Overview of the State

POPULATION 

High deserts, mountainous terrains, deep pine forests and vast plains can all be found within New Mexico (NM). With 121,365 square miles between its borders, the Land of Enchantment provide breathtaking scenery and endless opportunities for recreation to residents and visitors alike. NM is divided into 33 counties and contains 4 metropolitan cities with populations of 50,000 or more. 

Seventy percent of the population lives in the seven more urban counties; 50% of the state’s population is concentrated into three counties (Bernalillo (home to a third of the state’s population), Doña Ana, and Santa Fe), which together comprise only 6% of the state’s land area. In 2020, New Mexico’s population density was only 17.5 persons per square mile, an increase from 17.0 in 2010. Seven percent of the population resides in frontier or sub-frontier areas. In fact, most counties (24) have population densities of less than 15 persons per square mile. From 2020 to 2021, nearly half of the state’s counties experienced a decline in population. 

More than 2.1 million residents call New Mexico home. 50.1% identify as Hispanic or Latino; 35.9% as White Non-Hispanic or Latino; 11.2% as Native American or Alaskan Native; 2.7% as Black or African American; 2.7 as two or more races; 1.9% as Asian; and 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. From 2016-2020, NM’s total population was 50% female. Of the total population, 18.5% is over the age of 65, 22% is under the age of 18 and 5% is under 5. Of the total population under the age of 65, 10.9% are living with a disability and 12% are without health insurance. In 2020, 6% of all New Mexican children were not insured.

LANGUAGE, CULTURE & IMMIGRATION 

New Mexico has deep rooted history and vibrant culture. It is the ancestral home of the Pueblo, Navajo and Apache people and to this day spans 23 sovereign nations (19 Pueblos, 3 Apache tribes, and the Navajo Nation), each with their own unique heritage and way of life. In New Mexico, there are…

19 Pueblos

Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zuni and Zia.

Apache Tribes

Fort Sill Apache Tribe, the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

Navajo

Navajo Nation, Alamo, Ramah, Tohajiilee.

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers arrived in New Mexico, founding Santa Fe, the states capital, around 1607. Modern day New Mexico was a part of an independent Mexico until its seizure by the U.S. in 1850. Communities of color, mostly indigenous or having over five generations of family history make NM one of the most diverse and culturally historic states.

From 2016-2020, 33.5% of New Mexicans over the age of 5 spoke a language other than English at home. Native languages are spoken in all of New Mexico’s tribes and pueblos.

Many families are of mixed status, documented and undocumented, and several NM cities have passed policies supportive of immigrant safety. Foreign born persons makeup 9.2% of the population; 25% of children under age 18 are foreign-born or reside with at least one foreign-born parent (2016-2020). In 2018, New Mexico was home to 198,522 immigrants: 92,604 women, 95,014 men, and 10,904 children. In 2016, the Pew Research Center estimated that 60,000 undocumented immigrants lived in New Mexico, which comprised 29% of the state’s immigrant population (3% of the total state population). One in eight New Mexico workers is an immigrant, a significant contribution to the workforce. As of March 2020, ~5,690 active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients lived in New Mexico. 

In 2021, New Mexico welcomed nearly 7,100 Afghan refugees through Operation Allies Welcome, which temporarily housed families who were being resettled in the United States following the U.S. military’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. As of January 2022, all the families were successfully transitioned into permanent housing.

EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT & INCOME

In terms of education, employment and income, New Mexico remains below the national rates, and continues to rank the third poorest state in the nation. 

Of New Mexicans 25 years and older, 86.5% have a high school graduate or higher, and 28% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

From 2016-2020, 56.9% of New Mexicans aged 16 years or older were employed in the civilian labor force. Prior to the pandemic, unemployment was around 5%, but in 2021, 7.6% of New Mexicans were unemployed. From 2021 to 2022, New Mexico had a decrease in jobless rate. In June 2022, the NM unemployment rate was 4.9, higher than the national unemployment rate (3.6%). In 2021, 19% of NM households with children had lost employment, compared to 20% nationally. 10.6% of NM children live in a household where no parent was employed or in the labor force. For those who are over the age of 16 and employed, the mean travel time to get to work was 22.7 minutes (2016-2020). There are 141,558 veterans in New Mexico (2016-2020).

The median household income in NM (in 2020 dollars) is $51,243 (2016-2020), nearly 20% lower than the national. Per capita income in the last 12 months (in 2020 dollars) was $27,945. Nearly all of the tribal areas have lower median incomes than the state. 16.8% of New Mexicans live in poverty, in comparison to 11.4% nationally. One in four children in NM live in poverty.

88.1% of households have a computer, and 77.9% of households have a broadband Internet subscription (2016-2020). Additionally, 35% of NM children are part of families receiving public assistance, putting our rank for that indicator at 50th in the U.S. (2019).

Financial assistance made available during the COVID-19 Pandemic alleviated financial strain experienced by many families in New Mexico. Most notably, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2020 provides funding, program support and tax policies to reduce the burdens felt by Americans throughout the U.S. Additional measures enacted in NM include paid sick leave and temporary increases to childcare assistance through the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, enabling households with incomes up to 350% of the federal poverty rate qualify for assistance.

HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS 

There are 792,755 households with 2.59 persons per household, and 87% of persons age 1 year or older lived in the same house 1 year prior (2016-2020).

In 2021, 38% of NM households with children reported having difficulty paying for usual household expenses, higher than the national (35%). In the same year, 19% of NM households with children reported having little or no confidence that they would be able to pay their next rent or mortgage payment on time.

HEALTHCARE & HEALTH SYSTEMS  

New Mexico was one of the states that expanded Medicaid to include low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  This has helped improve access to some extent, although having insurance does not guarantee access to a healthcare provider. Immediately after ACA implementation, the state’s uninsured rate was down to 12.8% in 2015, compared to 20.2% in 2013, and current estimates remain approximately 12%. At the end of 2020, 818,279 New Mexico children and adults were enrolled in Medicaid. Currently, 42.3% of Medicaid enrollees are children under age 21 years, 9.5% are non-expansion parents and caretakers, 32% are adults under Medicaid expansion, and .7% are pregnant (HSD, 2020). Sixty-three percent of NM children under the age of 21 were enrolled in Medicaid in 2018.  

Medicaid finances around 65% of prenatal care for resident births in NM. During pregnancy, individuals are traditionally covered if their household income is at or below 250% of the FPL. In 2020, the American Rescue Plan Act established the option for states to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage, up to 12 months postpartum. Beginning in April of 2022, this option became available for 5 years.  

Loss of employment and healthcare coverage was a significant concern amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Federal restriction of Medicaid disenrollment was enacted to protect Americans throughout the pandemic. Additional protections, such as expanded assistance options for those who are not typically eligible for unemployment benefits, a new Healthcare Affordability fund, elimination of copays on behavioral health services for insured people, financial assistance for low-income New Mexicans, and the no or low-cost private insurance plan (beWellNM) and the High-Risk Medical Insurance Pool, ensure a minimum level of coverage and assistance for New Mexicans. 

Further challenges included healthcare accessibility, such as continued provider shortages, hospital and capacity, equipment shortages which affected level of care availability, and a person’s proximity to care, especially in rural areas. At baseline, thirty-two of NM’s thirty-three counties are designated full or partial “health professional shortage areas”. During the pandemic, some specialty populations, such as pregnant persons and CYSHCN in these rural areas, experienced additional barriers to receiving care when clinics and providers closed, reduced hours, or limited visitors. For example, some pregnant people reported challenges in making prenatal appointments because their provider limited the number of visitors at appointments, and they were unable to find care for their other children. Pregnant people who were also COVID positive also faced barriers to prenatal care due to provider and clinic staff misinformation and lack of proper personal protective equipment.  To improve utilization of care for the CYSHCN population, a limited amount of specialty clinics were coordinated throughout the state to reduce travel times for families but most were changed to telehealth and many CYSHCN went without care., prenatal care and support groups were offered via telehealth. Other access challenges included access to food and other essential resources which protect health, such as propane and wood to heat homes through the winter. 

The Commonwealth Fund Health Care Coverage and COVID-19 Survey, conducted from March through June 2021, found that almost half of respondents had been directly affected by the pandemic in one of the following ways: they experienced a COVID-19 infection, lost income or lost their employer sponsored healthcare coverage. Furthermore, a third of adults reported they had lost income. In terms of challenges faced in paying medical bills or medical debt, one third of insured adults and half of uninsured adults had this experience in the previous year. For those who did have problems with paying medical bills and/or medical debt, 35% used all or most of their savings, 35% assumed new credit card debt, 27% were unable to pay for basic needs like food or rent, and 23% delayed education or career plans. 

In the Commonwealth Fund 2022 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, New Mexico ranked 1st among Southwestern states. Top ranked indicators were public health funding, home health patients with a hospital admission and Medicare spending per beneficiary. Bottom ranked indicators were days of hospital staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, employee total potential out of pocket medical costs as a share of state median income and alcohol deaths.

References

2021 New Mexico Kids Count Data Book. New Mexico Voices for Children. (2022, February 2). Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://www.nmvoices.org/archives/16481

2022 Scorecard on State Health System Performance. COVID-19 | Commonwealth Fund. (2022, June 16). Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/scorecard/2022/jun/2022-scorecard-state-health-system-performance

Annie E. Casey Foundation. (n.d.). Child Wellbeing Indicators & Data. KIDS COUNT Data Center. Retrieved July 27, 2022, from https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/

United States Air Force. (2022, January 27). Holloman community thanked for OAW efforts, collaboration. Holloman Air Force Base. Retrieved from https://www.holloman.af.mil/News/Display/Article/2915233/holloman-community-thanked-for-oaw-efforts-collaboration/

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). QuickFacts: New Mexico. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NM

Vasquez, L. (n.d.). June 2022. State Unemployment Rates. Retrieved from https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-unemployment-update.aspx