Lea County, New Mexico

8 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 73,154
Median household income: $68,750
Median home value: $176,000

Lea County, New Mexico counts 73,154 residents. 8 cities and places have their primary county here. At $68,750, its median household income sits above New Mexico's $62,125.

From 2019 to 2023, Lea County's population grew 4.1% from 70,277 to 73,154, while its median household income rose 13.6% from $60,546 to $68,750.

69.3% of homes are single-family detached houses. The typical home was built around 1977.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 73,154
Median age: 32.5 yrs
Median household income: $68,750
Median home value: $176,000
Median gross rent: $1,119
Housing units: 28,125
Homeownership rate: 69.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 15.3%
Unemployment rate: 7.0%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

70,27773,154

Median household income

$60,546$68,750

Median home value

$133,100$176,000

Median gross rent

$895$1,119

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	70,277	$60,546	$133,100	$895
2020	70,359	$61,867	$138,600	$911
2021	72,743	$62,319	$144,400	$967
2022	73,103	$65,855	$162,000	$1,031
2023	73,154	$68,750	$176,000	$1,119

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 58.0%

5 to 1721.8%

18 to 2410.4%

25 to 3413.9%

35 to 4413.4%

45 to 5410.8%

55 to 6410.4%

65 to 747.0%

75 and over4.2%

	Count	Share
Under 5	5,882	8.0%
5 to 17	15,936	21.8%
18 to 24	7,598	10.4%
25 to 34	10,188	13.9%
35 to 44	9,825	13.4%
45 to 54	7,903	10.8%
55 to 64	7,608	10.4%
65 to 74	5,145	7.0%
75 and over	3,069	4.2%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	23,474	32.1%
Black or African American	2,507	3.4%
American Indian & Alaska Native	347	0.5%
Asian	459	0.6%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	18	0.0%
Some other race	145	0.2%
Two or more races	1,113	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	45,091	61.6%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma24.4%

High school graduate32.6%

Some college or associate's27.7%

Bachelor's degree8.4%

Graduate or professional degree6.9%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	10,680	24.4%
High school graduate	14,264	32.6%
Some college or associate's	12,112	27.7%
Bachelor's degree	3,669	8.4%
Graduate or professional degree	3,013	6.9%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 25 min

Drove alone77.4%

Carpooled17.0%

Public transit0.2%

Walked0.9%

Bicycle0.0%

Worked from home3.7%

Other means0.8%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	23,298	77.4%
Carpooled	5,117	17.0%
Public transit	54	0.2%
Walked	272	0.9%
Bicycle	14	0.0%
Worked from home	1,105	3.7%
Other means	242	0.8%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	14,991	51.7%
15 to 29 min	6,165	21.3%
30 to 44 min	2,770	9.6%
45 to 59 min	1,299	4.5%
60+ min	3,772	13.0%

Households

Average household size: 2.89
Poverty rate: 18.7% (13,178 of 70,659)

	Count	Share
Family households	16,912	68.8%
Nonfamily households	7,656	31.2%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1977

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	24,568	87.4%
Vacant	3,557	12.6%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	17,072	69.5%
Renter-occupied	7,496	30.5%

1-unit, detached69.3%

1-unit, attached1.9%

2 to 4 units4.3%

5 to 19 units3.7%

20 or more units3.3%

Mobile home & other17.5%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	19,480	69.3%
1-unit, attached	525	1.9%
2 to 4 units	1,210	4.3%
5 to 19 units	1,038	3.7%
20 or more units	942	3.3%
Mobile home & other	4,930	17.5%

Geography

County GEOID: 35025
State: New Mexico
Land area: 4,392 sq mi
Water area: 3.15 sq mi
Center point: 32.7957, -103.4133