Unemployment in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Doña Ana County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Doña Ana County's score
In Doña Ana County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.1. Housing costs come next, at 70.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Doña Ana 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.
Doña Ana County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (14.5%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (115, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
-
- 70.8 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 rent24.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
-
- 67.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.9% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance11.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,154 · 202470th percentile
-
- 66.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.1% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
-
- 55.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people115 · 202543rd percentile
-
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 Doña Ana 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 Doña Ana County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Doña Ana County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Doña Ana County had its largest rise, from 20.0% in 2004 to 25.0% in 2009.
In Doña Ana County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Doña Ana County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.1% in 2012 to 17.4% in 2013.
The share of households in Doña Ana County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 24.1%
High on the chart: 24.2% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
How Doña Ana County has changed
Doña Ana County's population had its largest rise, from 132,957 in 1989 to 157,530 in 1994.
Doña Ana County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 229,366, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 217,678. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Doña Ana County doubled to 81,834, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 81,834. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.9% | 2024 17.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,462 | 2024 $60,154 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Doña Ana County's history
1680
Doña Ana Robledo died in 1680 fleeing Pueblo Revolt. Wikipedia
1944
White Sands Missile Range established 1944. Wikipedia
1997
Hail in June 1997 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in August 2006 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in August 2006 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in September 2006 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 219,561, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1972
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Doña Ana County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Doña Ana County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Doña Ana County, in New Mexico and Texas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Doña Ana County ranks 4th of the five; Sierra County is highest, at 49.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luna County, NM | 92 | 23.9% | 41.3% |
| El Paso County, TX | 89 | 18.1% | 24.6% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 81 | 17.9% | 29.9% |
| Otero County, NM | 75 | 19.3% | 30.7% |
| Sierra County, NM | 73 | 20.6% | 49.9% |
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 Doña Ana County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Doña Ana County's poverty rate was 17.9% in 2024, 18th 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, Doña Ana County ranks 6th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Doña Ana 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.
-
Tierra del Sol Housing
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
New Mexico Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Doña Ana 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 Doña Ana County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.