How many people live in Lea County, NM?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 75,200 people living in Lea County, NM. That makes Lea County the seventh-most populous county in New Mexico. It is home to 3.5% of people living in the state.
75.2K
population of Lea County, NM (2024)
3.5%
County share of the New Mexico population (2024)
About 75,200 people lived in Lea County, NM in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Lea County, NM’s age demographics?
About 8,800 Lea County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 11.7% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 20.3% of New Mexico’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 21,500 Lea County residents, or 28.6% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.2% of New Mexico’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Lea County, NM's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Lea County, NM’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Hispanic residents make up 65% of the Lea County, NM population, higher than the national share of 20%. Lea County, NM also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (0.77%) than the US overall (0.72%).
In contrast, Lea County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 29.3%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 3.3% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Lea County, NM has a higher share of a Hispanic population than New Mexico as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Lea County, NM is Hobbs with about 41,100 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Lea County, NM ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hobbs | 41,061 |
| 2. | Lovington | 11,693 |
| 3. | Eunice | 3,068 |
| 4. | Jal | 2,192 |
| 5. | Tatum | 712 |
| 6. | Balance of Lea County | 16,425 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
