Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tennessee instead of New Mexico, you would:
Health
be 17.7% more likely to be obese
In New Mexico, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Tennessee, that number is 37.9% of people as of 2022.
be 15.7% more likely to have diabetes
In New Mexico, 10.8% of adults have diabetes as of 2022. In Tennessee, that number is 12.5% as of 2022.
Economy
be 19.0% less likely to be unemployed
In New Mexico, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tennessee, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
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 Tennessee, however, that number is 12.9% as of 2023.
Safety
be 17.9% 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 Tennessee, that number is 612 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 19.9% 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 Tennessee, that number is 2,301 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 10.6% more for a home
The median home value in New Mexico is $232,200 as of 2023, compared to $256,800 in Tennessee as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 18.7% less likely to be food insecure
In New Mexico, 13.4% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Tennessee, that number is 10.9% as of 2021.
commute 2.5 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in New Mexico takes 23.2 minutes as of 2023. In Tennessee, it takes 25.7 minutes as of 2023.
be 18.9% more likely to smoke
In New Mexico, 16.4% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Tennessee, that number is 19.5% as of 2022.
be 16.9% more likely to be physically inactive
In New Mexico, 23.6% of adults are physically inactive as of 2022. In Tennessee, that number is 27.6% as of 2022.
live in an area that is 9.9 times more densely populated
New Mexico has a population density of 6.8 people per sq km as of 2023. In Tennessee, that number is 67.0 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 33.3% 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 Tennessee, that number is 3.4% as of 2023.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
