Map the Block › Places › New Mexico › Lea County
Lea County, New Mexico: crime rate, income and local data
FBI reports put Lea County at 6.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 13% lower than the rate for New Mexico (7.4). Median household income is $68,015 and the unemployment rate was 4.3% in August 2026. Population: about 73,733 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Lea County?
Police agencies in Lea County reported an average of 466 violent crimes and 2,309 property crimes a year from 2021 to 2025. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 6.5: 13% lower than the New Mexico rate (7.4), and 75% higher than the national rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 32.0 per 1,000 (New Mexico: 27.3; U.S.: 18.1). Aggravated assaults make up 80% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 8 homicide deaths a year in the county (11.1 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Lea County | Per 1,000 | New Mexico per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 466 | 6.5 | 7.4 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 8 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 54 | 0.75 | 0.56 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 30 | 0.42 | 0.84 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 373 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 2,309 | 32.0 | 27.3 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 580 | 8.0 | 5.3 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 1,449 | 20.1 | 17.3 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 280 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (5 agencies; 98% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Lea County?
Half of households in Lea County make more than $68,015 and half make less; across New Mexico the midpoint is $64,059. Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $184,000, and the median rent is $1,101 a month. 19.8% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 19.2%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.3% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,482 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Lea County | New Mexico | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 73,733 | 2,120,246 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $68,015 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $184,000 | $248,100 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,101 | $1,067 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.9% | 6.0% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 18.7% | 17.8% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 19.8% | 19.2% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 15.5% | 31.0% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 71.2% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 32.5 | 39.4 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 86.3% | 86.5% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 14.9% | 9.6% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Lea County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Lea County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Moderate”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: wildfire (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Lea County, active or completed (October 2026).
Industrial chemical releases
13 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 29,000,080 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
No federal major disaster declaration covered Lea County from 2016 through 2025 (COVID-19 excluded). EPA air monitors logged 5 days in 2024 when the air quality index reached “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Of 10 community water systems, 2 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 31 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 1 pedestrian.
Is there road construction in Lea County?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 5 highway work zones in Lea County (all active that day). Listed roads include NM 128, US 62 and US 380. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Lea County?
Lea County has 38 public schools (2024-25) and 4 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 3 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 11 fire or EMS stations and 9 police or sheriff stations.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Lea County
Gun shops
7 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Lea County (6 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 14 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). One of them is a pawnshop licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Big 5 Sporting Goods #383 (Hobbs), Garner Exchange (Hobbs), Gebo's (Lovington), J & L Tactical Weapons LLC (Hobbs), Outdoorsman Solutions LTD Company (Hobbs) and The Gun Shack LLC (Hobbs).
Liquor stores
No liquor stores are on the map in Lea County. New Mexico has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Lea County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Lea County?
Lea County averaged 466 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 6.5 per 1,000 residents, 13% lower than the New Mexico rate (7.4). The property-crime rate was 32.0 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Lea County?
$68,015 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $64,059 for New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Lea County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.3% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,482 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Lea County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Lea County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Moderate”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: wildfire (Relatively High).
Is there road construction in Lea County right now?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 5 highway work zones in Lea County (all active that day). Listed roads include NM 128, US 62 and US 380.
How many nursing homes are in Lea County?
3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Lea County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrews County, TX | 18,610 | 3.2 | $72,242 |
| Chaves County | 64,217 | 7.4 | $52,938 |
| Cochran County, TX | 2,550 | 1.5 | $45,313 |
| Eddy County | 61,105 | 4.6 | $78,426 |
| Gaines County, TX | 22,232 | 1.2 | $74,132 |
| Loving County, TX | 33 | – | $51,250 |
| Roosevelt County | 18,928 | 7.1 | $52,685 |
| Winkler County, TX | 7,454 | 1.8 | $86,900 |
| Yoakum County, TX | 7,571 | 2.7 | $84,925 |
More: New Mexico statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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