Unemployment in Harding County, New Mexico, is lower than in 56% of U.S. counties
In Harding County, 3.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 56% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harding County's score
In Harding County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 63.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 37.4. About one in seven people (15.4%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harding 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.
Even so, Harding County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($51,842, 2024) and people with a disability (20.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.7% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance1.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,842 · 202488th percentile
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- 53.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.5% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 45.7 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 rent9.1% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202517th percentile
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- 37.4 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 score15.4% · second quarter of 20265th or lower 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 Harding 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 Harding 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
Harding County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harding County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Harding County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Harding County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 1.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harding County, New Mexico.
How Harding County has changed
Harding County's population had its largest drop, from 1,400 in 1969 to 1,208 in 1974.
Harding County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 635, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2009 to 2014, reaching 698. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harding County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Harding County fell most sharply after its 2000 high, from 178 in 2000 to 161 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Harding County fell 4% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 153 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harding County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,352 | 2024 $51,842 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Harding County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 4,421. The 2020 Census counted 657, 15% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harding County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harding County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Harding County score higher than it does. Of the group, Harding County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Quay County gets the largest, at 45.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Miguel County, NM | 77 | 26.0% | 45.4% |
| Colfax County, NM | 72 | 17.9% | 37.0% |
| Quay County, NM | 67 | 20.6% | 45.7% |
| Mora County, NM | 63 | 19.2% | 40.9% |
| Union County, NM | 60 | 18.3% | 41.9% |
| Harding County, NM | 47 | 14.4% | 33.4% |
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 Harding County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Harding County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 29th 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, Harding County ranks 30th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harding 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 Harding 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 Harding County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.