Living in Roswell, NM
Small city in New Mexico
Roswell is a small city in New Mexico, home to about 48,000 people, with 51,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Roswell a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $214k and rents for $1,420 a month
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Low natural disaster risk: 3 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Low taxes: about $1,191 state income tax per resident, 0.69% property tax
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 51,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer graduates: 20% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Few top-rated hospitals: no 4–5★ hospital within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Roswell ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Roswell: common questions
What is the cost of living in Roswell?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $214k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,420 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 92, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Roswell?
New Mexico collects about $1,191 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.69% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Roswell safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Roswell?
Roswell has cool winters: winter days average around 57°F and summer days around 93°F, with roughly 10″ of snow a year.
Does Roswell get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding: 3 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.71 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Roswell?
The nearest major airport is ELP, about 152 mi away.
How Roswell scores
Each bar compares Roswell with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Roswell right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.