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 2020, at 39.3%. Los Alamos County had the lowest, at 2.8%. The median was 26.3% and the figure for New Mexico was 21.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest39.3McKinley County

Lowest2.8Los Alamos County

Median26.333 counties

New Mexico21.6History

Map of counties, 2020

Under 18
18 to 25
25 to 26
26 to 28
28 to 33
33 and over

%, 2020. 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, 2020

%. 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	2020 (%)	Change on 2019
1	McKinley County	39.3	+0.3 pts
2	Socorro County	38.1	+0.5 pts
3	Catron County	36.4	-1.9 pts
4	Quay County	34.9	+0.7 pts
5	Luna County	34.6	+1.4 pts
6	Sierra County	33.5	-6.2 pts
7	Cibola County	32.4	-0.1 pts
8	San Juan County	29.7	+2.9 pts
9	De Baca County	29.2	-0.6 pts
10	Guadalupe County	28.9	+0.1 pts
11	Lincoln County	28.6	+2.7 pts
12	Torrance County	27.6	-2.6 pts
13	Doña Ana County	27.3	-4 pts
14	Union County	27.2	+0.2 pts
15	Rio Arriba County	27.1	+0.1 pts
16	Taos County	26.6	+1.7 pts
17	Hidalgo County	26.3	-6.1 pts
18	Chaves County	26.2	+2.5 pts
18	Grant County	26.2	-0.8 pts
20	Mora County	26.1	-3.6 pts
21	San Miguel County	25.5	-6.2 pts
22	Colfax County	25.2	-1.8 pts
23	Otero County	24.7	-3 pts
24	Roosevelt County	24.1	-1.1 pts
25	Harding County	23.7	+7.8 pts
26	Valencia County	20.4	-2.8 pts
27	Curry County	19.4	-6.2 pts
28	Santa Fe County	17.4	+1 pts
29	Bernalillo County	17	-3.4 pts
30	Eddy County	14.2	-0.3 pts
30	Lea County	14.2	-3.9 pts
32	Sandoval County	12.2	-2 pts
33	Los Alamos County	2.8	-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/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.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), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.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), 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2020. 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), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2020.

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), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_counties_in_new_mexico_2020,
  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), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2020. 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/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.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), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2020.
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/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.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 39.3% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Los Alamos County, with 2.8% in 2020.

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.