Population

Carlsbad

31,813

Big Spring

24,769

Median Income

Carlsbad

$78,277

Big Spring

$70,532

Home Value

Carlsbad

$187,900

Big Spring

$138,800

Rent

Carlsbad

$1,206

Big Spring

$1,009

Crime Rate

Carlsbad

5.25

Big Spring

7.62

Cost of Living

Carlsbad

110.2

Big Spring

99.2

Avg Temp

Carlsbad

N/A

Big Spring

N/A

Unemployment

Carlsbad

4.4%

Big Spring

6.3%

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How Similar Are Carlsbad & Big Spring?

Big Spring is Carlsbad's #24 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Carlsbad

31,813

vs

Big Spring

24,769

Different · 22% difference

Carlsbad has a 22% larger population than Big Spring.

Violent Crime

Carlsbad

5.25

vs

Big Spring

7.62

Different · 31% difference
🚨

Big Spring has a 31% higher violent crime than Carlsbad.

Property Crime

🔒

Carlsbad

27.91

vs

Big Spring

27.86

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 0% difference.

Political Leaning

Carlsbad

77.3%

vs

Big Spring

81.1%

Match · 5% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 5% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Carlsbad

4.4%

vs

Big Spring

6.3%

Different · 29% difference

Big Spring has a 29% higher unemployment than Carlsbad.

Median Income

Carlsbad

$78,277

vs

Big Spring

$70,532

Match · 10% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Carlsbad

$187,900

vs

Big Spring

$138,800

Different · 26% difference

Carlsbad has a 26% higher home values than Big Spring.

Education

Carlsbad

13.8%

vs

Big Spring

9.7%

Different · 29% difference
🎓

Carlsbad has a 29% higher education than Big Spring.

Demographics

🌍

Carlsbad

58.7%

vs

Big Spring

64.1%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.

Cost of Living

Carlsbad

110.2

vs

Big Spring

99.2

Match · 10% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 10% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Carlsbad and Big Spring share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Carlsbad

vsof 8

0

Big Spring

Carlsbad leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Big Spring leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Big Spring scores 94.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 112.3 in Carlsbad. Big Spring has a fair market rent (1br) of $924 vs $1,084 in Carlsbad (17% lower). Big Spring has a living wage (family of 4) of $103,150 vs $114,601 in Carlsbad (11% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Carlsbad110.2
Big Spring99.2

Housing Index

Carlsbad112.3
Big Spring94.8

Food Index

Carlsbad109.8
Big Spring103.9

Transportation Index

Carlsbad98.9
Big Spring92.0

Healthcare Index

Carlsbad107.9
Big Spring103.1

Utilities Index

Carlsbad108.4
Big Spring101.3

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Carlsbad$48,485
Big Spring$43,641

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Carlsbad$114,601
Big Spring$103,150

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Carlsbad$1,084
Big Spring$924

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Carlsbad$1,188
Big Spring$1,173

Housing Market — Carlsbad leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Carlsbad has a median home value of $187,900 vs $138,800 in Big Spring (35% higher). Carlsbad has a median property tax of $1,023 vs $1,573 in Big Spring (35% lower). Big Spring has a median rent of $1,009 vs $1,206 in Carlsbad (20% lower).

Median Home Value

Carlsbad$187,900
Big Spring$138,800

Median Rent

Carlsbad$1,206
Big Spring$1,009

Median Property Tax

Carlsbad$1,023
Big Spring$1,573

Owner-Occupied

Carlsbad71.9%
Big Spring63.1%

Vacancy Rate

Carlsbad13.1%
Big Spring14.3%

Single-Family Homes

Carlsbad77.6%
Big Spring78.8%

Jobs & Economy — Carlsbad leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Carlsbad has a work from home of 6.0% compared to 3.9% in Big Spring. Carlsbad: 15,359 vs Big Spring: 10,571 for labor force. Carlsbad has a poverty rate of 13.0% compared to 18.4% in Big Spring.

Median Household Income

Carlsbad$78,277
Big Spring$70,532

Per Capita Income

Carlsbad$37,755
Big Spring$31,746

Poverty Rate

Carlsbad13.0%
Big Spring18.4%

Unemployment Rate

Carlsbad4.4%
Big Spring6.3%

Labor Force

Carlsbad15,359
Big Spring10,571

Mean Commute

Carlsbad19 min
Big Spring18 min

Work from Home

Carlsbad6.0%
Big Spring3.9%

Private Sector

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Government Sector

Carlsbad48.0%
Big Spring45.7%

Crime & Safety — Carlsbad leads

Source: FBI UCR

Carlsbad has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.14 in Big Spring. Carlsbad has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.13 compared to 0.47 in Big Spring. Carlsbad has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.26 compared to 6.07 in Big Spring.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad5.25
Big Spring7.62

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad27.91
Big Spring27.86

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad0.03
Big Spring0.14

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad0.13
Big Spring0.47

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad4.74
Big Spring6.40

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad3.26
Big Spring6.07

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Carlsbad20.52
Big Spring18.78

Violent Crime Clearance

Carlsbad39.6%
Big Spring38.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Carlsbad9.6%
Big Spring15.5%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Avg Annual High

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Avg Annual Low

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Sunny Days per Year

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Annual Rainfall

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Annual Snowfall

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Avg Humidity

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Carlsbad has a bachelor's degree or higher of 13.8% compared to 9.7% in Big Spring. Big Spring has a high school diploma or higher of 33.5% compared to 32.3% in Carlsbad.

Public Schools

Carlsbad0
Big Spring0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

CarlsbadN/A
Big SpringN/A

Colleges & Universities

Carlsbad0
Big Spring0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Carlsbad13.8%
Big Spring9.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Carlsbad32.3%
Big Spring33.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Carlsbad has a population of 31,813, about 1.3x the size of Big Spring (24,769).

Population

Carlsbad31,813
Big Spring24,769

Median Age

Carlsbad37
Big Spring37

Avg Household Size

Carlsbad2.5
Big Spring2.4

Married Population

Carlsbad39.5%
Big Spring37.1%

Foreign Born

Carlsbad6.7%
Big Spring12.6%

White

Carlsbad58.7%
Big Spring64.1%

Black

Carlsbad2.7%
Big Spring6.9%

Hispanic

Carlsbad53.4%
Big Spring50.8%

Asian

Carlsbad0.9%
Big Spring1.4%

Carlsbad

Big Spring

Healthcare — Big Spring leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Carlsbad: 2.5 vs Big Spring: 1.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Big Spring: 5 vs Carlsbad: 3 for nearby hospitals. Big Spring: 4 vs Carlsbad: 3 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Carlsbad3
Big Spring5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Carlsbad2.5
Big Spring1.0

With Emergency Services

Carlsbad3
Big Spring4

Transportation & Commute — Carlsbad leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Carlsbad has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Big Spring. Carlsbad has a work from home of 6.0% compared to 3.9% in Big Spring. Carlsbad has a drive alone of 80.8% compared to 76.2% in Big Spring.

Mean Commute Time

Carlsbad19 min
Big Spring18 min

Drive Alone

Carlsbad80.8%
Big Spring76.2%

Public Transit

Carlsbad0.5%
Big Spring0.0%

Bicycle

Carlsbad0.4%
Big Spring0.1%

Work from Home

Carlsbad6.0%
Big Spring3.9%

Airports

Carlsbad0
Big Spring0

Cities Similar to Carlsbad, NM

Compare Carlsbad against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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