ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New rankings are out for the best performing cities in the country. After big drops in 2023, some New Mexico cities on the list are making a rebound. 

Four New Mexico cities are included in the Milken Institute rankings: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Farmington. For three of those cities, things are looking up – they all saw major gains over the 2023 report. 

Albuquerque rose from the 137th-best performing large city in the 2023 report to the 100th-best in 2023. Las Cruces rose from the 121st-best performing small city in 2023 to the 79th-best in 2024.

Both Albuquerque and Las Cruces remain ranked lower than they were pre-pandemic. However, the improvements from the 2021 data included in the 2023 report are significant. 

After spending three years at the bottom of the list, Farmington rose from dead last to 189th-best performing small city. 

Santa Fe was the only New Mexico city on the list to see a drop. It fell from 124th-best in 2023 to 145th. 

It’s worth noting this report is based on data from 2022.  

Rankings are based on 13 factors that fall into three general categories: labor market performance — which reflects trends and employment and wages, high-tech impact — which reflects the growth of high-tech industries, and access to economic opportunities — which looks at housing and digital services such as broadband internet.  

For more information on the Milken report, click here.