What is the poverty rate in New Mexico?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 16.4% of New Mexico’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 343,235 people in New Mexico were considered in poverty.
16.4%
of the population (2024)
343K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 1.3 percentage points lower than the previous year. New Mexico's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 21.9%.
In 2024, 16.4% of New Mexico's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 343,235 people living in New Mexico were in poverty — down 23.5% from the 2013 peak of 448,461.
In 2024, 343,200 people in New Mexico were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in New Mexico?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in New Mexico decreased from 29.5% to 21.8%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 20.1% to 15.3%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 13.2% to 14%.
In 2024, 21.8% of children in New Mexico were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in New Mexico?
Among racial or ethnic groups in New Mexico during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 32.5% in 2014 to 20.7% in 2024.
In New Mexico, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 32.5% in 2014 to 20.7% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in New Mexico have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among New Mexico counties ranged from 2.9% in Los Alamos County to 35.7% in McKinley County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Bernalillo County — was 15.8%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among New Mexico counties ranged from 2.9% to 35.7%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | McKinley County | 35.7% |
| 2. | Socorro County | 29.0% |
| 3. | Cibola County | 27.6% |
| 4. | Luna County | 26.1% |
| 5. | Quay County | 25.4% |
| 6. | Sierra County | 24.9% |
| 7. | San Juan County | 23.2% |
| 8. | Guadalupe County | 23.0% |
| 9. | Chaves County | 22.3% |
| 10. | Dona Ana County | 22.2% |
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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.
