Unemployment in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Hidalgo County, 6.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hidalgo County's score
In Hidalgo County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 88.6. Jobs come next, at 87.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hidalgo 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.
Hidalgo County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (0.0%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (3.3%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.0% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line34.1% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,112 · 202494th percentile
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- 87.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 83.4 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 rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 49.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.0% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people75.7 · 202522nd percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.8% · second quarter of 202676th 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County, 23.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hidalgo County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hidalgo County had its largest rise, from 21.4% in 1999 to 29.8% in 2004.
In Hidalgo County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 35.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Hidalgo County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hidalgo County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 24.7% in 2018 to 20.5% in 2019.
The share of households in Hidalgo County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 21.2%
Low on the chart: 11.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hidalgo County, New Mexico.
How Hidalgo County has changed
Hidalgo County's population had its largest drop, from 6,353 in 1999 to 5,028 in 2004.
Hidalgo County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 38% since
High on the chart: 6,388 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hidalgo County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Hidalgo County had its largest drop, from 2,438 in 1995 to 1,729 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Hidalgo County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 2,438 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hidalgo County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 24.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,516 | 2024 $48,112 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.4% 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 Hidalgo County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 6,049. The 2020 Census counted 4,178, 69% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hidalgo County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hidalgo County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Hidalgo County, in New Mexico and Arizona, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hidalgo County ranks 4th of the five; Luna County is highest, at 41.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luna County, NM | 92 | 23.9% | 41.3% |
| Hidalgo County, NM | 80 | 24.0% | 35.5% |
| Grant County, NM | 74 | 17.3% | 39.7% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 71 | 14.5% | 38.4% |
| 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 Hidalgo County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Hidalgo County's poverty rate was 24.0% in 2024, 5th 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, Hidalgo County ranks 8th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.