Rio Arriba County, NM

County

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2024 Population

40,070

US Senator

Martin Heinrich

Democratic Party

US Senator

Ben Ray Luján

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

0.943% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.2%

9.26% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$57,155

6.04% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$243,700

5.54% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

16,169

2.12% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Rio Arriba County, NM reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.3% of the residents in Rio Arriba County, NM are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Rio Arriba County, NM are Northern New Mexico College (211 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Rio Arriba County, NM was $243,700, and the homeownership rate was 80%.

Most people in Rio Arriba County, NM drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Rio Arriba County, NM was 3 cars per household.

Rio Arriba County, NM borders Archuleta County, CO, Conejos County, CO, Los Alamos County, NM, Mora County, NM, Sandoval County, NM, San Juan County, NM, Santa Fe County, NM, and Taos County, NM.

United States New Mexico Española, NM

Population & Diversity

Rio Arriba County, NM is home to a population of 40.1k people, from which 95.3% are citizens. As of N/A, NaNk% of Rio Arriba County, NM residents were born outside of the country (N/A people).

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.3%

2024 Citizenship

95.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.3% of Rio Arriba County, NM residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Rio Arriba County, NM was 95.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Rio Arriba County, NM compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New Mexico.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
124,411 ± 8,401 people
Philippines
6,498 ± 1,976 people
Germany
4,186 ± 1,587 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New Mexico was Mexico, the natal country of 124,411 New Mexico residents, followed by Philippines with 6,498 and Germany with 4,186.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
768 ± 256
Gulf War (1990s)
263 ± 148
Gulf War (2001-)
191 ± 97

Rio Arriba County, NM has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.92 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Rio Arriba County, NM.

Economy

The economy of Rio Arriba County, NM employs 16.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Rio Arriba County, NM were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,302 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (2,211 people), and Public Administration (1,974 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($88,958), Finance & Insurance ($85,526), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($66,664).

Employment

Occupations

16.2k

2024 Value

± 1,045

2.12%

1 Year growth

± 9.11%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rio Arriba County, NM grew at a rate of 2.12%, from 15.8k employees to 16.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rio Arriba County, NM, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,903 people), Management Occupations (1,835 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,127 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rio Arriba County, NM.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Mexico.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New Mexico (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

16.2k

2024 Value

± 1,045

2.12%

1 Year growth

± 9.11%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rio Arriba County, NM grew at a rate of 2.12%, from 15.8k employees to 16.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rio Arriba County, NM, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,302 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (2,211 people), and Public Administration (1,974 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rio Arriba County, NM, though some of these residents may live in Rio Arriba County, NM and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,708

Median earning men ± $5,062

$37,652

Median earning women ± $3,078

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($78,063), Other Services Except Public Administration ($71,450), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($67,201).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($65,536), Construction ($64,917), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($58,542).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Mexico.

Y-Axis

2.72%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 860k people employed in New Mexico. This represents a 2.72% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New Mexico.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

53
Construction
44
Other Services (except Public Administration)
40
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$54.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$33.3k
Retail Trade
$26.1k
Accommodation and Food Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Rio Arriba County, NM awarded 211 degrees. The student population of Rio Arriba County, NM in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 577 male students and 733 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Rio Arriba County, NM are Hispanic or Latino (134 and 63.8%), White (21 and 10%), Two or More Races (19 and 9.05%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (15 and 7.14%).

The largest universities in Rio Arriba County, NM by number of degrees awarded are Northern New Mexico College (211 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Rio Arriba County, NM are General Business Administration & Management (47 and 22.3%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (25 and 11.8%), and Elementary Education & Teaching (22 and 10.4%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,310 students enrolled in Rio Arriba County, NM, 44% men and 56% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 896 records, of which 56.9% were women and 43.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
30 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
19 degrees awarded
Early Childhood Education & Teaching
12 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Rio Arriba County, NM was General Business Administration & Management with 30 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Rio Arriba County, NM according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Northern New Mexico College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

211 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Northern New Mexico College with 211 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 56 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Rio Arriba County, NM, which is 0.361 times less than the 155 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 134 degrees mean that there were 6.38 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 21 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($5,064) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Rio Arriba County, NM was $243,700 in 2024, which is 0.732 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $230,900 to $243,700, a 5.54% increase. The homeownership rate in Rio Arriba County, NM is 80%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Rio Arriba County, NM have an average commute time of 30.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Rio Arriba County, NM is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Rio Arriba County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.57%.

Housing

Property

$243,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,840

$12,517

Median Property Taxes

±$798

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Rio Arriba County, NM the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Rio Arriba County, NM compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

80%

Homeownership

2024

68%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80% of the housing units in Rio Arriba County, NM were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Rio Arriba County, NM compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$57,155

Median Household Income

± $4,325

15.6k

Number of Households

± 998

In 2024, the median household income of the 15.6k households in Rio Arriba County, NM grew to $57,155 from the previous year's value of $53,901.

The following chart displays the households in Rio Arriba County, NM distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Rio Arriba County, NM is from New Mexico.

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in New Mexico

0.462

2022 Wage GINI in New Mexico

In 2023, the income inequality in New Mexico was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0654% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for New Mexico was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in New Mexico in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New Mexico across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.1%)
Worked At Home (10.2%)
Carpooled (8.98%)

In 2024, 77.1% of workers in Rio Arriba County, NM drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.2%) and those who carpooled to work (8.98%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rio Arriba County, NM have a longer commute time (30.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.41% of the workforce in Rio Arriba County, NM have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Rio Arriba County, NM compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Rio Arriba County, NM distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Rio Arriba County, NM have 3 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Rio Arriba County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.57%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

18.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rio Arriba County, NM (7.26k out of 39.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Rio Arriba County, NM is Hispanic, followed by Other and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 27.1% of the children was living in poverty in Rio Arriba County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 602 in Rio Arriba County, NM. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 148 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91.3% of the population of Rio Arriba County, NM has health coverage, with 35.3% on employee plans, 28.3% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 9.21% on non-group plans, and 0.975% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.8% under 18 years, 17.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

8.75%

Uninsured

35.3%

Employer Coverage

28.3%

Medicaid

17.5%

Medicare

9.21%

Non-Group

0.975%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Rio Arriba County, NM declined by 4.73% from 9.18% to 8.75%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Rio Arriba County, NM changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.