Counties with the most college graduates in New Mexico
Counties with the most college graduates in New Mexico
The American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Dewey advocated for an educational paradigm called pragmatism, which stresses the importance of learning academic concepts by experiencing them firsthand, instead of through lecture and repetition in a classroom.
While the philosophy is used by many educators (especially those working in fields where the value of work experience exceeds the value placed on an academic background), many people take great pride in their formal educational credentials because of the valuable skills such educations provided and because of the immense amount of work that goes into earning a degree.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most college graduates in New Mexico using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percent of the population 25 years and over that has a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Keep reading to see which counties in your state have the most college graduates.
#30. Union County
- Less than high school diploma: 18.2% ($15,734 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 46.8% ($31,111)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 23.3% ($29,704)
- Bachelor's degree: 6.2% ($40,521)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.5% ($52,188)
#29. Luna County
- Less than high school diploma: 30.2% ($14,000 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.4% ($21,961)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 22.8% ($22,822)
- Bachelor's degree: 7.7% ($39,118)
- Graduate or professional degree: 4.8% ($43,333)
#28. De Baca County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.7% ($26,429 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.2% ($35,076)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 35% ($41,667)
- Bachelor's degree: 6.8% ($25,750)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.2% ($43,750)
#27. Lea County
- Less than high school diploma: 25.8% ($30,622 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.5% ($38,281)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.1% ($41,530)
- Bachelor's degree: 8.4% ($56,420)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.2% ($65,967)

#26. Cibola County
- Less than high school diploma: 17% ($18,987 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 32.2% ($23,864)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 36.6% ($26,809)
- Bachelor's degree: 8.7% ($45,463)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.5% ($69,491)
#25. Hidalgo County
- Less than high school diploma: 17.7% ($21,250 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 35.1% ($21,630)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.5% ($31,894)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.6% ($19,265)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5% ($39,934)
#24. Torrance County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.4% ($32,315 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.7% ($31,388)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32% ($25,377)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.2% ($45,655)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.7% ($55,357)

#23. San Juan County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.1% ($21,681 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.5% ($29,906)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 39.5% ($33,837)
- Bachelor's degree: 8.7% ($48,396)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.2% ($56,348)
#22. Catron County
- Less than high school diploma: 5.9%
- High school graduate: 47.1% ($22,585)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.3% ($31,326)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.2% ($37,857)
- Graduate or professional degree: 4.5%

#21. Eddy County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.5% ($31,694 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.6% ($41,221)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.6% ($41,173)
- Bachelor's degree: 10% ($53,312)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.2% ($61,708)
#20. Quay County
- Less than high school diploma: 18.1% ($16,709 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 35.7% ($19,198)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.1% ($22,325)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.2% ($40,357)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.8% ($57,864)

#19. Otero County
- Less than high school diploma: 16.6% ($13,823 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 27.3% ($24,530)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 38.6% ($27,821)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.5% ($40,678)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.9% ($59,677)

#18. Chaves County
- Less than high school diploma: 21.8% ($20,583 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 27.7% ($26,801)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.5% ($29,627)
- Bachelor's degree: 12% ($46,468)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.9% ($54,148)
#17. Valencia County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.5% ($21,533 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33% ($30,683)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.9% ($31,827)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.8% ($44,663)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.7% ($55,620)
#16. Curry County
- Less than high school diploma: 18.1% ($21,083 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 26.7% ($28,978)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 36% ($32,027)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.8% ($41,095)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.4% ($58,913)
#15. Rio Arriba County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.5% ($20,899 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 32.2% ($29,657)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 35% ($39,052)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.6% ($53,387)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.6% ($47,891)
#14. Sierra County
- Less than high school diploma: 16.1% ($15,401 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.6% ($22,500)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 34.2% ($21,161)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.1%
- Graduate or professional degree: 8% ($59,063)
#13. San Miguel County
- Less than high school diploma: 16.7% ($16,009 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 27.6% ($22,188)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 34.2% ($26,180)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.7% ($37,269)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.7% ($54,296)
#12. Colfax County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.8% ($14,802 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.4% ($23,733)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 37.1% ($24,775)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.4% ($41,250)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.4% ($42,569)
#11. Harding County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.7%
- High school graduate: 26.5% ($25,000)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 37.2% ($19,375)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.6% ($30,000)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7% ($72,500)

#10. Socorro County
- Less than high school diploma: 18.1% ($18,101 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.4% ($17,159)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 22.4% ($30,223)
- Bachelor's degree: 12% ($37,938)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10% ($54,045)
#9. Roosevelt County
- Less than high school diploma: 20% ($19,327 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.1% ($32,037)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.1% ($31,475)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.6% ($35,650)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.3% ($52,658)

#8. Lincoln County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.5% ($17,661 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.9% ($23,061)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.8% ($26,463)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.6% ($39,401)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.1% ($51,306)

#7. Dona Ana County
- Less than high school diploma: 20.5% ($16,410 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 22.7% ($22,361)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.6% ($28,753)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.1% ($41,126)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11% ($57,808)
#6. Taos County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.9% ($20,255 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.2% ($20,457)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.2% ($28,167)
- Bachelor's degree: 17% ($33,402)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.8% ($52,500)

#5. Grant County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.6% ($23,938 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 26.5% ($24,854)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.2% ($27,858)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.1% ($35,603)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.7% ($47,382)

#4. Sandoval County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.1% ($21,834 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 25.5% ($30,698)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.9% ($35,138)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.5% ($49,221)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12% ($66,934)
#3. Bernalillo County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.1% ($20,788 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 23.2% ($28,654)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.3% ($32,035)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.8% ($46,788)
- Graduate or professional degree: 15.6% ($64,501)
#2. Santa Fe County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.7% ($26,303 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 22.3% ($29,711)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26% ($35,013)
- Bachelor's degree: 20.4% ($45,338)
- Graduate or professional degree: 20.6% ($62,200)

#1. Los Alamos County
- Less than high school diploma: 2.4% ($85,625 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 8.8% ($32,040)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 21.4% ($55,982)
- Bachelor's degree: 26.6% ($76,128)
- Graduate or professional degree: 40.8% ($119,892)