About one in four people in Lincoln County, New Mexico, has a disability
In Lincoln County, 22.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lincoln County's score
In Lincoln County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 77.5. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (26.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 79% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 73.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lincoln 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.
Lincoln County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (44.9, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (38.0%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.6% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
-
- 73.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.5% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.4% · 202480th percentile
- People with a disability22.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,803 · 202464th percentile
-
- 61.9 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 rent22.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
-
- 48.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
-
- 28.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.8% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people44.9 · 20257th 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, 31.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lincoln County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lincoln County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Lincoln 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 Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.7%, with most of the change between 2023 and 2024
High on the chart: 15.1% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lincoln County, New Mexico.
How Lincoln County has changed
Lincoln County's population had its largest rise, from 14,933 in 1994 to 18,837 in 1999.
Lincoln County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20,025
High on the chart: 20,521 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lincoln County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County had its largest rise, from 5,080 in 1995 to 6,016 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,713
High on the chart: 6,816 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lincoln County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.1% | 2024 15.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,684 | 2024 $61,803 |
The table uses 4.3% 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 Lincoln County's history
1869
Created in 1869 from Socorro County. Wikipedia
1878
Lincoln County War. Wikipedia
1945
Radioactive contamination from Trinity test. Wikipedia
2008
A flood in July 2008 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 20,497. The 2020 Census counted 20,269, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
Lightning in May 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in May 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A debris flow in July 2025 did $50 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lincoln County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lincoln County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lincoln County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lincoln County ranks 6th of the eight; Sierra County is highest, at 49.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socorro County, NM | 92 | 28.5% | 38.7% |
| Chaves County, NM | 89 | 21.6% | 29.1% |
| Otero County, NM | 75 | 19.3% | 30.7% |
| Torrance County, NM | 74 | 20.2% | 34.2% |
| Sierra County, NM | 73 | 20.6% | 49.9% |
| 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 Lincoln County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 15.5% in 2024, 26th 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, Lincoln County ranks 24th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lincoln 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.
-
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.