New Mexico
New statewide housing report finds problems linger with affordability, homelessness, quality • Source New Mexico
Housing continues to be unaffordable for many renters and homeowners across the state, according to a report released this week by the New Mexico authority tackling the housing crisis.
The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, which also announced its rebranding Wednesday to become Housing New Mexico, detailed the findings of its latest Housing Needs Assessment at a news conference in Albuquerque. All of its findings point to ongoing need for people across the housing spectrum, from those living on the streets to those struggling to pay their mortgage, leaders said.
The authority published the first assessment in 2018, intended as a roadmap for where it should dedicate programs and funding.
Among the findings in this year’s report:
- Homelessness increased 50% between 2022 and 2023, based on the federal point-in-time count
- The median monthly rent in New Mexico is $966, a 16.7% increase since 2018
- 44% of renters and 28% of homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on rents or mortgages
- 43% of homes statewide were built before 1980
- 34% of statewide households have someone aged 65 or over. The national rate is 12%
- Median household incomes have grown 22% since 2018, while the median home price increased 53%, from $200,000 to $306,000
‘The need is definitely out there’
Isidoro “Izzy” Hernandez, CEO of the newly rebranded Housing New Mexico, said that the assessment’s findings weren’t all that surprising, but the trends are still troubling.
“The housing needs assessment findings provide us with a reality of what the affordable housing necessities are in our state,” Hernandez said.
This year, the New Mexico Legislature gave the authority’s Housing Trust Fund $50 million to spend on an array of housing programs. That is in addition to about $38 million in recurring funding the authority receives.
Legislature and governor tout ‘largest one-time investment in housing’ during 2024 session
The funding was available beginning July 1 but the authority hasn’t yet received it. Still, citing the high need, Hernandez said it has already allocated about $10 million of it. The authority has more than 300 partners, including local and tribal housing authorities, nonprofits and private lenders.
“The need is definitely out there,” he said. “The money will go pretty quick.”
He gave a breakdown Wednesday of how the legislative funding would be spent over the next two years, including $20 million to increase home ownership, $26.6 million to build more housing, $10 million to preserve existing housing, with $27 million left over to spend on those programs as needed.
The money will help fund 13,000 families afford down payments, move into a new home or get repairs in their apartment, Hernandez said.
He said the authority will again ask for money on top of what it gets in recurring money at the 2025 legislative session, though he didn’t know yet how much.
Leapfrog released its 2026 spring hospital safety grades.
Grades are assigned based on overall performance, including patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group’s goal is to publicly report patient safety and quality information for the benefit of consumers, purchasers, and referring physicians as they make decisions about where to seek care and where to direct patients,” the company stated on its website.
Here’s how your local hospitals performed.
MountainView Regional Medical Center – A
Leapfrog gave MountainView an “A.”
“Being the only hospital in Doña Ana County to earn an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group speaks to the high standards our team sets – and meets – every day,” said MountainView CEO Patrick Shannon. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and employees to deliver the safest care possible for our community.”
“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that MountainView is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction.”
The hospital performed better than average in several areas including low infection rates, addressing safety problems, and ICU care. The hospital received below average performances ratings in surgical site infections post colon surgery, communication about medicine and discharge, communication with doctors and nurses and nursing and bedside care for patients.
Memorial Medical Center – B
Memorial Medical Center received a “B” grade from Leapfrog.
The hospital performed well in effective leadership, reduction and prevention of infections and addressing safety problems.
The hospital received below average ratings for kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problems, harmful events, communication about medicine and discharge, and communication with doctors and nurses.
Not rated by Leapfrog were Three Crosses Regional Hospital.
Nearby top rated hospitals
Leapfrog gave an A to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso received a B.
How did other New Mexico hospitals perform?
A recipients were:
- CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo
B recipients were:
- Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque
C recipients were:
- Carlsbad Medical Center in Carlsbad
- CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa FE
- Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell
- Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown in Albuquerque
- Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell
- Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque
- University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque
D recipients were:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington
- UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho
Explore the full survey results at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
Jessica Onsurez is editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Reach her by email at jonsurez@usatodayco.com.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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