About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in McKinley County, New Mexico, are not working
In McKinley County, 41.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives McKinley County's score
In McKinley County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 97.7. About seven in ten people (69.7%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 99% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 96.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McKinley 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.
McKinley County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (37.8, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 97.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind14.3% · August 202598th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score69.7% · second quarter of 202699th percentile
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- 96.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202695th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working41.6% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
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- 86.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line26.2% · 202496th percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.9% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance16.8% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,517 · 202496th percentile
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- 68.8 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 rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.1% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 51.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector44.5% · August 202598th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people37.8 · 20255th 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 McKinley 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 McKinley County, 13.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McKinley County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in McKinley County had its largest rise, from 24.8% in 2004 to 32.6% in 2009.
In McKinley County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 15% more than benefit checks in 2024
In McKinley County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 41.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McKinley County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2023 high, from 33.2% in 2022 to 37.7% in 2023.
The share of households in McKinley County getting SNAP food aid tripled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 37.7%
High on the chart: 37.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McKinley County, New Mexico.
How McKinley County has changed
McKinley County's population had its largest rise, from 47,291 in 1974 to 56,150 in 1979.
McKinley County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2019, reaching 73,223, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 73,616 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McKinley County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in McKinley County had its largest rise, from 19,527 in 2000 to 21,531 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in McKinley County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 21,531 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McKinley County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.4% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 35.9% | 2024 26.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,879 | 2024 $45,517 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 6.5% 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 McKinley County's history
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 74,798. The 2020 Census counted 72,902, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
A flash flood in August 2006 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in July 2008 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in September 2016 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McKinley County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
McKinley County beside its neighbors
McKinley County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in New Mexico and Arizona. For the share of income from benefit checks, McKinley County ranks 2nd of the five; Apache County is highest, at 51.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County, NM | 95 | 25.9% | 41.0% |
| McKinley County, NM | 95 | 26.2% | 41.3% |
| Apache County, AZ | 90 | 29.3% | 51.0% |
| San Juan County, NM | 80 | 18.2% | 29.5% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 43 | 9.4% | 21.9% |
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 McKinley County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, McKinley County's poverty rate was 26.2% in 2024, 2nd 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, McKinley County ranks 2nd of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McKinley 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 McKinley 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 McKinley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.