Union County, NM

County

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2024 Population

4,013

US Senator

Martin Heinrich

Democratic Party

US Senator

Ben Ray Luján

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

42.6

5.71% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.6%

14.8% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$46,694

3.03% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$122,700

9.71% 1-year decline

2024 Employed Population

1,335

7.36% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Union 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.

96.7% of the residents in Union County, NM are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Union County, NM was $122,700, and the homeownership rate was 72.4%.

Most people in Union County, NM drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Union County, NM was 2 cars per household.

Union County, NM borders Baca County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Colfax County, NM, Harding County, NM, Quay County, NM, Cimarron County, OK, Dallam County, TX, and Hartley County, TX.

United States New Mexico

Population & Diversity

Union County, NM is home to a population of 4.01k people, from which 96.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.76% of Union County, NM residents were born outside of the country (151 people).

In 2024, there were 2.34 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.14k people) in Union County, NM than any other race or ethnicity. There were 913 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 419 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.7%

2024 Citizenship

98%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.7% of Union County, NM residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Union County, NM was 98%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Union County, NM

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.14k ± 42
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
913 ± 179
White (Hispanic)
419 ± 161

40.1%

Hispanic Population

1.61k people

40.1% of the people in Union County, NM are hispanic (1.61k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Union 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

3.76%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

151 people

2.25%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

91 people

As of 2024, 3.76% of Union County, NM residents (151 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 Union County, NM was 2.25%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
75 ± 44
Gulf War (2001-)
38 ± 39
Korea
20 ± 25

Union County, NM has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.97 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Union County, NM employs 1.34k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Union County, NM were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (274 people), Retail Trade (149 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (108 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,545), Finance & Insurance ($70,781), and Construction ($67,000).

Employment

Occupations

1.34k

2024 Value

± 236

−7.36%

1 Year decline

± 26.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Union County, NM declined at a rate of −7.36%, from 1.44k employees to 1.34k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Union County, NM, are Management Occupations (285 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (103 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (102 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Union 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

1.34k

2024 Value

± 236

−7.36%

1 Year decline

± 26.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Union County, NM declined at a rate of −7.36%, from 1.44k employees to 1.34k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Union County, NM, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (274 people), Retail Trade (149 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (108 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Union County, NM, though some of these residents may live in Union County, NM and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,140

Median earning men ± $11,710

$31,964

Median earning women ± $2,363

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($113,112), Construction ($67,125), and Public Administration ($53,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($101,250), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,781), and Public Administration ($51,741).

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

13
Construction
10
Other Services (except Public Administration)
8
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

$6.75k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$4.61k
Retail Trade
$2.55k
Accommodation and Food Services

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Union County, NM was $122,700 in 2024, which is 0.369 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $135,900 to $122,700, a 9.71% decrease. The homeownership rate in Union County, NM is 72.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Union County, NM have an average commute time of 16.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Union County, NM is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Union County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4%.

Housing

Property

$122,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,473

$1,041

Median Property Taxes

±$186

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

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

Rent vs Own

72.4%

Homeownership

2024

75.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.4% of the housing units in Union County, NM were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Union 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.

$46,694

Median Household Income

± $17,202

1.44k

Number of Households

± 213

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.44k households in Union County, NM grew to $46,694 from the previous year's value of $45,319.

The following chart displays the households in Union 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Union 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 (81.6%)
Worked At Home (6.21%)
Walked (5.52%)

In 2024, 81.6% of workers in Union County, NM drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (6.21%) and those who walked to work (5.52%).

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

16.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Union County, NM have a shorter commute time (16.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.19% of the workforce in Union County, NM have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Union 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 Union County, NM distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Union County, NM have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Union County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

16.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Union County, NM (586 out of 3.54k 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 Females 75+ and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Union 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, 25.4% of the children was living in poverty in Union County, NM. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.5%.

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 130 in Union County, NM. From 2015 to 2022, the indicator declined 343 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

89.6% of the population of Union County, NM has health coverage, with 23.7% on employee plans, 32.7% on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, 17.7% on non-group plans, and 1.47% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Union County, NM see 4,107 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,107 patients). Compare this to dentists who see null patients per year, and mental health providers who see 117 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,107 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Union County, NM

Primary care physicians in Union County, NM see an average of 4,107 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,107 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.6% under 18 years, 15.1% between 18 and 34 years, 34.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 24.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.4%

Uninsured

23.7%

Employer Coverage

32.7%

Medicaid

14%

Medicare

17.7%

Non-Group

1.47%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Union County, NM declined by 11.7% from 11.8% to 10.4%.

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