Cibola County, New Mexico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cibola 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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C
Health Below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in New Mexico
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 84% of counties in New Mexico
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 78% of counties in New Mexico
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cibola County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,844 | 2,118,085 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5.9 | 17.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.24% | 0.20% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 38.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,503 | 836,644 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cibola County declined by 1.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 26,844 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cibola County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.4% of residents. That is 0.2 points below New Mexico as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,737 21.4% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,497 20.5% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,304 19.8% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,745 17.7% -0.8 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 50.7% of the people living in Cibola County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% New Mexico 50.5%
- Men 49.3% New Mexico 49.5%
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100% of everyone living in Cibola County
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Economy
Cibola County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cibola County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,436 | $64,523 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.20% | 4.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.5% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cibola County is about 22% lower than in New Mexico.
Housing
| Metric | Cibola County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $160,417 | $204,122 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $759 | $1,067 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.1% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cibola County is about 17.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $759 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cibola County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 140 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cibola County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.8 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.7 | 37.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 140 | 157 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,348 | $4,866 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.4% | 12.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,006 | 4,931 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 152 | 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 Cibola County is 17 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
Cibola County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Cibola County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.3% | 26.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.98 | 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
Cibola County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cibola County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.0% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.2% | 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).
Cibola County, NM Compared With Nearby Counties
Cibola County, NM is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 26,844 residents against a local median of 116,022. Where Cibola County, NM breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 34% below the local median of 25.5 min at 16.8 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $160,417 against a local median of $217,983, 26% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Cibola County, NM is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 9.7 min on commute, so Cibola County, NM sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cibola County, NM has the lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County, NM | 26,844 | $50,436 #4/5 | $160,417 #4/5 | 16.8 min #1/5 |
| McKinley County, NM | 70,433 | $47,335 | $174,996 | 20.4 min |
| Valencia County, NM | 78,461 | $59,334 | $140,798 | 30.1 min |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 672,163 | $69,651 | $260,969 | 20.9 min |
| Sandoval County, NM | 153,584 | $85,813 | $302,768 | 30.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cibola County, New Mexico.
How many people live in Cibola County, New Mexico?
About 26,844 people live in Cibola County, New Mexico, in 8,503 households of 3.0 people on average. The median age is 38.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Cibola County, New Mexico?
Averaged over its land area, Cibola County, New Mexico has 6 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 7% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cibola County, New Mexico?
The median home costs 3.2 times the median household income ($160,417 against $50,436), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $759 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Cibola County, New Mexico?
Unemployment in Cibola County, New Mexico is 10.5%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Cibola County, New Mexico?
13.3% of adults in Cibola 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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