Chaves County, New Mexico

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.5 | 63,561 people · 7th most distressed in New Mexico

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Chaves County, NM shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.5 — 285th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within New Mexico, it ranks 7th of 33 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Chaves County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 71.8 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 71.8
Poverty Rate 86
Income vs. State Median 49
Child Poverty Rate 80
Debt & Delinquency 70.1
Debt in Collections 78
Medical Debt 75
Student Loan Delinquency 93
Auto Loan Delinquency 80
Credit Card Delinquency 70
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 25
Community Vulnerability 69.2
Uninsured Rate 61
Disability Rate 78
Employment & Wages 68.1
Unemployment Rate 67
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 65
Business Formation Rate 73
Housing Cost Burden 63.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 54
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 86
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 22
Homeownership Rate 75
Rent-to-Income Ratio 80

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Chaves County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Chaves County
Chaves County, NM 68.5 Serious
De Baca County, NM 68.6 Serious +0.0
Roosevelt County, NM 64.4 Elevated -4.2
Otero County, NM 63.4 Elevated -5.2
Lincoln County, NM 57.2 Elevated -11.3
Lea County, NM 53.9 Elevated -14.6
Eddy County, NM 44.0 Normal -24.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Chaves County
Norfolk city, VA 68.6 Serious +0.0
Ashtabula County, OH 68.6 Serious +0.1
Scioto County, OH 68.5 Serious -0.1
Tangipahoa Parish, LA 68.5 Serious -0.1
Floyd County, GA 68.4 Serious -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Chaves County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Chaves County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of New Mexico Lawyer Referral Program offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Chaves County residents at no cost.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.