County profile

Catron County

New Mexico · ACS 2020–2024

Download data

Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
3,743
Median household income
$49,864
People below poverty
24.8%
Median home value
$167,000

Income

The median income of households in Catron County, New Mexico was $49,864. An estimated 3.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 0% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than $10,000 3.2
$10,000 to $14,999 9.4
$15,000 to $24,999 11.3
$25,000 to $34,999 19.7
$35,000 to $49,999 6.5
$50,000 to $74,999 18.4
$75,000 to $99,999 14.7
$100,000 to $149,999 15.7
$150,000 to $199,999 1
$200,000 or more 0

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Dollars
Male 49196
Female 29696

An estimated 44.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 62.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 38.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $25,336. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Earnings 44.3
Social Security 62.8
Retirement income 38.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.8
Cash public assistance income 3.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 24.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 57.8% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 12.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 33.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
People in poverty 24.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 57.8
People 65 years old and over below poverty 12.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 33.5

In 2020-2024, 9.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 6.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 95.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 7.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024, 93.7% had health insurance coverage and 6.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 41.4% and public coverage was 78.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 0%.


In 2020-2024, Catron County, New Mexico had a total population of 3,743 - 1,865 (49.8%) females and 1,878 (50.2%) males. The median age was 63.8 years. An estimated 6.1% of the population was under 18 years, 17.5% was 19 to 44 years, 28.3% was 45 to 64 years, and 47.6 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 0 16
5 to 9 29 36
10 to 14 47 80
15 to 19 0 40
20 to 24 153 83
25 to 29 8 66
30 to 34 16 0
35 to 39 61 130
40 to 44 108 29
45 to 49 58 22
50 to 54 47 72
55 to 59 187 135
60 to 64 228 312
65 to 69 157 280
70 to 74 340 179
75 to 79 111 105
80 to 84 137 68
85 and over 191 212

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 77.9% were White; 1.8% were Black or African American; 4.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.3% were Asian; 1.8% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 11.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 15.7% of the people in Catron County, New Mexico were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 74.4% of the people in Catron County, New Mexico were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 1,789 households in Catron County, New Mexico. The average household size was 1.97 people.

Married-couple households made up 55.3% of the households in Catron County, New Mexico while cohabiting couple households made up 1.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 22.2% of all households, while 21% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 19.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 19.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 39.6% of all households.

In Catron County, New Mexico, 7.5% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 62.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Married-couple households 55.3
Cohabiting Couples 1.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
22.2

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 56.6% of males and 56.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 20 16.5
Now married, except separated 56.6 56.7
Separated 0 0
Widowed 8.7 12.9
Divorced 14.7 14

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Catron County, New Mexico, 26 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 0% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 94.9% of the people living in Catron County, New Mexico were U.S. natives. 29.5% of the Catron County, New Mexico population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 5.1% of Catron County, New Mexico residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 78% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 93.7 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Catron County, New Mexico come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Catron County, New Mexico.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Latin America 40.8
Asia 6.3
Europe 48.2
Africa 0
Northern America 4.7
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024, 18.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 16.8% of people at least five years old; 1.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Spanish 16.8
Other Indo-European languages 1.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 93.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Catron County, New Mexico were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Same house 93.4
Different house, same county 4.6
Different county, same state 0
Different state 2
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 98 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 31.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 2% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Catron County, New Mexico was 228 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 0 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 196. College or graduate school enrollment was 32.

Educational Attainment of People in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than high school diploma 2
High school diploma or equivalency 29.9
Some college, no degree 30.7
Associate's degree 6.3
Bachelor's degree 18.5
Graduate or professional degree 12.7

Disability

In Catron County, New Mexico, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 37.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 0% of people under 18 years old, to 31.7% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 47.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Catron County, New Mexico, 30.3 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 68.3% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 65% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 5% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 29.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 695 65
Federal, state, or local government workers 54 5
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 314 29.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Catron County, New Mexico worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 7.1
Construction 10.8
Manufacturing 10.1
Wholesale trade 0
Retail trade 9.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 16.5
Information 0
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.3
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 14.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 16
Other Services, except public administration 1.1
Public administration 0

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 300 28
Service occupations 102 9.5
Sales and office occupations 311 29.1
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 151 14.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 206 19.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 49.1% of Catron County, New Mexico workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 25.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 49.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 7.7
Other means 12.4
Worked from home 22.7

In 2020-2024, Catron County, New Mexico had a total of 3,409 housing units. Of these housing units, 61% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 0.4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 38.1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Single-family houses 61
Apartments in multi-unit structures 0.4
Mobile homes 38.1
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.5

8.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 3.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Catron County, New Mexico was 4.4 rooms, and of these housing units 42.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Catron County, New Mexico had 1,789 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,620 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 93.8% while renters occupied 6.2%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.64.

2.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 19.3% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.9% and another 31.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Catron County, New Mexico:

House Heating Fuel Used in Catron County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Gas 46.5
Electricity 17
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.4
All other fuels 35.3
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Catron County, New Mexico was $167,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 22.3 % had a mortgage. 77.7% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,233 and for owners without a mortgage it was $323.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Catron County, New Mexico was $736. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.