Lea County, New Mexico

NM · FIPS 35025 · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Key Statistics

Total Population
73,733
Rank #761 of 3,222
76th %ile
Median Household Income
$68,015 −9.5% vs nat'l
Rank #1,341 of 3,222
58th %ile
Poverty Rate
18.7% +48.3% vs nat'l
Rank #2,537 of 3,222
21th %ile
Median Home Value
$184,000 −34.7% vs nat'l
Rank #1,587 of 3,222
51th %ile
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
15.5% −53.9% vs nat'l
Rank #2,735 of 3,222
15th %ile
Unemployment Rate
6.9% +29.3% vs nat'l
Rank #2,772 of 3,222
14th %ile

At a Glance

71.2% Homeownership
85.1% Insured
15.5% Bachelor's+

Age & Sex Distribution

MaleFemale
0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-7980+10%5%0%5%10%

Race & Ethnicity

Hispanic or LatinoWhite (non-Hispanic)Black (non-Hispanic)Two or More RacesAsian (non-Hispanic)American Indian (non-Hispanic)Other (non-Hispanic)Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0%13.6%27.1%40.7%54.2%62.7%31.0%3.1%1.8%0.7%0.4%0.2%0.0%

About Lea County, New Mexico

Lea County, New Mexico has a total population of 73,733, making it the 761st most populous county in the United States. The median age in Lea County is 32.5 years, which is 16.5% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Lea County is $68,015, which ranks #1,341 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 9.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 18.7%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 6.9%.

The median home value in Lea County is $184,000, 34.7% below the national median. Renters in Lea County pay a median gross rent of $1,101 per month. The homeownership rate is 71.2%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Lea County, 15.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 53.9% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 85.1% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 25.8 min.

Lea County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is Hispanic or Latino at 62.7% of the population, followed by White (non-Hispanic) (31.0%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (3.1%).

All data for Lea County, New Mexico comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.