In Taos County, New Mexico, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Taos County, 29.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Taos County's score
In Taos County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 96.1. Jobs come next, at 79.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Taos 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.
Taos County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (32, 2025) and people with a credit card behind (4.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent29.4% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.4% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 79.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 76.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.2% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,728 · 202487th percentile
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- 36.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.1% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people32 · 20253rd 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 Taos 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 Taos County, 30.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Taos County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Taos County had its largest rise, from 22.3% in 2004 to 29.0% in 2009.
In Taos County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 17% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Taos County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Taos County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 14.7% in 2023 to 17.3% in 2024.
The share of households in Taos County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 17.3%
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Taos County, New Mexico.
How Taos County has changed
Taos County's population had its largest rise, from 18,618 in 1979 to 22,313 in 1984.
Taos County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,482, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 34,482. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Taos County, New Mexico.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Taos County rose 43% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 9,180. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Taos County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 15.5% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.1% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,810 | 2024 $52,728 |
The table uses 4.5% 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 Taos County's history
1996
A wildfire in May 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Cold/wind chill in December 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,489, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in December 2021 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Taos County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Taos County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Taos County, in New Mexico and Colorado, two score higher. Of the group, Taos County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Costilla County gets the largest, at 48.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costilla County, CO | 93 | 22.8% | 48.3% |
| Colfax County, NM | 72 | 17.9% | 37.0% |
| Taos County, NM | 70 | 17.2% | 33.9% |
| Mora County, NM | 63 | 19.2% | 40.9% |
| Conejos County, CO | 57 | 17.1% | 35.3% |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 56 | 17.1% | 37.2% |
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 Taos County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Taos County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 21st 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, Taos County ranks 20th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Taos 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.
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 Taos County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.