Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Carolina instead of New Mexico, you would:
Economy
be 27.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In New Mexico, 17.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In South Carolina, however, that number is 12.9% as of 2023.
make 10.9% less money
New Mexico has a GDP per capita of $56,008 as of 2024, while in South Carolina, the GDP per capita is $49,914 as of 2024.
be 16.7% more likely to be unemployed
In New Mexico, 4.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In South Carolina, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
Safety
be 39.0% 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 South Carolina, that number is 454 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 26.3% 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 South Carolina, that number is 2,116 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 10.3% more in rent
The median monthly gross rent in New Mexico is $1,021 as of 2023, while in South Carolina, it is $1,126 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 30.6% less likely to be food insecure
In New Mexico, 13.4% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In South Carolina, that number is 9.3% as of 2021.
commute 2.4 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in New Mexico takes 23.2 minutes as of 2023. In South Carolina, it takes 25.6 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 10.2 times more densely populated
New Mexico has a population density of 6.8 people per sq km as of 2023. In South Carolina, that number is 69.1 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 43.1% 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 South Carolina, that number is 2.9% as of 2023.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
