About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Valencia County, New Mexico, are not working
In Valencia County, 30.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Valencia County's score
In Valencia County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 86.0. Housing costs come next, at 76.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Valencia 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.
Valencia County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (92.2, 2025) and median household income ($69,309, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.0 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 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 76.7 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 rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
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- 64.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.9% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,309 · 202442nd percentile
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- 50.0 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 people92.2 · 202532nd 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 Valencia 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 Valencia County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Valencia County
New Mexico
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Valencia County had its largest rise, from 20.3% in 2004 to 26.4% in 2009.
In Valencia County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Valencia County, New Mexico, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; 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 Valencia County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 24.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 19.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Valencia County, New Mexico.
How Valencia County has changed
Valencia County's population had its largest drop, from 56,306 in 1979 to 35,340 in 1984.
Valencia County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1984, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 35,340 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Valencia County, New Mexico.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Valencia County more than doubled to 17,864, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 17,864. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Valencia County, New Mexico.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.2% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,121 | 2024 $69,309 |
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 Valencia County's history
1974
A tornado in October 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A thunderstorm in May 1999 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Hail in August 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 76,569. The 2020 Census counted 76,205, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2017
A flash flood in September 2017 did $7,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Valencia County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Valencia County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Valencia County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Valencia County ranks 4th of the five; Cibola County is highest, at 41.0%.
| 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% |
| Torrance County, NM | 74 | 20.2% | 34.2% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 59 | 13.7% | 21.8% |
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 Valencia County the poorest county in New Mexico?
No, Valencia County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 28th 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, Valencia County ranks 9th of 33 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Valencia 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 Valencia 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 Valencia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.