Luna County, NM

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

25,611

US Senator

Martin Heinrich

Democratic Party

US Senator

Ben Ray Luján

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.3

0.82% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

28.6%

9.4% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$36,419

3.95% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$128,000

13.8% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

8,424

2.13% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Luna 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.

90.9% of the residents in Luna County, NM are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Luna County, NM was $128,000, and the homeownership rate was 70.9%.

Most people in Luna County, NM drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Luna County, NM was 2 cars per household.

Luna County, NM borders Doña Ana County, NM, Grant County, NM, Hidalgo County, NM, and Sierra County, NM.

About the photo: Macho Springs Wind Farm, New Mexico 28 turbines (50 MW) on the Deming Plain near Nutt, Luna Co., NM. Mimbres Mountains in background.

Photo by J. N. Stuart

United States New Mexico Deming, NM

Population & Diversity

Luna County, NM is home to a population of 25.6k people, from which 90.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 16.2% of Luna County, NM residents were born outside of the country (4.14k people).

In 2024, there were 1.39 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (10.1k people) in Luna County, NM than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.26k White (Non-Hispanic) and 3.52k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

90.9%

2024 Citizenship

90.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 90.9% of Luna County, NM residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Luna County, NM was 90.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Luna County, NM

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
10.1k ± 1.16k
White (Non-Hispanic)
7.26k ± 37
Other (Hispanic)
3.52k ± 845

67.1%

Hispanic Population

17.2k people

67.1% of the people in Luna County, NM are hispanic (17.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Luna County, NM as a share of the total population.

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.

Foreign-Born Population

16.2%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.14k people

16.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.19k people

As of 2024, 16.2% of Luna County, NM residents (4.14k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Luna County, NM was 16.5%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Luna County, NM compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
593 ± 142
Gulf War (2001-)
234 ± 105
Gulf War (1990s)
135 ± 76

Luna County, NM has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.53 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Luna County, NM employs 8.42k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Luna County, NM were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,160 people), Accommodation & Food Services (992 people), and Retail Trade (971 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,189), Construction ($60,810), and Educational Services ($54,677).

Employment

Occupations

8.42k

2024 Value

± 883

−2.13%

1 Year decline

± 15.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Luna County, NM declined at a rate of −2.13%, from 8.61k employees to 8.42k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Luna County, NM, are Material Moving Occupations (855 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (727 people), and Management Occupations (726 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Luna 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

8.42k

2024 Value

± 883

−2.13%

1 Year decline

± 15.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Luna County, NM declined at a rate of −2.13%, from 8.61k employees to 8.42k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Luna County, NM, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,160 people), Accommodation & Food Services (992 people), and Retail Trade (971 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Luna County, NM, though some of these residents may live in Luna County, NM and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,267

Median earning men ± $13,728

$24,757

Median earning women ± $3,818

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($70,625), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,606), and Construction ($62,120).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($60,368), Public Administration ($44,350), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($36,398).

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

29
Other Services (except Public Administration)
28
Construction
27
Retail Trade

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

$85.6k
Manufacturing
$43.9k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$27.8k
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Luna County, NM was $128,000 in 2024, which is 0.385 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $112,500 to $128,000, a 13.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Luna County, NM is 70.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Luna County, NM have an average commute time of 19.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Luna County, NM is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Luna County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.01%.

Housing

Property

$128,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,180

$6,537

Median Property Taxes

±$637

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 Luna County, NM the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

70.9%

Homeownership

2024

68.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.9% of the housing units in Luna County, NM were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 69.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Luna 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.

$36,419

Median Household Income

± $4,439

9.22k

Number of Households

± 790

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.22k households in Luna County, NM declined from $36,419 from the previous year's value of $37,917.

The following chart displays the households in Luna 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 Luna 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 (78.3%)
Carpooled (12.2%)
Worked At Home (6.22%)

In 2024, 78.3% of workers in Luna County, NM drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.2%) and those who worked at home (6.22%).

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

19.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Luna County, NM have a shorter commute time (19.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.91% of the workforce in Luna County, NM have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Luna County, NM distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Luna County, NM have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Luna County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.01%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

28.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Luna County, NM (7.19k out of 25.1k 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 < 5, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Males 6 - 11.

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

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, 37.6% of the children was living in poverty in Luna County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.5%.

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 701 in Luna County, NM. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 68.9 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.7% of the population of Luna County, NM has health coverage, with 18.1% on employee plans, 46.3% on Medicaid, 11.8% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 1.7% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Luna County, NM see 6,383 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (6,383 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2575 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 603 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.4% were men and 48.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

6,383 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Luna County, NM

Primary care physicians in Luna County, NM see an average of 6,383 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (6,383 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Luna County, NM in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 28.2% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 29.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.4% were men and 48.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.34%

Uninsured

18.1%

Employer Coverage

46.3%

Medicaid

11.8%

Medicare

12.8%

Non-Group

1.7%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Luna County, NM grew by 4.76% from 8.91% to 9.34%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 77.2 in Luna County, NM.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Luna County, NM.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 38.7% in Luna County, NM.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Luna County, NM.