---
title: Rio Rancho, New Mexico
description: Rio Rancho, New Mexico is a family-friendly town with many outdoor activities, including hiking and swimming, and it's one of Money's Best Places to Live.
published: '2020-09-22T12:00:46.000Z'
modified: '2020-09-23T10:54:54.000Z'
section: Housing
tags:
  - Best Places to Live
  - Best Places to Live 2020
canonical: https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

> **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/).

![BPL20-Rio-Rancho-New-Mexico-50](https://img.money.com/2020/09/50-Rio-Rancho-New-Mexico.jpg)

Perched on the bank of the Rio Grande, this fast-growing town 15 miles north of Albuquerque boasts views of the pink-tinted Sandia Mountains (Sandia is spanish for watermelon) to the east.

Within the city limits, there are nearly 50 parks, three outdoor pools and miles of hiking and biking trails. A Park Above, the newest of Rio Rancho’s parks, is full of colorful mosaics, a toddler-friendly splash park and playgrounds designed for children with special needs.

The city was incorporated in 1981, after chipmaker Intel broke ground on a research and development facility that now employs 1,800 people. Between 2010 and 2019, Rio Rancho’s population grew more than 13% to 99,000. New Mexico grew less than 2% over the same period. At $65,000, the city’s median household income is also high for the state. *— Samantha Sharf*

\[money-bpl-toolkit\]

![](https://img.money.com/2020/09/BPL_Chart_2020_F_50.jpg?quality=85)

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/#breadcrumb",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://money.com"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Housing",
          "item": "https://money.com/housing/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Places to Live",
          "item": "https://money.com/places-to-live/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 4,
          "name": "Rio Rancho, New Mexico"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://money.com/#website",
      "url": "https://money.com",
      "name": "Money",
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#organization"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/#webpage",
      "url": "https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/",
      "name": "Rio Rancho, New Mexico",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#website"
      },
      "datePublished": "2020-09-22T12:00:46.000Z",
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/"
      },
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "breadcrumb": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/#breadcrumb"
      },
      "dateModified": "2020-09-23T10:54:54.000Z"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "Rio Rancho, New Mexico",
      "articleSection": "Housing",
      "image": [
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://img.money.com/2020/09/50-Rio-Rancho-New-Mexico.jpg",
          "width": 2400,
          "height": 1600,
          "caption": "BPL20-Rio-Rancho-New-Mexico-50"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://img.money.com/2020/09/BPL_Chart_2020_F_50.jpg?quality=85",
          "width": 171,
          "height": 573
        }
      ],
      "author": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Money",
        "url": "https://money.com/",
        "@id": "https://money.com/#organization"
      },
      "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization",
      "datePublished": "2020-09-22T12:00:46.000Z",
      "description": "Rio Rancho, New Mexico is a family-friendly town with many outdoor activities, including hiking and swimming, and it's one of Money's Best Places to Live.",
      "abstract": "Rio Rancho, New Mexico is a family-friendly town with many outdoor activities, including hiking and swimming, and it's one of Money's Best Places to Live.",
      "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/rio-rancho-new-mexico-2020/",
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "dateModified": "2020-09-23T10:54:54.000Z",
      "keywords": [
        "Best Places to Live",
        "Best Places to Live 2020"
      ],
      "about": [
        {
          "@type": "Thing",
          "name": "Housing in the United States",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_in_the_United_States"
          ]
        },
        {
          "@type": "Thing",
          "name": "City quality of life indices",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_quality_of_life_indices"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```