In Quay County, New Mexico, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 46 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (45.7%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Quay County's score
In Quay County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 78.2. The typical household earns $47,346 a year (2024), less than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 68.5.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Quay County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (35.3, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.0%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Quay County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 78.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line31.4% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability24.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,346 · 202494th percentile
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 68.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202673rd percentile
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- 56.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.8% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
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- 49.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.4% · Q4 202545th percentile
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- 33.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people35.3 · 20255th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Quay County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Quay County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Quay County in 2024, pay from work was 39 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 46 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 67 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 14 cents.
In Quay County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2020
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Quay County, New Mexico: 45.7% and 39.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 45.7% of all personal income in Quay County, New Mexico (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Quay County, 26.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Quay County has changed
The number of people living in Quay County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 10,900 to 8,403. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.3% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,900 | 2024 8,403 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,345 | 2024 2,508 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.7% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,948 | 2024 $47,346 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.2% | 2024 45.7% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Quay County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,912. The 2020 Census counted 8,746, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1903
Created February 28, 1903. Wikipedia
2007
Tornado: $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Quay County. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Quay County beside its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Quay County, in New Mexico and Texas, four score higher. Of the group, Quay County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (45.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curry County, NM | 79 | 16.8% | 25.4% |
| Roosevelt County, NM | 76 | 20.1% | 28.1% |
| San Miguel County, NM | 76 | 26.0% | 45.4% |
| Deaf Smith County, TX | 70 | 16.8% | 15.5% |
| Quay County, NM | 61 | 20.6% | 45.7% |
| Guadalupe County, NM | 60 | 22.3% | 40.7% |
| Union County, NM | 58 | 18.3% | 41.9% |
| De Baca County, NM | 55 | 16.9% | 34.9% |
| Harding County, NM | 49 | 14.4% | 33.4% |
| Oldham County, TX | 48 | 12.7% | 14.0% |
| Hartley County, TX | 21 | 9.2% | 3.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Quay County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Quay County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 9th 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, Quay County ranks 22nd of 33 in the state.
Quay County in photographs
Places in Quay County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Quay County, New Mexico Courthouse.
Quay County, New Mexico: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Quay County, New Mexico?
20.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 31.4%.
Is Quay County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Quay County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 9th 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, Quay County ranks 22nd of 33 in the state.
What is the population of Quay County, New Mexico?
About 8,403 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,746, 59% of the county's peak of 14,912 in 1910.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Quay County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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New Mexico Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Quay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.