About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Socorro County, New Mexico, are not working
In Socorro County, 41.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Socorro County's score
In Socorro County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.1. Housing costs come next, at 89.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Socorro 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.
Socorro County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (62.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working41.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 89.7 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 rent27.4% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.8% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 88.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line28.5% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line37.5% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability27.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,105 · 2024top 5%
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- 75.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.8% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 41.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.0% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.6 · 202515th 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 Socorro 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 Socorro County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Socorro County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Socorro County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 38.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Socorro County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 38.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Socorro County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2022 to 21.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Socorro County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2021, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 14.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Socorro County, New Mexico.
How Socorro County has changed
Socorro County's population had its largest rise, from 10,648 in 1974 to 13,098 in 1979.
Socorro County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 17,959 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Socorro County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Socorro County had its largest rise, from 4,392 in 2000 to 5,420 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Socorro County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 5,420 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Socorro County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.0% | 2024 28.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,613 | 2024 $47,105 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Socorro County's history
1945
Trinity nuclear bomb test, July 16, 1945. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 18,078. The 2020 Census counted 16,595, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
Hail in October 2004 did $40 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in September 2013 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2000
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Socorro County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Socorro County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Socorro County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Socorro County ranks 4th of the seven; Sierra County is highest, at 49.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County, NM | 95 | 25.9% | 41.0% |
| Socorro County, NM | 92 | 28.5% | 38.7% |
| Valencia County, NM | 79 | 15.0% | 30.8% |
| Catron County, NM | 76 | 19.0% | 43.6% |
| Torrance County, NM | 74 | 20.2% | 34.2% |
| Sierra County, NM | 73 | 20.6% | 49.9% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 62 | 15.5% | 33.4% |
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 Socorro County the poorest county in New Mexico?
Yes, Socorro County's poverty rate was 28.5% in 2024, the highest of 33 counties in New Mexico (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Socorro County ranks 4th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Socorro 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 Socorro 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 Socorro County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.