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COUNTY

Lea County

New Mexico · 74,749 residents (2025 est.) · 4,392 sq mi
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Part of the Hobbs micropolitan area
The short version

Lea County is a county of 73,733 people in New Mexico. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 16% of adults. This skews young, with a median age of 32.5. Density works out to 17 people per square mile. Growth has run 33% since 2000, or 18,222 more people. The typical home is worth $184,000, having more than tripled since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 32.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 114%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
73,733
+33%since 2000
from 55,511 in 2000
74,749 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
17 / sq mi
+27%since 2009
from 13 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
32.5
−2%since 2000
from 33.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
4,392 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
54K59K65K71K76K19902000201020202024Lea County
202474K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 57.9%(5,789)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 98.4%(6,200)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.9%(5,849)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.6%(6,367)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.2%(5,313)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.1%(10,412)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.6%(10,009)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.8%(7,933)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6410.1%(7,483)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747%(5,144)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 842.9%(2,142)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.5%(1,092)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$68,015
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $29,799 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$31,326
+121%since 2000
from $14,184 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.0%
+22.6 ptssince 2009
from 23.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
18.7%
−2.4 ptssince 2000
from 21.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.489
+13%since 2010
from 0.432 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Agriculture, forestry, fishing15.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Manufacturing14.1%
US avg: 0.4%
Finance & insurance11.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade9.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Information9.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Professional, scientific, technical7.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Education & health services4.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Retail trade4.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services3.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Construction1.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$184,000
+114%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,101
+56%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $388 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
71.2%
−1.4 ptssince 2000
from 72.6% in 2000
28.8% rent
Vacancy rate
13.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.90 people
+11%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.0%
+2.6 ptssince 2009
from 14.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
38.6%
+10.0 ptssince 2009
from 28.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.7
+43%since 2009
from 1.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
53
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic54%(29,977)
Black4.2%(2,340)
Hispanic / Latino39.6%(22,010)
Asian0.4%(198)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic31%(22,854)
Black3.1%(2,307)
Hispanic / Latino62.7%(46,266)
Asian0.7%(491)
Other2.5%(1,815)
Diversity Score
64
−10%since 2009
from 70 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
31
+1%since 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican55.8%(41,160)
Cuban0.5%(381)
Salvadoran0.5%(375)
Spaniard0.3%(238)
Guatemalan0.2%(166)
Puerto Rican0.2%(143)
Honduran0%(16)
Asian origin
Filipino0.7%(501)
Nepalese0.2%(169)
Pakistani0.1%(51)
Asian Indian0.1%(47)
Chinese0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(8)
Ancestry
German6%(4,398)
English5.6%(4,117)
American5.5%(4,051)
Irish5.1%(3,754)
Italian0.7%(544)
French0.7%(521)
Scottish0.5%(383)
Dutch0.4%(267)
Welsh0.3%(257)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(212)
Norwegian0.2%(170)
+ 27 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.2%(160)
Polish0.2%(141)
Czech0.2%(137)
Swedish0.2%(137)
Swiss0.1%(99)
Greek0.1%(75)
British0.1%(55)
West Indian0.1%(52)
Hungarian0.1%(51)
Romanian0.1%(47)
Arab0.1%(45)
Brazilian0.1%(40)
Belgian0%(30)
Nigerian0%(21)
Moroccan0%(16)
Russian0%(16)
Jordanian0%(15)
Lebanese0%(14)
Kenyan0%(13)
Slovak0%(10)
Haitian0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
15.5%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 11.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
74.7%
+7.6 ptssince 2000
from 67.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.4%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 4.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.4 min
+78%since 2000
from 13.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
75.6%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 79.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
18.0%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 14.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
3.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.4%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.3%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 7.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2011
from 60.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
61.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 60.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 14.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
29.6%
+5.5 ptssince 2009
from 24.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
Female
48.1%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
Foreign born
18.3%
+6.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.4%
−5.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2012
from 12.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
14.9%
−7.6 ptssince 2013
from 22.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.3%
+12.9 ptssince 2017
from 73.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.8%
+4.5 ptssince 2020
from 89.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.0%
−2.0 ptssince 2020
from 88.9% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
55.4%
−3.0 ptssince 2016
from 58.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
43.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2016
from 40.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.4%(11,719)
Married47.1%(13,669)
Widowed3%(863)
Divorced9.6%(2,777)
Women 15+
Never married30%(8,069)
Married49.6%(13,327)
Widowed8.3%(2,243)
Divorced12%(3,228)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
14.9%
−7.6 ptssince 2013
from 22.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
41.4%
−5.4 ptssince 2020
from 46.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
8.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 8.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
13.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 13.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
35.9%
+5.0 ptssince 2020
from 30.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.3%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 1.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
47.6%
−5.8 ptssince 2020
from 53.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
46.1%
+5.4 ptssince 2020
from 40.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.8%(364)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24.2%(423)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.4%(601)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0.8%(14)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.6%(45)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,749 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Lea County to nearby counties

LEA COUNTY VS
Yoakum County
Income$84,925+25%
Home value$182,600−1%
Population7,438−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEA COUNTY VS
Gaines County
Income$74,132+9%
Home value$200,700+9%
Population23,956−68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEA COUNTY VS
Andrews County
Income$72,242+6%
Home value$195,700+6%
Population18,914−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEA COUNTY VS
Eddy County
Income$78,426+15%
Home value$212,600+16%
Population62,509−16%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Lea County, New Mexico?

Lea County, New Mexico has about 73,733 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Lea County, New Mexico?

The typical household in Lea County, New Mexico earns about $68,015 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lea County, New Mexico expensive?

In Lea County, New Mexico, the median home is worth about $184,000, and the typical rent is about $1,101 a month.

How educated are people in Lea County, New Mexico?

About 15.5% of adults age 25 and over in Lea County, New Mexico hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Lea County, New Mexico?

About 18.7% of people in Lea County, New Mexico live below the federal poverty line.

Has Lea County, New Mexico grown since 1990?

Yes, Lea County, New Mexico has grown since 1990. The population has added about 17,968 residents, a change of about 32 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →