Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Mexico instead of South Carolina, you would:
Economy
be 14.3% less likely to be unemployed
In South Carolina, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Mexico, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 12.2% more money
South Carolina has a GDP per capita of $49,914 as of 2024, while in New Mexico, the GDP per capita is $56,008 as of 2024.
be 37.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Carolina, 12.9% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In New Mexico, however, that number is 17.7% as of 2023.
Safety
be 64.0% more likely to be a victim of violent crime
South Carolina has a violent crime rate of 454 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Mexico, that number is 745 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 35.8% more likely to be a victim of property crime
South Carolina has a property crime rate of 2,116 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Mexico, that number is 2,872 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 2.4 minutes less
The average one-way commute in South Carolina takes 25.6 minutes as of 2023. In New Mexico, it takes 23.2 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 90.2% less densely populated
South Carolina has a population density of 69.1 people per sq km as of 2023. In New Mexico, that number is 6.8 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 75.9% more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In South Carolina, 2.9% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In New Mexico, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
be 44.1% more likely to be food insecure
In South Carolina, 9.3% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In New Mexico, that number is 13.4% as of 2021.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
