About one in five people in Chaves County, New Mexico, lives below the poverty line
In Chaves County, 21.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chaves County's score
In Chaves County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.8. About one in four renters (24.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 85% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 80.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chaves 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.
Chaves County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (78.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.6% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.7% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 80.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.3% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 80.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.6% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.2% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,258 · 202482nd percentile
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- 76.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.1% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 51.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.4% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78.7 · 202525th 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 Chaves 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 Chaves County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chaves County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Chaves County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.0% in 2004 to 29.3% in 2009.
In Chaves County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Chaves County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chaves County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2022 high, from 23.5% in 2021 to 26.0% in 2022.
The share of households in Chaves County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 25.0%
High on the chart: 26.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chaves County, New Mexico.
How Chaves County has changed
Chaves County's population had its largest rise, from 49,397 in 1979 to 56,455 in 1984.
Chaves County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 63,697
High on the chart: 66,004 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chaves County, New Mexico.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Chaves County rose 9% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 21,847. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chaves County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.3% | 2024 21.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,541 | 2024 $55,258 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Chaves County's history
1889
Created February 25, 1889, out of land from Lincoln County. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 65,645. The 2020 Census counted 65,157, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A thunderstorm in July 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in October 2024 did $500 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in October 2024 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1998
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chaves County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chaves County beside its neighbors
Chaves County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chaves County ranks 4th of the seven; De Baca County is highest, at 34.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaves County, NM | 89 | 21.6% | 29.1% |
| Roosevelt County, NM | 77 | 20.1% | 28.1% |
| Otero County, NM | 75 | 19.3% | 30.7% |
| Lea County, NM | 73 | 15.7% | 19.0% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 62 | 15.5% | 33.4% |
| De Baca County, NM | 57 | 16.9% | 34.9% |
| Eddy County, NM | 55 | 15.1% | 16.6% |
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 Chaves County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Chaves County's poverty rate was 21.6% in 2024, 8th 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, Chaves County ranks 5th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chaves 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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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 Chaves 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 Chaves County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.