Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Counties in New Mexico

Counties in New Mexico by unemployment rate

Luna County had the highest unemployment rate of 33 counties in January 2026, at 15.5%. Los Alamos County had the lowest, at 2.4%. The median was 5.3% and the figure for New Mexico was 4.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest15.5Luna County
Lowest2.4Los Alamos County
Median5.333 counties
New Mexico4.5History

All counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Luna CountyLuna County: 15.5 %15.5Mora CountyMora County: 7.5 %7.5Sierra CountySierra County: 7.2 %7.2Catron CountyCatron County: 7 %7McKinley CountyMcKinley County: 6.7 %6.7Hidalgo CountyHidalgo County: 6.6 %6.6Torrance CountyTorrance County: 6.4 %6.4Cibola CountyCibola County: 6.3 %6.3De Baca CountyDe Baca County: 6.2 %6.2Doña Ana CountyDoña Ana County: 5.9 %5.9Socorro CountySocorro County: 5.8 %5.8Colfax CountyColfax County: 5.5 %5.5Guadalupe CountyGuadalupe County: 5.5 %5.5San Juan CountySan Juan County: 5.5 %5.5Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 5.4 %5.4Taos CountyTaos County: 5.4 %5.4Grant CountyGrant County: 5.3 %5.3Otero CountyOtero County: 5.3 %5.3Valencia CountyValencia County: 5.3 %5.3Chaves CountyChaves County: 5.1 %5.1Quay CountyQuay County: 5.1 %5.1Rio Arriba CountyRio Arriba County: 5.1 %5.1San Miguel CountySan Miguel County: 5 %5Sandoval CountySandoval County: 4.9 %4.9Bernalillo CountyBernalillo County: 4.7 %4.7Harding CountyHarding County: 4.5 %4.5Lea CountyLea County: 4.5 %4.5Santa Fe CountySanta Fe County: 4.5 %4.5Union CountyUnion County: 4.5 %4.5Curry CountyCurry County: 4.2 %4.2Roosevelt CountyRoosevelt County: 4.2 %4.2Eddy CountyEddy County: 3.9 %3.9Los Alamos CountyLos Alamos County: 2.4 %2.4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Luna County15.5+0.5 pts
2Mora County7.5+1 pts
3Sierra County7.2+0.5 pts
4Catron County7+0.2 pts
5McKinley County6.7+1.1 pts
6Hidalgo County6.6+0.8 pts
7Torrance County6.4+0.9 pts
8Cibola County6.3+0.7 pts
9De Baca County6.2+1.9 pts
10Doña Ana County5.9+0.9 pts
11Socorro County5.8+1.2 pts
12Colfax County5.5+0.6 pts
12Guadalupe County5.5+1 pts
12San Juan County5.5+0.9 pts
15Lincoln County5.4+0.6 pts
15Taos County5.4+0.8 pts
17Grant County5.3+0.9 pts
17Otero County5.3+0.8 pts
17Valencia County5.3+0.9 pts
20Chaves County5.1+1.1 pts
20Quay County5.1+1.1 pts
20Rio Arriba County5.1+0.7 pts
23San Miguel County5+0.3 pts
24Sandoval County4.9+0.8 pts
25Bernalillo County4.7+0.8 pts
26Harding County4.5+0.7 pts
26Lea County4.5+1 pts
26Santa Fe County4.5+0.5 pts
26Union County4.5+0.8 pts
30Curry County4.2+0.8 pts
30Roosevelt County4.2+0.4 pts
32Eddy County3.9+0.7 pts
33Los Alamos County2.4+0.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Luna County, with 15.5% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Los Alamos County, with 2.4% in January 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in New Mexico: more rankings