Lincoln County, New Mexico

NM · FIPS 35027 Republican

Located in New Mexico, Lincoln County has a population of 20,224 residents and a median age of 52.4 years, making it the #1,864 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 19.3%. The median home value is $233,200, and the median household income is $53,303, which is 29% below the national median.

20,224
Population
#1,864 of 3,222
$53,303
Median Income
-29.1% #2,575 of 3,222
52.4 years
Median Age
+34.7% #125 of 3,222
19.3%
Poverty Rate
+52.9% #2,603 of 3,222

Demographics

Lincoln County has a population of 20,224, making it the #1,864 most populous county in the US. The median age is 52.4 years, which is 34.7% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

96.2%
Native Born
3.8%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Lincoln County is $53,303, ranking #2,575 out of 3,222 counties — 29.1% below the national median. The poverty rate is 19.3% and unemployment stands at 5.1%.

Income#2,575
$53,303
-29.1%
vs nation
20th percentile
Per Capita#1,234
$37,148
-10.0%
vs nation
62th percentile
Poverty#2,603
19.3%
+52.9%
vs nation
19th percentile
Unemployment#2,070
5.1%
-4.3%
vs nation
36th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Lincoln County is $233,200 (-17.3% vs national). Renters pay a median of $956/mo and the homeownership rate is 76.8%.

Home Value#1,044
$233,200
-17.3%
vs nation
68th percentile
Rent#1,159
$956
-17.8%
vs nation
64th percentile
Homeownership#1,206
76.8%
+19.3%
vs nation
63th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Lincoln County, 32.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 4.5% below the national average, ranking #618 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
32.2% −4.5% vs nation
Rank #618 of 3,222
81th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Lincoln County is 75.8 years. 18.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 11.8% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,361
75.8
+0.8%
vs nation
56th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,528
18.7%
-4.4%
vs nation
51th percentile
Diabetes#1,044
9.8%
-12.0%
vs nation
67th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#579
33.3%
-10.7%
vs nation
82th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,286
6.0
+6.0%
vs nation
27th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,988
4.6
+4.1%
vs nation
37th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,093
11.8%
+12.7%
vs nation
33th percentile
Physical Inactivity#705
22.4%
-15.1%
vs nation
78th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,736
14.7%
+2.0%
vs nation
45th percentile

Substance Use

16.3% of adults in Lincoln County smoke , 30.5% are obese , and 19.0% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 42.8 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,051
16.3%
-9.2%
vs nation
67th percentile
Adult Obesity#216
30.5%
-19.5%
vs nation
93th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,175
19.0%
-4.5%
vs nation
63th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,674
42.8
+32.3%
vs nation
21th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Lincoln County is 7.9 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 31.1 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 20.9 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,002
7.9
-0.9%
vs nation
35th percentile
Suicide Rate#2,352
31.1
+57.6%
vs nation
8th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#2,383
36.0
+101.6%
vs nation
3th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,685
20.9
+3.2%
vs nation
40th percentile

Families & Children

28.1% of children in Lincoln County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 24.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#1,895
24.4
+11.9%
vs nation
37th percentile
Child Poverty#2,739
28.1%
+48.0%
vs nation
13th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Lincoln County is 66.9%. The mean commute time is 21.9 min, which is 20.7% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
66.9% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
21.9 min −20.7% vs nation
Rank #2,552 of 3,222
21th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Lincoln County voted Republican with a margin of 38.5%. The vote was 29.8% Dem / 68.3% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.1 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +38.5%
29.8% 68.3%
Dem 10,165 votes Rep
2020 REP +36.4%
31% 67.4%
Dem 10,306 votes Rep
2016 REP +40.2%
26.3% 66.5%
Dem 8,856 votes Rep
2012 REP +32.7%
31.8% 64.5%
Dem 9,209 votes Rep
2008 REP +25.4%
36.5% 61.9%
Dem 9,696 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Lincoln County, New Mexico

Lincoln County, New Mexico has a total population of 20,224, making it the 1,864th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Lincoln County is 52.4 years, which is 34.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Lincoln County is $53,303, which ranks #2,575 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 29.1% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 19.3%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.1%.

The median home value in Lincoln County is $233,200, 17.3% below the national median. Renters in Lincoln County pay a median gross rent of $956 per month. The homeownership rate is 76.8%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Lincoln County, 32.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 4.5% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.4% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 21.9 min.

Lincoln County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 60.2% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (33.0%) and American Indian (non-Hispanic) (3.2%).

All data for Lincoln County, New Mexico comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.