Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

County Distress Index: Elevated · 54.5 | 39,876 people · 25th most distressed in New Mexico
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Rio Arriba County, NM registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 54.5 — 1247th 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 25th of 33 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Rio Arriba County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 70.5 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 70.5
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 47
Child Poverty Rate 85
Employment & Wages 63.5
Unemployment Rate 61
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 40
Business Formation Rate 90
Debt & Delinquency 57.1
Debt in Collections 70
Medical Debt 46
Student Loan Delinquency 97
Auto Loan Delinquency 81
Credit Card Delinquency 45
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 4
Community Vulnerability 50.3
Uninsured Rate 60
Disability Rate 41
Housing Cost Burden 31.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 15
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 29
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 29
Rent-to-Income Ratio 64

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Rio Arriba County
Rio Arriba County, NM 54.5 Elevated —
San Juan County, NM 63.1 Elevated +8.5
Conejos County, CO 58.7 Elevated +4.1
Taos County, NM 56.8 Elevated +2.3
Mora County, NM 53.0 Elevated -1.5
Santa Fe County, NM 48.5 Normal -6.0
Sandoval County, NM 44.2 Normal -10.4
Archuleta County, CO 44.0 Normal -10.6
Los Alamos County, NM 13.3 Healthy -41.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Rio Arriba County
Miami County, IN 54.5 Elevated 0.0
Hardin County, OH 54.6 Elevated +0.0
Simpson County, KY 54.6 Elevated +0.1
Lamar County, GA 54.6 Elevated +0.1
Dade County, GA 54.7 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Rio Arriba County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba County, New Mexico?

    Rio Arriba County has a County Distress Index score of 54.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,247th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 25th in New Mexico out of 33 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Rio Arriba County?

    The primary driver of distress in Rio Arriba County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 70.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Rio Arriba County compare to neighboring counties?

    Rio Arriba County (54.5) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: San Juan County, NM (63.1); Conejos County, CO (58.7); Taos County, NM (56.8).

  • 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 Rio Arriba County?

    Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has a population of approximately 39,876 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.