About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in San Juan County, New Mexico, is not working
In San Juan County, 33.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives San Juan County's score
In San Juan County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in San Juan 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.
San Juan County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (63, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 83.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.1% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.9% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.2% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.2% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,999 · 202455th percentile
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- 51.5 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
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- 48.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.8% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63 · 202516th 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 San Juan 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 San Juan County, 16.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
San Juan County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In San Juan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 29.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In San Juan County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in San Juan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 19.5% in 2020 to 21.9% in 2021.
The share of households in San Juan County getting SNAP food aid grew to about five times its 2009 level in 2024, reaching 23.1%, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2018 to 2019, reaching 17.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, San Juan County, New Mexico.
How San Juan County has changed
San Juan County's population had its largest rise, from 61,123 in 1974 to 78,915 in 1979.
San Juan County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 120,817
High on the chart: 129,359 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, San Juan County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in San Juan County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 50,108 in 2015 to 42,128 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in San Juan County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 47,793
High on the chart: 50,108 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, San Juan County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.1% | 2024 18.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,735 | 2024 $64,999 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 San Juan County's history
1957
A tornado in May 1957 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Heavy rain in July 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in August 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 130,044. The 2020 Census counted 121,661, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flash flood in August 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered San Juan County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
San Juan County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border San Juan County, in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, San Juan County ranks 5th of the eight; Apache County is highest, at 51.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Montezuma County, CO | 60 | 14.8% | 29.9% |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 56 | 17.1% | 37.2% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 43 | 9.4% | 21.9% |
| Archuleta County, CO | 23 | 10.5% | 26.2% |
| La Plata County, CO | 21 | 10.4% | 15.2% |
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 San Juan County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, San Juan County's poverty rate was 18.2% in 2024, 17th 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, San Juan County ranks 7th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in San Juan 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 San Juan 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 San Juan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.