By Jesse Jones
Crime in Rio Rancho has dropped by just over 16% over the past two years, even as one of the state’s fastest-growing municipal populations continues to grow.
According to the Rio Rancho Police Department’s 2024 Annual Report, the number of reported offenses fell from 8,681 in 2022 to 7,283 in 2024, marking a significant decline in both violent and property crimes. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Rio Rancho’s population grew from about 10,000 when it was founded in 1981 to 88,901 in 2010 and 104,046 in 2020. The city estimated 110,660 residents in 2023.
The drop in crime comes at a time when many fast-growing cities experience rising crime rates, making Rio Rancho’s trend stand out. Mayor Gregg Hull attributes the drop to increased police funding, the expansion of specialized crime units and strong community engagement for the improvement.
“When we look at total reported incidents, crime is down in Rio Rancho,” Mayor Gregg Hull said. “Rio Rancho has always been known as the safest city in the state of New Mexico with a population over 30,000 people.”
According to MoneyGeek’s fifth annual report on the safest cities with a population of at least 100,000 in America, featured in Forbes, Rio Rancho ranks 82nd nationwide and No. 1 in New Mexico. The report analyzed FBI crime data and the economic costs of crime to provide a broad look at urban safety.
Corrales ranked as New Mexico’s safest city for 2025, according to SafeWise, while Nextdoor named Los Alamos the safest in 2024. Rio Rancho remains the highest-ranked city with at least 30,000 people.
Meanwhile, Albuquerque — New Mexico’s largest city, ranked 273 on the MoneyGeek list — has seen a different trend, raising questions about what’s working in Rio Rancho and whether these strategies could be applied elsewhere.
According to Hull, who is considering a run for governor in 2026, Rio Rancho has more than doubled its police budget over the last 11 years, growing by over 100%. The budget does not include the public safety bond, which provides $2 million every two years for equipment.
The department has added at least 15 sworn officers, six public safety aides and several civilian employees to support its efforts to keep crime down, Hull said.
“You have to make sure that you’re supplying your police officers with the resources that they need to accomplish the task that you’ve given them,” Hull said. “We are not going to stop crime 100%. That’s an unachievable goal. Having good response times and making sure the citizens feel like the police are there for them. That is so important.”
The Rio Rancho Police Department has several specialized units within its Criminal Investigations Division (CID), which handles criminal offenses, collects evidence and analyzes crime trends. The division includes the Violent Crimes Unit, Property Crimes Unit and Special Victims Unit, according to the report.
Rio Rancho police data, based on the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, shows violent crime dropped 20% from 2022 to 2024, property crime fell aboutt 11% and gun and drug offenses declined 11%.
For comparison, reported crime in Albuquerque has trended down since 2017, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The Albuquerque Police Department recently released its 2024 crime stats, showing violent crime increased less than 1% last year, while property crime decreased 2% and gun and drug offenses dropped 4%.
According to FBI crime data, violent crime in New Mexico dropped 6% from 2022 to 2023, while property crime fell 3%. Violent crimes fell from 15,774 to 14,843, and property crimes dropped from 60,011 to 58,062, the FBI said. State data for 2024 is not out yet and the numbers are not complete since not all police and sheriff’s departments report their data.
Nationally, law enforcement is more likely to solve violent crimes than property crimes, according to the FBI. In 2022, they cleared 52.3% of homicides, 41.4% of aggravated assaults, 26.1% of rapes, and 23.2% of robberies. For property crimes, clearance rates were lower — 13% for burglaries, 12.4% for larceny/theft and 9.3% for motor vehicle theft.
According to the 2025 Rio Rancho Adopted Budget, the RRPD clearance rate for property crime was 53% in 2024 and 14% for violent crime. In 2023, property crime was cleared at 13% and violent crime at 66%. In 2022, property crime had a 40% clearance rate and violent crime was at 73%.
Rio Rancho Police Chief Stewart Steele said in the report that the department is committed to public safety, community engagement, and excellence.
“The goal is to make Rio Rancho the safest city in New Mexico and a top place to live, work and visit,” Steele said. “Enforcing the law with integrity and holding criminals accountable sets the city apart.”
The deeper dive into violent crime
Homicides rose, but arrests followed. Aggravated assaults and rapes declined. How does Rio Rancho compare to other cities, and what’s driving these trends? Future reports will cover auto crimes, business theft and more.