Crime in Carlsbad, New Mexico

Carlsbad's crime rate

There were 992 crimes reported in Carlsbad, New Mexico in 2018, the most recent year crime data is available for the city. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 3,402 incidents for every 100,000 people.

In September 2020, the FBI released crime figures for 2019, however, as a complete dataset for Carlsbad was not included in that release, 2018 data is shown here.

How does Carlsbad compare?

Carlsbad has a higher overall crime rate than the vast majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,580 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Carlsbad's overall crime rate is 20% lower than the overall crime rate in New Mexico. Statewide, there were 89,606 crimes reported in 2018, or 4,276 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2018. In Carlsbad, property crimes also account for about 85% of all offenses.

Property crime is more prevalent in Carlsbad than it is nationwide. There were 844 property crimes in Carlsbad in 2018, or 2,895 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,200 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Carlsbad. There were 635 larcenies reported in Carlsbad in 2018, or 2,178 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,595 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 99 break-ins reported in Carlsbad in 2018, or 340 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 327 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2018.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 229 for every 100,000 people. In Carlsbad, meanwhile, there were 110 motor vehicle thefts in 2018, or 377 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the more than 8.4 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2018. In Carlsbad, violent offenses also account for a 15% share of all reported crime.

At 508 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Carlsbad is above the national violent crime rate of 381 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Carlsbad reported a total of 148 violent crimes in 2018.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Carlsbad. There were 108 aggravated assaults reported in Carlsbad in 2018, or 370 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 247 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 14 robberies reported in Carlsbad in 2018, a rate of 48 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 86 per 100,000 in 2018.

Rape

There were 22 rapes reported in Carlsbad in 2018, or 75 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,380 rapes in 2018, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 4 homicides committed in the city in 2018. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Carlsbad is 13.7 murders for every 100,000 people, considerably higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

Carlsbad compared to other cities in New Mexico

Carlsbad has a lower crime rate than the majority of all comparable cities in New Mexico. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2018 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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