Otero County, New Mexico

County Distress Index: Elevated · 63.4 | 68,835 people · 17th most distressed in New Mexico
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Otero County, NM registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 63.4 — 603rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within New Mexico, it ranks 17th of 33 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Otero County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 74.6 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 74.6
Poverty Rate 84
Income vs. State Median 48
Child Poverty Rate 92
Community Vulnerability 70.0
Uninsured Rate 58
Disability Rate 82
Debt & Delinquency 61.3
Debt in Collections 72
Medical Debt 54
Student Loan Delinquency 97
Auto Loan Delinquency 69
Credit Card Delinquency 59
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 17
Employment & Wages 58.2
Unemployment Rate 69
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 35
Business Formation Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 52.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 62
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 31
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 21
Homeownership Rate 84
Rent-to-Income Ratio 65

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Otero County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Otero County
Otero County, NM 63.4 Elevated —
El Paso County, TX 71.6 Serious +8.3
Chaves County, NM 68.5 Serious +5.2
Hudspeth County, TX 67.3 Serious +3.9
Sierra County, NM 65.8 Serious +2.5
Doña Ana County, NM 63.4 Elevated +0.1
Culberson County, TX 58.0 Elevated -5.4
Lincoln County, NM 57.2 Elevated -6.2
Eddy County, NM 44.0 Normal -19.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Otero County
Clark County, OH 63.4 Elevated 0.0
Grant County, IN 63.3 Elevated -0.0
Florence County, SC 63.4 Elevated +0.0
Hoke County, NC 63.3 Elevated -0.1
Doña Ana County, NM 63.4 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Otero County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Otero County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of New Mexico Lawyer Referral Program offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of New Mexico Lawyer Referral Program 505-797-6000

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Otero County residents at no cost.

New Mexico Legal Aid 1-866-416-1922
Law Access New Mexico 1-800-340-9771
DNA-Peoples Legal Services, Inc. (928) 871-4151

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Otero County, New Mexico?

    Otero County has a County Distress Index score of 63.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 603rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 17th in New Mexico out of 33 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Otero County?

    The primary driver of distress in Otero County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 74.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Otero County compare to neighboring counties?

    Otero County (63.4) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: El Paso County, TX (71.6); Chaves County, NM (68.5); Hudspeth County, TX (67.3).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Otero County?

    Otero County, New Mexico has a population of approximately 68,835 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.