John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the second largest contributor. Medicaid was the largest, totaling $8.47 billion, equating to $4,010 per capita and making up 29% of total transfers.
Medicare was the third largest contributor in New Mexico in 2022, accounting for $5.32 billion, averaging $2,517 per capita, and represented 18.2% of transfers in the state. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $4.59 billion, averaging $2,172 per capita and comprising 15.7% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $29.25 billion, and accounted for 26.5% of residents’ total income, with an average of $13,842 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 19.3% of the population aged 65 and older, New Mexico has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in New Mexico, excluding government transfers was $38,352.1, which is far below the county's total income of $52,194, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, New Mexico saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.4%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In New Mexico, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 8.6% (or $1,723 per capita) in 1970 to 26.5% (or $13,842 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County | 1 | 23% | 18.3% | 6.8% | 4.1% | 6.1% | 3.7% | $12,755 |
| Dona Ana County | 2 | 31.2% | 17% | 7.4% | 5.7% | 9% | 5.8% | $14,130 |
| Santa Fe County | 3 | 18% | 28.1% | 7.3% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 2.2% | $13,479 |
| Sandoval County | 4 | 21.9% | 20% | 8% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 2.9% | $11,622 |
| San Juan County | 5 | 30.8% | 16.9% | 8.3% | 6.2% | 8.9% | 4.6% | $13,384 |
| Valencia County | 6 | 33.2% | 18.7% | 8.5% | 5% | 10.7% | 5.6% | $14,588 |
| McKinley County | 7 | 43.5% | 13.7% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 17.5% | 8.5% | $15,175 |
| Chaves County | 8 | 31.9% | 16.5% | 6.9% | 5.3% | 12.4% | 5.4% | $15,250 |
| Otero County | 9 | 30.3% | 17.5% | 8.1% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 4.6% | $12,660 |
| Lea County | 10 | 21.6% | 11.7% | 4.6% | 3.5% | 8.3% | 3.8% | $11,423 |
| Eddy County | 11 | 18.8% | 14.9% | 4.7% | 3.4% | 6.6% | 3% | $12,657 |
| Rio Arriba County | 12 | 40.2% | 22% | 9.6% | 6.1% | 15.8% | 6.4% | $17,460 |
| Curry County | 13 | 26.9% | 13.5% | 4.9% | 4.2% | 9.5% | 4.6% | $14,428 |
| San Miguel County | 14 | 48% | 25.3% | 9.5% | 6.2% | 22% | 7% | $21,815 |
| Taos County | 15 | 35.4% | 30.5% | 10.8% | 6.7% | 10.8% | 4.5% | $16,575 |
| Grant County | 16 | 39.8% | 30.4% | 11.3% | 7.2% | 13.3% | 4.6% | $20,676 |
| Luna County | 17 | 43.7% | 20.5% | 10.8% | 8.4% | 12.7% | 8.7% | $16,356 |
| Cibola County | 18 | 43.9% | 17.9% | 9.5% | 8% | 15.4% | 7.3% | $14,991 |
| Lincoln County | 19 | 34.5% | 31.8% | 11.7% | 7.9% | 8.2% | 4.1% | $17,322 |
| Socorro County | 20 | 41.1% | 21% | 8.9% | 6.9% | 14.8% | 7.5% | $17,781 |
| Sierra County | 21 | 51% | 38.1% | 13.9% | 10.8% | 16% | 6% | $24,783 |
| Roosevelt County | 22 | 29% | 15.2% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 11.2% | 4.6% | $14,398 |
| Torrance County | 23 | 39% | 23.1% | 9.6% | 5.8% | 13.5% | 7% | $16,854 |
| Colfax County | 24 | 37.5% | 28.8% | 10.9% | 8.6% | 10.6% | 4.3% | $18,870 |
| Quay County | 25 | 44.4% | 27.2% | 10.4% | 8.8% | 15.3% | 6.2% | $20,947 |
| Los Alamos County | 26 | 8.9% | 18.6% | 4.4% | 2% | 0.9% | 0.8% | $7,677 |
| Mora County | 27 | 45.2% | 32.1% | 11.6% | 6.8% | 17.8% | 5.3% | $23,421 |
| Guadalupe County | 28 | 45.7% | 21.1% | 8.8% | 6.5% | 21.1% | 6.2% | $19,519 |
| Hidalgo County | 29 | 37% | 23.1% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 15% | 5.5% | $19,660 |
| Catron County | 30 | 41.3% | 42.8% | 17.4% | 9.9% | 5% | 4.2% | $16,302 |
| Union County | 31 | 36.2% | 23.5% | 9.3% | 9.2% | 10.8% | 4.1% | $15,669 |
| De Baca County | 32 | 37.3% | 29% | 9.1% | 6% | 14.3% | 4.7% | $20,909 |
| Harding County | 33 | 32.2% | 41.2% | 11.8% | 7.6% | 5.9% | 3.4% | $14,871 |
Alerts Sign-up