Demographics of Lea County, New Mexico

Lea County, New Mexico had 74,749 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +115 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Lea County, in four figures

74,749
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +0.2%
Change since July 2020: +115 people.; 32.5 ±0.3
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $68,015 ±$5,605
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Lea County, New Mexico's population grew 0.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Lea County, New Mexico's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Lea County, New Mexico's population grew 0.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Lea County, New Mexico's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	74,634	100.0	100.0
2021	73,068	97.9	100.2
2022	72,260	96.8	100.7
2023	73,214	98.1	101.6
2024	74,446	99.7	102.5
2025	74,749	100.2	103.1

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Population of Lea County, New Mexico on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	74,634	+182	+137	+6	+13
2021	73,068	−1,566	+338	+160	−1,965
2022	72,260	−808	+298	+300	−1,450
2023	73,214	+954	+434	+1,137	−620
2024	74,446	+1,232	+422	+1,086	−281
2025	74,749	+303	+233	+445	−386

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 32.5 ±0.3: for men 32.1 ±0.3 and for women 33.1 ±0.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Lea County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	New Mexico	United States
Under 5	5,789 ±269	7.9% ±0.4	5.2% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	15,965 ±832	21.7% ±1.1	16.5% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	7,764 ±681	10.5% ±0.9	9.3% ±0.2	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	20,421 ±715	27.7% ±1.0	26.0% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	15,416 ±736	20.9% ±1.0	23.7% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	8,378 ±589	11.4% ±0.8	19.3% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $68,015 ±$5,605, and income per person $31,326 ±$2,273, in 2024 dollars. The median is $64,059 ±$808 in New Mexico and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Lea County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	New Mexico	United States
Under $25,000	5,144 ±691	20.9% ±2.8	20.2% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,558 ±683	18.5% ±2.7	19.6% ±0.4	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,616 ±561	14.7% ±2.3	16.9% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	3,238 ±478	13.1% ±1.9	12.4% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	3,719 ±512	15.1% ±2.1	15.5% ±0.4	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,157 ±384	8.7% ±1.5	7.6% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,238 ±579	9.1% ±2.3	7.8% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Lea County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	New Mexico	United States
All ages	13,366 ±1,831	18.7% ±2.6	17.8% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	5,084 ±766	23.6% ±3.3	24.0% ±0.7	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	5,941 ±917	15.8% ±2.4	17.0% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	2,341 ±451	18.8% ±3.4	14.3% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Lea County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Lea County	New Mexico	United States
Housing units	28,403 ±55	956,964 ±262	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	86.9% ±1.8	87.5% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	13.1% ±1.8	12.5% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	71.2% ±2.2	70.0% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	28.8% ±2.5	30.0% ±0.4	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$184,000 ±$8,831	$248,100 ±$1,957	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,101 ±$52	$1,067 ±$11	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1979 ±2	1985 ±2	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Lea County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	New Mexico	United States
Hispanic or Latino	46,266 ±0	62.7% ±<0.1	48.4% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	22,854 ±183	31.0% ±0.2	36.0% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	2,307 ±298	3.1% ±0.4	1.8% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	491 ±28	0.7% ±<0.1	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	310 ±53	0.4% ±0.1	8.5% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 53	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	9 to 251	< 0.1% to 0.3%	0.5% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,350 ±332	1.8% ±0.5	3.1% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Lea County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	New Mexico	United States
Born in the state	32,551 ±1,584	44.1% ±2.1	52.4% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	26,871 ±1,153	36.4% ±1.6	36.9% ±0.3	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	821 ±316	1.1% ±0.4	1.3% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	13,490 ±1,188	18.3% ±1.6	9.4% ±0.2	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	2,932 ±513	4.0% ±0.7	4.1% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	10,558 ±1,221	14.3% ±1.7	5.3% ±0.2	6.8% ±<0.1

Lea County among the counties of New Mexico

7th of 33 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the New Mexico page.

Counties of New Mexico near Lea County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Doña Ana County	229,091	+4.1%
Sandoval County	159,565	+6.9%
Santa Fe County	156,907	+1.2%
San Juan County	120,340	−0.9%
Valencia County	82,013	+7.2%
Lea County	74,749	+0.2%
Otero County	70,368	+3.7%
McKinley County	68,119	−6.1%
Chaves County	63,364	−2.7%
Eddy County	62,509	+0.3%
Curry County	46,655	−3.5%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026