Farmington, NM: what USGS's seismic model says

Farmington carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Farmington sits at the 50th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Farmington compares

USGS's underlying values for Farmington: 0.08g peak ground acceleration, 0.162g at short period, 0.055g at 1 second. Within New Mexico alone, Farmington ranks 26 of 35 cities by seismic hazard - the 26th percentile in-state. Farmington has a population of about 46,262.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by New Mexico specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in New Mexico.

What this means for insurance

A Farmington homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Farmington's figures come from

Farmington's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about Farmington.