Counties with the highest unemployment in New Mexico

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November 1, 2024
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Counties with the highest unemployment in New Mexico

Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, stoking concern throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates.

As of September, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 260 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 37 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In October, these statistics were both lower than in previous months, indicating that the rate cuts may already be helping stabilize unemployment.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in New Mexico, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in September 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

In October, the health care and government sectors saw employment trend upward, while labor strikes contributed to a decline in manufacturing employment. However, the national unemployment rate still remains relatively low at 4.1% in October, unchanged from the previous month. It remains higher than it has otherwise been since November 2021.

By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth. Since last year, unemployment has spiked in half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. In September, South Carolina and Utah saw the biggest unemployment rate increases.

These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in New Mexico.

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Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#33. Los Alamos County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,750 people (279 unemployed)

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#32. Eddy County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,547 people (1,045 unemployed)

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#31. De Baca County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 698 people (23 unemployed)

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#30. Union County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1,492 people (51 unemployed)

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#29. Curry County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,227 people (762 unemployed)

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Underawesternsky // Shutterstock

#28. Grant County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,477 people (446 unemployed)

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#27. Guadalupe County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1,806 people (68 unemployed)

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Robin Nations // Shutterstock

#26. Roosevelt County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,691 people (333 unemployed)

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#25. Rio Arriba County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,906 people (641 unemployed)

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Jimack // Shutterstock

#24. Santa Fe County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 73,746 people (2,770 unemployed)

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#23. Mora County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,111 people (82 unemployed)

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#22. Lea County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,289 people (1,224 unemployed)

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#21. Bernalillo County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 347,062 people (13,463 unemployed)

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#20. Colfax County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,235 people (218 unemployed)

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Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock

#19. Otero County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,280 people (1,107 unemployed)

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#18. Sandoval County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 70,124 people (2,930 unemployed)

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#17. Hidalgo County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,571 people (67 unemployed)

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#16. Dona Ana County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 103,879 people (4,597 unemployed)

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#15. San Miguel County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 11,337 people (509 unemployed)

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#14. Chaves County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,916 people (1,214 unemployed)

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#13. Valencia County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,892 people (1,439 unemployed)

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#12. San Juan County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 50,304 people (2,313 unemployed)

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#11. Taos County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,151 people (660 unemployed)

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#10. Socorro County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,080 people (292 unemployed)

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#9. Quay County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,844 people (139 unemployed)

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#8. Harding County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 282 people (14 unemployed)

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#7. Catron County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,166 people (59 unemployed)

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#6. Lincoln County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,510 people (440 unemployed)

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#5. Sierra County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,836 people (209 unemployed)

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#4. McKinley County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,920 people (1,300 unemployed)

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#3. Torrance County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,563 people (312 unemployed)

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#2. Cibola County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,568 people (488 unemployed)

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#1. Luna County

- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,455 people (855 unemployed)

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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