In Bernalillo County, New Mexico, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Bernalillo County, 22.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 69% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bernalillo County's score
In Bernalillo County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.2. About one in four renters (26.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 90% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 57.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bernalillo County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Bernalillo County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (89, 2025) and median household income ($72,986, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 57.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 52.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.6% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.8% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,986 · 202433rd percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.9% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89 · 202530th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Bernalillo County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Bernalillo County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bernalillo County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bernalillo County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Bernalillo County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Bernalillo County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 17.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 11.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
How Bernalillo County has changed
Bernalillo County's population had its largest rise, from 600,449 in 2004 to 655,279 in 2009.
Bernalillo County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 671,747
High on the chart: 674,659 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bernalillo County rose 43% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 285,842. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,324 | 2024 $72,986 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bernalillo County's history
2009
A flash flood in September 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in September 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Heavy rain in May 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 676,444, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in July 2021 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2000
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bernalillo County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bernalillo County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bernalillo County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bernalillo County ranks 5th of the six; Cibola County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County, NM | 95 | 25.9% | 41.0% |
| Valencia County, NM | 79 | 15.0% | 30.8% |
| Torrance County, NM | 74 | 20.2% | 34.2% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 59 | 13.7% | 21.8% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 43 | 9.4% | 21.9% |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 40 | 10.9% | 18.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Bernalillo County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Bernalillo County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 30th highest of 33 in New Mexico (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Socorro County, at 28.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bernalillo County ranks 26th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bernalillo County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Southwest Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Tiwa Lending Services
HUD-approved housing counselor
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United South Broadway Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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New Mexico Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Bernalillo County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Bernalillo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.