About 17.6% of New Mexicans lived in poverty as of 2022, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
That’s the fourth highest poverty rate in the nation, after Virginia at 17.9%, 18.6%in Louisiana and 19.1% in Mississippi.
That rate equated to 364,725 people in New Mexico living below the federal poverty line, defined last year by an individual income of $14,580, gradually increasing to $50,560 a year for a family of eight.
Poverty can put people at risk for mental illness, chronic disease, higher mortality and lower life expectancy, read a report from the U.S. Center for Disease Prevent and Health Promotion.
“Poverty is a multifaceted issue that will require multipronged approaches to address. Strategies that improve the economic mobility of families may help to alleviate the negative effects of poverty,” the report read.
In Carlsbad, a statewide organization is bringing one possible solution to Pierce Street, where Goodwill Industries of New Mexico plans to open a thrift store by the end of February.