CitytisticsShortlist

Brighton, MI vs Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM

Brighton

Michigan

vs

Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

New Mexico

Across 37 directional measures we can compare, Brighton leads on 20 and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on 17. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 13% higher in Brighton, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,198$1,061
Brighton is 13% higher
Median household income
$80,682$72,992
Brighton is 11% higher
Median home value
$339,000$492,400
Brighton is 31% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $65,400 a year left in Brighton and $62,200 in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Money goes further in Brighton, by about $3,100 a year.
  • A household earning Brighton's median of $80,682 would need about $76,000 in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay outran rent by 2.6 points a year in Brighton, and rent outran pay by 4.5 points a year in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

How these are calculated

New MexicoMichiganLos Ranchos de Albuquerque, NMBrighton, MIBrightonLos Ranchos de AlbuquerqueBrightonLos Ranchos de Albuquerque

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Brighton, MIComposite 63.7 / 100
84
55707760516774
02Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NMComposite 48.6 / 100
47
424282n/a60517

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureBrightonLos Ranchos de AlbuquerqueAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,198$1,061
Rent to income117.8%17.4%
Property tax rate11.3%0.8%
Home price to income14.2x6.8x
Prices vs US average2100.395.5
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,477$1,384
HUD area median income4$129,000$100,400
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$4,515$3,732
Median home value1$339,000$492,400
Home prices, 1-year change55.7%2.9%
Home prices, 5-year change546.5%53.0%
Homeownership166.5%80.2%
Renters paying 30%+153.7%80.7%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,889$2,340
Vacant homes16.7%5.7%
Median year built119861969
Jobs and income
Median household income1$80,682$72,992
Income per person1$53,464$55,017
Unemployment12.9%5.3%
Average annual pay6$59,565$65,813
Pay growth, 1 year64.5%3.7%
Jobs664,689347,718
Poverty rate18.1%15.2%
Mean commute125 min23 min
Works from home118.2%22.5%
Commutes by transit10.0%0.0%
People
Population17,6885,857
Population change since 202076.1%-1.6%
Median age147.446.1
Bachelor's or higher148.6%52.3%
High school or higher196.8%97.3%
Household size12.02.4
Born abroad14.3%3.3%
No health insurance13.8%8.8%
Homes with broadband188.8%94.7%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.9%5.0%
Moved from another state11.1%3.0%
Net movers per 1,000 people82.8-5.3
Income of households moving in8$82,364$59,630
Income of households moving out8$75,801$68,939
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k915.922.0
Shops per 10k928.229.1
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k93.84.0
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k917.621.4
Child care centers per 10k92.12.7
Parks per 10k105.23.4
Playgrounds per 10k105.23.4
Grocery stores per 10k103.93.4
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1033.820.5
Libraries per 10k102.60.0
Named paths and bike trails100.72.8
Transit stops per sq mi103.41.4
Nearest National Park Service site1147.46.7
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1113
National Register listings124165
Founded or incorporated131832n/a
Safety
Violent crime per 100k1475n/a
Property crime per 100k141,452n/a
Schools
Public schools15142
Public school students157,810525
Students per teacher1518.211.4
Climate
July average high1682°F90°F
January average low1616°F22°F
Average temperature1648°F54°F
Annual precipitation1633.8 in11.7 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1773.594.4
Hurricane risk1723.6n/a
Tornado risk1791.556.1
Wildfire risk1737.695.0
Heat wave risk1764.295.4
Median air quality index185458
Good air days1836.2%26.6%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Brighton $47,920, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque $42,440 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  14. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  15. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  16. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  17. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  18. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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