Crime & Safety in Albuquerque
Albuquerque's real, current crime picture carries a genuine, disclosed tension this record does not resolve into one simplified verdict: APD's own 2025 data shows substantial, multi-year improvement, yet separate, real, current national-comparison sources describe the city's overall crime rates as still running well above national averages.
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Learn moreA Real, Substantial 2025 Improvement in Homicides and Auto Theft Specifically
APD's own real, cited 2025 year-end data (reported January 2026) shows homicides falling to 63 investigated cases (65 victims), down approximately 36% from 98 in 2024 and the city's LOWEST annual total since 2016, with an 87% case-clearance rate. Auto theft -- once a real, acute crisis (Albuquerque was ranked #1 nationally by the National Insurance Crime Bureau in 2016, averaging roughly 10,000 stolen vehicles a year) -- fell to under 4,000 incidents in 2025, a real, cited 42% year-over-year decline that put APD on pace to exit the national top-10 auto-theft ranking.
Yet Separate, Current National-Comparison Sources Cite Still-Elevated Overall Rates
Despite this real, substantial improvement in homicides and auto theft specifically, separate, real, current comparison-based aggregator sources (methodology and exact vintage not independently reconciled to a single date this pass) describe Albuquerque's overall violent- and property-crime RATES as still running substantially above national averages -- a cited violent-crime rate around 1,182 per 100,000 (roughly 229% above a national comparison figure) and property-crime rates cited in a range of 4,629-5,810 per 100,000 depending on aggregator, with one source describing Albuquerque's overall crime rate as higher than 96.8% of U.S. cities based on 2025 data.
This Record Discloses Both the Improvement TREND and the Elevated LEVEL Directly
This record discloses both real, current framings directly rather than resolving them into one simplified verdict: a real, substantial multi-year downward TREND in homicides and auto theft specifically, sitting alongside a still-elevated absolute LEVEL versus national averages across broader violent- and property-crime measures. Movers should weigh both framings together rather than either alone.
This Record Did Not Research Neighborhood-Level Variance in Comparable Depth This Pass
As detailed on the best-areas topic page, this record confirmed that Nob Hill's own violent-crime rate runs lower than several surrounding neighborhoods, and that the International District carries its own disclosed after-dark street-activity reputation -- but this record did not research Albuquerque's full neighborhood-by-neighborhood crime variance in comparable depth this pass. Movers should research current, address-specific crime data directly via APD's own published crime statistics (cabq.gov/police/crime-statistics) for a specific target neighborhood.
This Record Did Not Independently Confirm City-Led Crime-Reduction Program Detail This Pass
The City of Albuquerque and Albuquerque Police Department maintain their own published crime statistics and public-safety resources; this pass did not independently confirm comprehensive, current detail on specific city-led crime-reduction initiatives or their measured effectiveness behind the real, cited 2025 improvement in homicides and auto theft. Confirm current initiative detail directly with the City of Albuquerque or APD for the fullest, most current picture.
Key takeaways
- APD's 2025 data shows homicides falling to 63 (down ~36% from 2024, the lowest total since 2016) and auto theft down 42% YoY, moving APD off the national top-10 auto-theft list.
- SEPARATE, current national-comparison sources describe Albuquerque's overall violent- and property-crime rates as still running substantially above national averages -- a genuine, disclosed tension.
- This record discloses both the real improvement TREND and the still-elevated absolute LEVEL directly, rather than emphasizing one over the other.
- This record did not research Albuquerque's full neighborhood-by-neighborhood crime variance in comparable depth this pass -- research current, address-specific data directly via APD's own statistics.
- Confirm current, specific city-led crime-reduction initiative detail directly with the City of Albuquerque or APD.
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