About three in ten people in Mora County, New Mexico, have a disability
In Mora County, 30.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mora County's score
In Mora County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.8. Unemployment averaged 6.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mora 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.
Mora County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (1.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (2.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.7% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 70.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability30.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance2.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,842 · 202490th percentile
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- 47.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.3% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.3 · 202547th percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.2% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 41.3 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 rent1.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.9% · fiscal year 202777th 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 Mora 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 Mora County, 34.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mora County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mora County had its largest rise, from 28.2% in 2014 to 39.5% in 2019.
In Mora County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 40.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Mora County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mora County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 24.7% in 2017 to 31.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Mora County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 20.3%
Low on the chart: 11.3% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mora County, New Mexico.
How Mora County has changed
Mora County's population had its largest rise, from 4,537 in 1994 to 5,097 in 1999.
Mora County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 5,097 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mora County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Mora County rose most sharply from its first year (535 in 1990) to 725 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Mora County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 870 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mora County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 20.4% | 2025 6.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 36.3% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $11,570 | 2024 $50,842 |
The table uses 6.1% 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 Mora County's history
1851
Fort Union established. Wikipedia
1860
Created February 1, 1860. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 13,915. The 2020 Census counted 4,189, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
2022
A flash flood in August 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mora County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mora County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Mora County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mora County ranks 2nd of the seven; San Miguel County is highest, at 45.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Miguel County, NM | 77 | 26.0% | 45.4% |
| Colfax County, NM | 72 | 17.9% | 37.0% |
| Taos County, NM | 70 | 17.2% | 33.9% |
| Mora County, NM | 63 | 19.2% | 40.9% |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 56 | 17.1% | 37.2% |
| Harding County, NM | 47 | 14.4% | 33.4% |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 40 | 10.9% | 18.4% |
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 Mora County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Mora County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 14th 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, Mora County ranks 23rd of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mora 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.
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 Mora County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.