In Torrance County, New Mexico, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Torrance County, 29.3% 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 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Torrance County's score
In Torrance County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 80.7. Jobs come next, at 79.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Torrance 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.
Torrance County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.3%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (96, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.2% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.1% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability24.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,736 · 202478th percentile
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- 79.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 59.4 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 rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.3% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 53.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.8% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.2% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people96 · 202534th 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 Torrance 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 Torrance County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Torrance County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Torrance County had its largest rise, from 21.7% in 2004 to 33.8% in 2009.
In Torrance County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 34.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Torrance County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Torrance County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 27.1%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2021 to 2022, reaching 22.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Torrance County, New Mexico.
How Torrance County has changed
Torrance County's population had its largest rise, from 12,220 in 1994 to 16,430 in 1999.
Torrance County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15,986
High on the chart: 17,184 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Torrance County, New Mexico.
The number of jobs located in Torrance County had its largest rise, from 2,223 in 1995 to 3,156 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Torrance County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 3,510 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Torrance County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.3% | 2024 20.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,078 | 2024 $56,736 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 6.2% 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 Torrance County's history
1903
Created March 16, 1903. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 16,911. The 2020 Census counted 15,045, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
2017
Hail in June 2017 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1985
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Torrance County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Torrance County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Torrance County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Torrance County ranks 4th of the eight; San Miguel County is highest, at 45.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socorro County, NM | 92 | 28.5% | 38.7% |
| Valencia County, NM | 79 | 15.0% | 30.8% |
| San Miguel County, NM | 77 | 26.0% | 45.4% |
| Torrance County, NM | 74 | 20.2% | 34.2% |
| Guadalupe County, NM | 64 | 22.3% | 40.7% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 62 | 15.5% | 33.4% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 59 | 13.7% | 21.8% |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 40 | 10.9% | 18.4% |
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 Torrance County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Torrance County's poverty rate was 20.2% in 2024, 11th 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, Torrance County ranks 16th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Torrance 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 Torrance 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 Torrance County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.