, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Missouri, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 31.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In New Mexico, 17.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Missouri, however, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.
Safety
be 39.2% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
New Mexico has a violent crime rate of 745 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Missouri, that number is 453 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 27.9% less likely to be a victim of property crime
New Mexico has a property crime rate of 2,872 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Missouri, that number is 2,070 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
earn 10.9% more money
The median household income in New Mexico is $62,125 as of 2023, while in Missouri, it is $68,920 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 14.9% less likely to be food insecure
In New Mexico, 13.4% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Missouri, that number is 11.4% as of 2021.
be 13.4% more likely to smoke
In New Mexico, 16.4% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Missouri, that number is 18.6% as of 2022.
live in an area that is 5.1 times more densely populated
New Mexico has a population density of 6.8 people per sq km as of 2023. In Missouri, that number is 34.8 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 58.8% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In New Mexico, 5.1% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Missouri, that number is 2.1% as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
