Sierra County, NM

County

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2024 Population

11,500

US Senator

Martin Heinrich

Democratic Party

US Senator

Ben Ray Luján

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

57.6

0.524% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

21.4%

14.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$41,600

9.94% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$152,600

5.39% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,501

1.18% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Sierra 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.

94.2% of the residents in Sierra County, NM are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Sierra County, NM was $152,600, and the homeownership rate was 71.8%.

Most people in Sierra County, NM drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Sierra County, NM was 1 car per household.

Sierra County, NM borders Catron County, NM, Doña Ana County, NM, Grant County, NM, Lincoln County, NM, Luna County, NM, Otero County, NM, and Socorro County, NM.

United States New Mexico

Population & Diversity

Sierra County, NM is home to a population of 11.5k people, from which 94.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.55% of Sierra County, NM residents were born outside of the country (868 people).

In 2024, there were 4.23 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.25k people) in Sierra County, NM than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.72k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 845 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.2%

2024 Citizenship

93.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.2% of Sierra County, NM residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sierra County, NM was 93.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sierra County, NM

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.25k ± 174
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.72k ± 341
Other (Hispanic)
845 ± 446

29.8%

Hispanic Population

3.43k people

29.8% of the people in Sierra County, NM are hispanic (3.43k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Sierra 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

7.55%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

868 people

8.36%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

962 people

As of 2024, 7.55% of Sierra County, NM residents (868 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 Sierra County, NM was 8.36%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
647 ± 188
Gulf War (2001-)
191 ± 126
Korea
128 ± 100

Sierra County, NM has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.39 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Sierra County, NM employs 3.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sierra County, NM were Health Care & Social Assistance (629 people), Retail Trade (532 people), and Educational Services (396 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($73,750), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($65,607), and Public Administration ($52,330).

Employment

Occupations

3.5k

2024 Value

± 520

1.18%

1 Year growth

± 21.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sierra County, NM grew at a rate of 1.18%, from 3.46k employees to 3.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sierra County, NM, are Management Occupations (770 people), Healthcare Support Occupations (504 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (396 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sierra 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

3.5k

2024 Value

± 520

1.18%

1 Year growth

± 21.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sierra County, NM grew at a rate of 1.18%, from 3.46k employees to 3.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sierra County, NM, are Health Care & Social Assistance (629 people), Retail Trade (532 people), and Educational Services (396 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sierra County, NM, though some of these residents may live in Sierra County, NM and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$26,736

Median earning men ± $5,018

$28,285

Median earning women ± $4,927

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($85,152), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($57,353), and Public Administration ($53,333).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,023), Public Administration ($50,739), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($37,853).

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

21
Retail Trade
20
Construction
17
Accommodation and Food Services

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

$22.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$12.8k
Retail Trade
$11.8k
Construction

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Sierra County, NM was $152,600 in 2024, which is 0.459 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $144,800 to $152,600, a 5.39% increase. The homeownership rate in Sierra County, NM is 71.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sierra County, NM have an average commute time of 14.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sierra County, NM is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

In 2025, 12.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Sierra County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.39%.

Housing

Property

$152,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,687

$3,906

Median Property Taxes

±$500

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

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

Rent vs Own

71.8%

Homeownership

2024

64.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.8% of the housing units in Sierra County, NM were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 70.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sierra 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.

$41,600

Median Household Income

± $5,700

5.44k

Number of Households

± 601

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.44k households in Sierra County, NM grew to $41,600 from the previous year's value of $37,840.

The following chart displays the households in Sierra 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 Sierra 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 (72.3%)
Carpooled (10%)
Worked At Home (8.19%)

In 2024, 72.3% of workers in Sierra County, NM drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10%) and those who worked at home (8.19%).

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

14.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sierra County, NM have a shorter commute time (14.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Sierra County, NM have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Sierra County, NM distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Sierra County, NM have 1 car.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Sierra County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.39%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

21.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sierra County, NM (2.41k out of 11.3k 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 65 - 74, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Sierra County, NM is White, followed by Hispanic 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, 35.4% of the children was living in poverty in Sierra County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.1%.

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 532 in Sierra County, NM. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 76.9 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.9% of the population of Sierra County, NM has health coverage, with 20.7% on employee plans, 31% on Medicaid, 23.9% on Medicare, 18.4% on non-group plans, and 1.87% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Sierra County, NM see 2,300 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,300 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1430 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 383 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,300 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Sierra County, NM

Primary care physicians in Sierra County, NM see an average of 2,300 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,300 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.1% under 18 years, 13.1% between 18 and 34 years, 32.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 38% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.11%

Uninsured

20.7%

Employer Coverage

31%

Medicaid

23.9%

Medicare

18.4%

Non-Group

1.87%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sierra County, NM grew by 0.553% from 4.09% to 4.11%.

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