Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in Grant County, New Mexico
In Grant County, 39.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grant County's score
In Grant County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.0. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 26.1% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 82.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grant 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.
Grant County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (65.5, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.0 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 82.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 73.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.7% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability22.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,111 · 202492nd percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.4% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.5% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people65.5 · 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 Grant 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 Grant County, 30.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grant County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grant County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 39.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Grant County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 39.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 2011 to 13.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 19.1%
Low on the chart: 9.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grant County, New Mexico.
How Grant County has changed
Grant County's population had its largest drop, from 31,264 in 1999 to 29,038 in 2004.
Grant County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 31,264 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grant County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Grant County had its largest drop, from 9,712 in 2005 to 8,879 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Grant County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 10,479 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grant County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.8% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,292 | 2024 $49,111 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Grant County's history
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 31,002. The 2020 Census counted 28,185, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
Hail in September 2002 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in September 2017 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grant County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grant County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Grant County, in New Mexico and Arizona, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grant County ranks 4th of the six; Sierra County is highest, at 49.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luna County, NM | 92 | 23.9% | 41.3% |
| Hidalgo County, NM | 80 | 24.0% | 35.5% |
| Catron County, NM | 76 | 19.0% | 43.6% |
| Grant County, NM | 74 | 17.3% | 39.7% |
| Sierra County, NM | 73 | 20.6% | 49.9% |
| Greenlee County, AZ | 28 | 9.8% | 25.4% |
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 Grant County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Grant County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 20th 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, Grant County ranks 15th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grant 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.
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 Grant County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.