Has New Mexico made progress in reducing poverty in recent years? New data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests so, showing the state’s poverty rate declining at three times the national rate, KOB 4 reports.
New Mexico’s official poverty rate dropped from 17.2% to 16%, a 1.2 percentage point decline based on three-year estimates for 2023 to 2025. Nationally, the rate fell 0.4 percentage points, while 16 states saw their rates increase. Under the supplemental poverty measure, which factors in tax credits, food and housing assistance and other government programs, New Mexico’s rate fell from 16% to 13.2%.
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Accounting for state programs, the poverty rate for New Mexicans under 18 declined by nearly half, from 20.9% to 10.9%, below the national average of 13.5%. New Mexico also moved from 50th to 48th among all states and Washington, D.C., in the official child poverty ranking. The data does not include the state’s universal child care program, which rolled out in November 2025.
“This data confirms that our unprecedented investments in families are paying dividends,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. She highlighted efforts to make college more affordable, revise the tax code and expand food and housing assistance for low-income families, and said more young New Mexicans can afford to stay in the state.
About This Story
Daily Reports is Brant.One’s news roundup. Each day we gather the New Mexico stories worth knowing from newsrooms across the state, sum them up and point you to the source. This one comes from KOB 4’s reporting, and their original story has the interviews and full details.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KOB 4’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.
