2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Rio Rancho, NM vs Arcata, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Arcata, is 45% less than it is in Rio Rancho and is 77% below the National Average.
- Rio Rancho unemployment rate is 7.6%.
- Arcata unemployment rate is 6.7%.
 Rio Rancho, NMArcata, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.9%1.6%
 Future Job Growth37.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$31,797  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$39,069$69,021
 Family Median Income$78,611  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Rio Rancho, NMArcata, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock21.2%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock17.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K9.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock5.8%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K15.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.5%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K6.9%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock3.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Rio Rancho, NMArcata, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance14.7%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock7.1%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.6%1.2%
 Education, library6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock4.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement3.3%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock10.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.4%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support27.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.9%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair9.6%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock14.1%13.1%
Reviews for Rio Rancho    21 Reviews

I have lived in the area for the past three years with my husband. Although vastly better than Albuquerque, this is not a safe area. We have had overt and petty crime on  More

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The pros: -Fairly good year-round weather. Sunny days outnumber cloudy days, there are days when the temps fall below freezing and the sun will still be shining. It's  More

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Over 6 years ago

Affordable housing, low crime (compared to Albuquerque), awesome weather with all 4 seasons, beautiful environment and some pretty awesome people. I love Rio Rancho,  More

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Reviews for Arcata    17 Reviews

Pros: Nature hikes Cons: One of highest crime rates in the nation. Opioid epidemic going on (you’ll regularly witness drug deals and ppl doing drugs) No  More

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It takes a special set of preferences to select Arcata. Is this you? - You love clouds and fog. You are happy if you see the sun maybe 10-20 times a year. - Chilly  More

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Over 12 years ago

I've lived in Humboldt for over 30 yrs and know all the areas well. Arcata is the jewel of Humboldt due to having a university and many liberal creative people. There is  More

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