Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / Counties in New Mexico

Counties in New Mexico by poverty rate

McKinley County had the highest poverty rate of 33 counties in 2020, at 32%. Los Alamos County had the lowest, at 3.3%. The median was 19.2% and the figure for New Mexico was 16.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest32McKinley County
Lowest3.3Los Alamos County
Median19.233 counties
New Mexico16.8History

All counties, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

McKinley CountyMcKinley County: 32 %32Cibola CountyCibola County: 25.1 %25.1Socorro CountySocorro County: 25.1 %25.1Catron CountyCatron County: 22.8 %22.8Guadalupe CountyGuadalupe County: 22.8 %22.8Luna CountyLuna County: 22.3 %22.3Sierra CountySierra County: 22.1 %22.1Quay CountyQuay County: 22 %22San Juan CountySan Juan County: 21.5 %21.5Torrance CountyTorrance County: 21.4 %21.4San Miguel CountySan Miguel County: 20.9 %20.9Doña Ana CountyDoña Ana County: 20.5 %20.5Grant CountyGrant County: 20 %20Hidalgo CountyHidalgo County: 19.8 %19.8Mora CountyMora County: 19.8 %19.8Rio Arriba CountyRio Arriba County: 19.7 %19.7Chaves CountyChaves County: 19.2 %19.2Union CountyUnion County: 19 %19Taos CountyTaos County: 18.9 %18.9Roosevelt CountyRoosevelt County: 18.2 %18.2Colfax CountyColfax County: 17.2 %17.2De Baca CountyDe Baca County: 17 %17Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 16.9 %16.9Otero CountyOtero County: 15.5 %15.5Valencia CountyValencia County: 15.5 %15.5Bernalillo CountyBernalillo County: 15.3 %15.3Harding CountyHarding County: 15.1 %15.1Curry CountyCurry County: 14.9 %14.9Eddy CountyEddy County: 12.8 %12.8Lea CountyLea County: 12.6 %12.6Santa Fe CountySanta Fe County: 12.5 %12.5Sandoval CountySandoval County: 10.4 %10.4Los Alamos CountyLos Alamos County: 3.3 %3.3
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1McKinley County32+1.9 pts
2Cibola County25.1-0.4 pts
2Socorro County25.1-0.9 pts
4Catron County22.8+2.2 pts
4Guadalupe County22.8-0.7 pts
6Luna County22.3-1.5 pts
7Sierra County22.1-5.5 pts
8Quay County22+0.3 pts
9San Juan County21.5+1.6 pts
10Torrance County21.4-0.2 pts
11San Miguel County20.9-2.9 pts
12Doña Ana County20.5-3.3 pts
13Grant County20+1.9 pts
14Hidalgo County19.8-3.1 pts
14Mora County19.8-1.4 pts
16Rio Arriba County19.7-2.5 pts
17Chaves County19.2+1.1 pts
18Union County19-1.3 pts
19Taos County18.9+0.7 pts
20Roosevelt County18.2-0.6 pts
21Colfax County17.2+0.2 pts
22De Baca County17-1.6 pts
23Lincoln County16.9+3.2 pts
24Otero County15.5-4.6 pts
24Valencia County15.5-2.1 pts
26Bernalillo County15.3-0.2 pts
27Harding County15.1-0.3 pts
28Curry County14.9-3.8 pts
29Eddy County12.8+1.6 pts
30Lea County12.6-2.5 pts
31Santa Fe County12.5+0.1 pts
32Sandoval County10.4+0.4 pts
33Los Alamos County3.3-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

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

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank Counties in New Mexico by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

McKinley County, with 32% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Los Alamos County, with 3.3% 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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in New Mexico: more rankings