Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)

McKinley County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 33 counties in 2018, at 42.8%. Los Alamos County had the lowest, at 3.1%. The median was 29.4% and the figure for New Mexico was 25.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest42.8McKinley County

Lowest3.1Los Alamos County

Median29.433 counties

New Mexico25.3History

Map of counties, 2018

Under 21
21 to 27
27 to 29
29 to 34
34 to 37
37 and over

%, 2018. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2018

%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2018 (%)	Change on 2017
1	McKinley County	42.8	-3.1 pts
2	Sierra County	42.5	-0.3 pts
3	Catron County	40.2	-5.2 pts
4	Luna County	37.8	-2.3 pts
5	Quay County	37.7	+0.2 pts
6	Hidalgo County	36.6	+0.3 pts
7	De Baca County	36.3	+2.4 pts
8	Socorro County	36	-4.2 pts
9	Torrance County	35.4	-1 pts
10	Cibola County	34.3	-3 pts
11	San Miguel County	34.1	-3.2 pts
12	Doña Ana County	33.3	-4.2 pts
13	Mora County	31.8	-2.3 pts
14	Grant County	30.3	-0.3 pts
15	Colfax County	30.2	+1.4 pts
16	Otero County	29.6	+0.2 pts
17	Guadalupe County	29.4	0 pts
18	Lincoln County	29.3	-1.3 pts
19	Rio Arriba County	28.7	-3.9 pts
20	Taos County	28.6	-3.4 pts
21	Roosevelt County	27.6	-4.8 pts
22	Union County	27.2	+0.7 pts
23	San Juan County	26.9	-2.3 pts
24	Curry County	25.6	-3.5 pts
25	Valencia County	24.2	-0.6 pts
26	Chaves County	24.1	-0.9 pts
27	Bernalillo County	22.2	+3.5 pts
28	Harding County	20.3	-3.6 pts
29	Lea County	18.2	-2.9 pts
30	Eddy County	17.8	-3.7 pts
31	Santa Fe County	17.7	-0.9 pts
32	Sandoval County	15.9	-2.7 pts
33	Los Alamos County	3.1	-0.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_counties_in_new_mexico_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in New Mexico by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

McKinley County, with 42.8% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Los Alamos County, with 3.1% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.