Catron County, New Mexico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Catron County, NM Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 77% of counties in New Mexico
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 72% of counties in New Mexico
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Catron County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,743 | 2,118,085 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 0.5 | 17.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.67% | 0.20% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 62.7 | 38.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,789 | 836,644 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Catron County grew by 9.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,743 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Catron County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 37.3% of residents. That is 18.9 points above New Mexico as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 429 11.5% -10.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 407 10.9% -10.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 869 23.2% +4.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,397 37.3% +18.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New Mexico, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 46.3% of the people living in Catron County and men 53.7%.
- Women 46.3% New Mexico 50.5%
- Men 53.7% New Mexico 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Catron County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Catron County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Catron County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,812 | $64,523 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.88% | 4.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Catron County is about 23% lower than in New Mexico.
Housing
| Metric | Catron County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $579,545 | $204,122 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $736 | $1,067 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 93.8% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Catron County is about 65.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $736 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Catron County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 148 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Catron County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.8 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.6 | 37.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 148 | 157 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,600 | $4,866 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 22.7% | 12.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | 4,931 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 45 | 619 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New Mexico:
De Baca County (7.9 min), Quay County (8.0 min), Union County (8.3 min).
Slowest:
Torrance County (36.5 min), Mora County (30.1 min), Valencia County (30.1 min).
The average commute time in Catron County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes in New Mexico.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Catron County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Catron County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.8% | 26.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.98 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New Mexico:
Los Alamos County (0.6), Santa Fe County (0.4), Bernalillo County (0.3).
Lowest:
Guadalupe County (0.2), Luna County (0.2), McKinley County (0.2).
Health
Catron County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Catron County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.7 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.6% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.3% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New Mexico:
Los Alamos County (0.8), Santa Fe County (0.8), Bernalillo County (0.8).
Lowest:
McKinley County (0.8), Cibola County (0.8), Luna County (0.8).
Catron County, NM Compared With Nearby Counties
How Catron County, NM compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catron County, NM | 3,743 | $49,812 #2/3 | $579,545 #1/3 | 17.8 min #3/3 |
| Cibola County, NM | 26,844 | $50,436 | $160,417 | 16.8 min |
| Grant County, NM | 27,774 | $44,960 | $317,477 | 15.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Catron County, New Mexico.
What is the population of Catron County, New Mexico?
About 3,743 people live in Catron County, New Mexico, in 1,789 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 62.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 25 years.
Is Catron County, New Mexico urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Catron County, New Mexico has 1 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 1% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Catron County, New Mexico?
The median home costs 11.6 times the median household income ($579,545 against $49,812), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $736 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Catron County, New Mexico?
14.8% of adults in Catron County, New Mexico hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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