New Mexico’s 2nd Largest City Won’t Be For Long

Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico followed, not so closely, by El Paso's neighbor, Las Cruces. That may change though ... and the change may come sooner than later.

Albuquerque is home to 560,274 peeps. That's about 118,684 residents behind El Paso, (678,958) which is only the 6th largest city in Texas. The difference between El Paso and Albuquerque is a little more than the entire population of NM's #2 city, Las Cruces. (114,892)

How much longer can Las Cruces hold on to the #2 spot?

Right next to Albuquerque sits the city of Rio Rancho, Mew Mexico. The 2023 US Census says Rio Rancho is home to 110,660 New Mexicans and onlyinyourstate says the city is growing like a weed.

Since the 1990s, the population has tripled. One of the city's current economic priorities is to help establish local businesses. Today, it's one of the fastest-growing cities in the entire southwest, a trend that doesn't seem to be slowing. - onlyinyourstate

Initial development started in the 80's but the 90's are when Rio Rancho really started rocking. The growth was driven, primarily, by younger peeps not all that impressed with the "big city" life of Albuquerque.

Will Las Cruces Stay #2?

At its current rate of growth, it looks like Las Cruces' fall to #3 is not only imminent but could happen almost immediately. Only about 4,300 residents to go ...

There are lots of things to do in Rio Rancho, including parks, breweries, art galleries, hiking and more. If "small town" life gets dull or residents and/or visitors want a little more of what Albuquerque has to offer, it's less than 20 miles away.