(STACKER) Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of June of this year, national unemployment is at 3.5%, 0.1% lower than in May, marking a three-month stagnation—following a steady drop since that aforementioned COVID-affected peak. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.8% in Minnesota, to 4.9% in New Mexico and 5.5% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in New Mexico using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in June 2022, which as of this writing is the most current Bureau data.
#33. Los Alamos County
– Current Unemployment rate: 2.5%
— 1 month change: +0.7%
— 1 year change: -1.1%
-Total Labor Force: 10,181 (253 unemployed)
#32. Union County
– Current Unemployment rate: 3.3%
— 1 month change: +0.8%
— 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 1,545 (51 unemployed)
#31. Harding County
– Current Unemployment rate: 3.5%
— 1 month change: +0.3%
— 1 year change: -1.1%
-Total Labor Force: 285 (10 unemployed)
#30. De Baca County
– Current Unemployment rate: 3.6%
— 1 month change: +0.6%
— 1 year change: -3.0%
-Total Labor Force: 668 (24 unemployed)
#29. Curry County
– Current Unemployment rate: 3.8%
— 1 month change: +0.8%
— 1 year change: -2.1%
-Total Labor Force: 21,333 (816 unemployed)
#28. Hidalgo County
– Current Unemployment rate: 3.9%
— 1 month change: +0.5%
— 1 year change: -2.4%
-Total Labor Force: 1,813 (70 unemployed)
#27. Eddy County
– Current Unemployment rate: 4.1%
— 1 month change: +0.5%
— 1 year change: -3.5%
-Total Labor Force: 31,749 (1,315 unemployed)
#26. Santa Fe County
– Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
— 1 month change: +0.7%
— 1 year change: -3.1%
-Total Labor Force: 74,472 (3,132 unemployed)
#25. Bernalillo County
– Current Unemployment rate: 4.4%
— 1 month change: +0.7%
— 1 year change: -3.1%
-Total Labor Force: 336,456 (14,882 unemployed)
#24. Roosevelt County
– Current Unemployment rate: 4.5%
— 1 month change: +1.2%
— 1 year change: -2.7%
-Total Labor Force: 8,327 (372 unemployed)
#23. Colfax County
– Current Unemployment rate: 4.7%
— 1 month change: +0.7%
— 1 year change: -1.5%
-Total Labor Force: 5,116 (238 unemployed)
#22. Sandoval County
– Current Unemployment rate: 4.8%
— 1 month change: +0.9%
— 1 year change: -3.2%
-Total Labor Force: 68,154 (3,243 unemployed)
#21. Grant County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.0%
— 1 month change: +0.7%
— 1 year change: -3.7%
-Total Labor Force: 11,523 (574 unemployed)
#20. Otero County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.0%
— 1 month change: +1.0%
— 1 year change: -3.0%
-Total Labor Force: 25,287 (1,269 unemployed)
#19. Socorro County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.1%
— 1 month change: +1.2%
— 1 year change: -2.7%
-Total Labor Force: 6,052 (306 unemployed)
#18. Quay County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.2%
— 1 month change: +0.9%
— 1 year change: -2.9%
-Total Labor Force: 2,927 (153 unemployed)
#17. Lincoln County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.3%
— 1 month change: +0.8%
— 1 year change: -2.8%
-Total Labor Force: 8,419 (446 unemployed)
#16. Valencia County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.3%
— 1 month change: +1.0%
— 1 year change: -3.0%
-Total Labor Force: 31,176 (1,659 unemployed)
#15. Doña Ana County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.3%
— 1 month change: +0.9%
— 1 year change: -2.7%
-Total Labor Force: 100,078 (5,330 unemployed)
#14. Rio Arriba County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.4%
— 1 month change: +0.9%
— 1 year change: -2.8%
-Total Labor Force: 16,741 (900 unemployed)
#13. Catron County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.5%
— 1 month change: +0.9%
— 1 year change: -1.1%
-Total Labor Force: 1,107 (61 unemployed)
#12. Chaves County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.7%
— 1 month change: +1.2%
— 1 year change: -2.7%
-Total Labor Force: 26,744 (1,515 unemployed)
#11. San Juan County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.8%
— 1 month change: +1.1%
— 1 year change: -3.7%
-Total Labor Force: 51,154 (2,972 unemployed)
#10. San Miguel County
– Current Unemployment rate: 5.9%
— 1 month change: +1.0%
— 1 year change: -2.9%
-Total Labor Force: 10,794 (634 unemployed)
#9. Guadalupe County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.2%
— 1 month change: +0.9%
— 1 year change: -1.9%
-Total Labor Force: 1,705 (106 unemployed)
#8. Sierra County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.2%
— 1 month change: -0.3%
— 1 year change: -2.8%
-Total Labor Force: 4,119 (257 unemployed)
#7. Mora County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.3%
— 1 month change: +0.1%
— 1 year change: -0.5%
-Total Labor Force: 2,048 (129 unemployed)
#6. Cibola County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.5%
— 1 month change: +1.0%
— 1 year change: -4.6%
-Total Labor Force: 8,916 (577 unemployed)
#5. Torrance County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.5%
— 1 month change: +1.1%
— 1 year change: -3.1%
-Total Labor Force: 5,420 (353 unemployed)
#4. Lea County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.6%
— 1 month change: +1.2%
— 1 year change: -4.7%
-Total Labor Force: 27,791 (1,828 unemployed)
#3. Taos County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.6%
— 1 month change: +0.6%
— 1 year change: -3.6%
-Total Labor Force: 13,935 (919 unemployed)
#2. McKinley County
– Current Unemployment rate: 6.9%
— 1 month change: +1.3%
— 1 year change: -4.4%
-Total Labor Force: 24,632 (1,695 unemployed)
#1. Luna County
– Current Unemployment rate: 11.5%
— 1 month change: 0.0%
— 1 year change: -5.2%
-Total Labor Force: 9,928 (1,140 unemployed)