Posts Tagged ‘ Money Magazine ’


Rio Rancho, NM cracks the Top 100 Places to Live and Launch – Again!

Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team
July 16th, 2010

Rio Rancho NM City Hall

The City of Rio Rancho was named #51 in the Top 100 Places to Live and Launch (a business) by Money Magazine in their latest issue. In 2006, Rio Rancho was #56 on the list, and was #83 in 2008. While there is some controversy about the magazine’s methodology in selecting their top 100, there is no denying that many things have been going right in Rio Rancho in the past few years…. Economically, Rio Rancho has been attracting a number of new and well known companies to settle here. Housing prices have remained moderate compared with much of the country, and the ups and downs of the national economy have had a lesser effect locally. You can see the statistical results for the latest rating below.

 
Rio Rancho stats
  City stats        Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$66,971 $90,957
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*
67.48% 15.71%
Median home price $168,625 $239,391
 
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
22.5% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
41.4% 22.9%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)        3 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 25 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
1,316 2,967
High temp in July ° F 85.2° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 15.1° 21.3°
Median age 33.1 35.3

 Financial  City stats         Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$66,971 $90,957
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$68,865 $86,860
State sales tax 5.12% 5.45%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)
4.90%I 7.35%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)
1.70%I 2.96%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,805 $1,707
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*
67.48% 15.71%
Housing
Median home price $168,625 $239,391
Average property taxes
(2008)
$1,406 $3,418
Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)
4 25
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
22.5% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
41.4% 22.9%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)
97.2/2.8 87.8/12.2
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)
68.0% 77.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 3 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 25 24
Median commute time (in minutes) 25.0 21.4
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer
17.3% 13.6%
% population walk or bike to work 1.1% 3.6%
 Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)
17 31
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
1,316 2,967
Bars
(within 15 miles)
61 207
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)
26 162
Libraries
(within 15 miles)
31 72
within 30 miles) 3 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 4 12
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 1.4 1.5
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)
13.99 37.40
% clear days in the area 46 29
High temp in July ° F 85.2° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 15.1° 21.3°
Median age 33.1 35.3
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)
62.7% 71.5%
Married % 59.2% 56.6%
Divorced % 11.2% 8.4%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
347.2 94.9
From the August 2010 issue
Notes: *County data

(I) Income tax notes:
The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $8,000 to over $24,000. Married households filing separately pay the tax imposed on half the income.
These states allow personal exemption or standard deductions as provided in the IRC.