County · New Mexico
Sierra County, New Mexico
Sierra County, New Mexico has a quality-of-life score of 16 out of 100 (very low), ranking #2,646 of 3,143 US counties. Within New Mexico it ranks #21 of 33 counties. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), average commute time (low) and public EV charging ports (high). It ranks worst on distance to an emergency room (high), drug overdose deaths (high) and drought exposure (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #2,646 of 3,143 counties
- New Mexico
- #21 of 33 in NM
- Population
- 11,395 (2025)
- Land area
- 4,181 mi²
- Density
- 2.7 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 35051
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety10#2,771/3,096
- Economy8#2,889/3,143
- Housing18#2,561/3,140
- Health12#2,778/3,144
- Healthcare33#2,115/3,143
- Environment55#1,409/3,108
- Education19#2,534/3,144
- Infrastructure30#2,196/3,144
- Community34#2,084/3,144
- Leisure & amenities59#1,283/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Sierra County, New Mexico ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Comfortable days · high33.4%97/100New Mexico 31.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- Average commute time · low14.8 min
- Public EV charging ports · high14.9 /10k
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.3 µg/m³90/100New Mexico 5.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Restaurants and bars · high14.0 /10k
- Public libraries · high2.6 /10k
Weaknesses
- Distance to an emergency room · high56.8 mi
- Drug overdose deaths · high31.0 /100k1/100New Mexico 46.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
- Drought exposure · high100%1/100New Mexico 84%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA
- Median household income · low$41,829
- Injury deaths · high189 /100k2/100New Mexico 134 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Mammography screening · low29.0%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
62.2% (2015-2019) → 83.5% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- New homes permittedWorsening
0.1 /1k (2016) → 0.0 /1k (2021)
−100%5 yearsUS 3.7 /1k → 5.2 /1k
- New business applicationsImproving
7.5 /1k (2020) → 14.2 /1k (2025)
+89%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Access to exercise opportunitiesWorsening
86.7% (2010 & 2021) → 73.6% (2022 & 2024)
−13 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- Violent crime rateImproving
486 /100k (2020) → 186 /100k (2025)
−62%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
23.4% (Dec 2021) → 32.4% (Aug 2026)
+9 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
What changed in five years
How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.
Counties like Sierra County, New Mexico five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Sierra County, New Mexico in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.
Who lives here
Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Local businesses
Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
Representation in Congress
Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.
Cities and towns in Sierra County
Places whose residents live mostly in Sierra County, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Gila County, AZ19Alike on Injury deaths, Traffic deaths, Life expectancy
- Socorro County, NM4Alike on Precipitation, Mammography, Dry days
- La Paz County, AZ14Alike on Flu vaccination, Median age, Comfortable days
- Grant County, NM24Alike on Drought, Comfortable days, Suicides
- Quay County, NM20Alike on Dry days, Food environment, Poverty
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-06
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
- Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08
