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

Sierra County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 33 counties in 2021, at 50.2%. Los Alamos County had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 29.7% and the figure for New Mexico was 23.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest50.2Sierra County

Lowest3.2Los Alamos County

Median29.733 counties

New Mexico23.1History

Map of counties, 2021

Under 23
23 to 27
27 to 30
30 to 32
32 to 35
35 and over

%, 2021. 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, 2021

%. 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	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Sierra County	50.2	+16.7 pts
2	McKinley County	38	-1.3 pts
3	Luna County	37.4	+2.8 pts
4	Catron County	36.8	+0.4 pts
4	Socorro County	36.8	-1.3 pts
6	Chaves County	35.7	+9.5 pts
7	Cibola County	34	+1.6 pts
8	Quay County	33.7	-1.2 pts
9	San Juan County	32.2	+2.5 pts
10	Mora County	31.8	+5.7 pts
11	Harding County	31.6	+7.9 pts
11	Hidalgo County	31.6	+5.3 pts
13	De Baca County	30.8	+1.6 pts
14	Torrance County	30.5	+2.9 pts
15	Guadalupe County	29.9	+1 pts
15	Lincoln County	29.9	+1.3 pts
17	San Miguel County	29.7	+4.2 pts
18	Taos County	29.2	+2.6 pts
19	Colfax County	28.7	+3.5 pts
20	Union County	27.8	+0.6 pts
21	Otero County	27.7	+3 pts
22	Roosevelt County	26.9	+2.8 pts
23	Grant County	26.7	+0.5 pts
24	Rio Arriba County	26	-1.1 pts
25	Curry County	24.5	+5.1 pts
26	Valencia County	24.3	+3.9 pts
27	Lea County	23.3	+9.1 pts
28	Doña Ana County	22.7	-4.6 pts
29	Bernalillo County	18.2	+1.2 pts
30	Santa Fe County	17.9	+0.5 pts
31	Eddy County	17.2	+3 pts
32	Sandoval County	11.3	-0.9 pts
33	Los Alamos County	3.2	+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/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.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), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.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), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2021. 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), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2021.

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), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_counties_in_new_mexico_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.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), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/new-mexico-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Sierra County, with 50.2% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Los Alamos County, with 3.2% in 2021.

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.