About one in five people in De Baca County, New Mexico, has a disability
In De Baca County, 21.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives De Baca County's score
In De Baca County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 85.8. The typical household earns $48,169 a year (2024), less than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 58.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in De Baca 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.
De Baca County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (0.0%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (15.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.7% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability21.4% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,169 · 202494th percentile
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- 58.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 44.8 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 31.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.2% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202517th 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 De Baca 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 De Baca County, 26.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
De Baca County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in De Baca County had its largest drop, from 37.9% in 2009 to 27.9% in 2014.
In De Baca County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 34.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In De Baca County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in De Baca County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 26.7% in 2021 to 20.2% in 2022.
The share of households in De Baca County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 18.7%
Low on the chart: 9.9% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, De Baca County, New Mexico.
How De Baca County has changed
De Baca County's population had its largest drop, from 2,296 in 1999 to 2,062 in 2004.
De Baca County's population fell by about a third to 1,657, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,520 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, De Baca County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in De Baca County had its largest rise, from 488 in 1995 to 549 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in De Baca County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 549 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, De Baca County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.8% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,112 | 2024 $48,169 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 De Baca County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 3,725. The 2020 Census counted 1,698, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1998
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered De Baca County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
De Baca County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border De Baca County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, De Baca County ranks 3rd of the six; Quay County is highest, at 45.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaves County, NM | 89 | 21.6% | 29.1% |
| Roosevelt County, NM | 77 | 20.1% | 28.1% |
| Quay County, NM | 67 | 20.6% | 45.7% |
| Guadalupe County, NM | 64 | 22.3% | 40.7% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 62 | 15.5% | 33.4% |
| De Baca County, NM | 57 | 16.9% | 34.9% |
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 De Baca County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, De Baca County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 23rd 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, De Baca County ranks 27th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in De Baca 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 De Baca 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 De Baca County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.