Luna County, New Mexico
4× the national median for unemployment — and 13.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Luna County, New Mexico ranks 164th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 14% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 164th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 79.2 · high county distress, 2nd in New Mexico.
- 14% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 100th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Child poverty rate at 38% — national median 18%, ranked at the 97th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 30% — national median 21%, ranked at the 96th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Credit card delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Luna County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 38% of children under 18 in Luna County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Luna County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Luna County's value shown alongside NM's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Luna | NM median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 71 · Rank 813 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 51st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 85th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 31% | 26% | 23% | 78th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 57 · Rank 1,228 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 33% | 28% | 23% | 83rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 91 | 65 | 126 | 32nd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 80 · Rank 387 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 30% | 26% | 21% | 96th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 20% | 18% | 18% | 65th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 100 · Rank 4 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 14% | 5% | 4% | 100th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 88 · Rank 114 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 38% | 27% | 18% | 97th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 20% | 16% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 26% | 19% | 14% | 97th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 9% | 8% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Luna County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DEMING, N.M. — Luna County ranks 164th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 79.2 out of 100 gives Luna a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 163 counties rank more distressed. Within New Mexico, Luna ranks second of 33 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Luna. 14% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Luna County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Luna County's distress score?
How does Luna County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Luna County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →