Overview
Bernalillo County is home to 674,357 people (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), making it New Mexico's most populous county by a wide margin. It ranks higher than 97% of U.S. counties by population. Albuquerque, the state's largest city, sits at its center.
The county's median household income of $66,514 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) falls above the national midpoint but below the U.S. median of roughly $75,000. Its poverty rate of 15.6% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) is higher than about two-thirds of U.S. counties, a number that pulls against the relatively strong per capita income of $39,234 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023).
The median age here is 39.3 years (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), younger than roughly 71% of U.S. counties. Commutes are short: 19.9 minutes on average (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), faster than about 69% of counties nationally.
Demographics
Nearly half the county's population is Hispanic or Latino, at 48.9% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That's higher than 96% of U.S. counties. White residents account for 37.8%, Native Americans for 4.0%, Asian Americans for 2.7%, and Black residents for 2.6% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The Native American share ranks higher than 94% of counties nationally, reflecting New Mexico's significant Indigenous population.
Education levels run well above average. Some 37.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), placing the county above 90% of U.S. counties on that measure. Within New Mexico, it ranks near the top for educational attainment. The presence of the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratories helps explain those numbers.
Education
Bernalillo County's public schools enrolled 91,239 students (Education Data Portal, 2021) with a student-teacher ratio of 13.5:1 (Education Data Portal, 2021), slightly better than the national average of about 15.5:1.
Per-pupil spending was $14,264 (Education Data Portal, 2020), just below the national average of roughly $15,000. That puts it in the lower third among New Mexico counties.
The graduation rate is the number that stands out. At 71.8% (Education Data Portal, 2019), it falls below 97% of U.S. counties, far under the national average of about 87%. Within New Mexico, it ranks in the bottom fifth. That gap between strong adult education levels and weak K-12 completion rates suggests the county's educated workforce is partly imported, not homegrown.
Economy & Employment
The labor force totals 350,974 workers (BLS LAUS, 2025), with an unemployment rate of 3.8% (BLS LAUS, 2025). That's roughly in line with the national median. Within New Mexico, the rate sits in the lower quartile, meaning most of the state's other counties have lower unemployment.
Median household income of $66,514 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) places Bernalillo above about 58% of U.S. counties but well within New Mexico's upper tier, above 82% of the state's counties. Average adjusted gross income per return was $70,243 (IRS SOI, 2021), tracking close to average total income of $70,805 per return (IRS SOI, 2021).
The poverty rate of 15.6% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) complicates the picture. It's higher than about two-thirds of U.S. counties nationally and sits near the bottom among New Mexico counties. Income inequality is real here: per capita income ranks in the 76th nationally, but poverty remains stubbornly elevated.
Housing & Cost of Living
The median home value is $268,500 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than about 79% of U.S. counties and 85% of New Mexico counties. Median gross rent runs $1,087 per month (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), also above most counties nationally.
Fair market rents tell a similar story. HUD sets a two-bedroom FMR at $1,464, with one-bedrooms at $1,185, three-bedrooms at $2,036, and four-bedrooms at $2,399 (HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026). Studios come in at $1,009. All of these exceed roughly 85% to 91% of U.S. counties.
The housing stock includes 301,278 total units with 17,669 vacant (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The vacancy rate of 5.9% is notably low, lower than 92% of U.S. counties and 97% of New Mexico counties. Tight supply against relatively high demand keeps prices firm.
With median rent at $1,087 and median household income at $66,514, rent consumes about 19.6% of gross monthly income. That's manageable on paper, but the 15.6% poverty rate means a significant share of residents face much harder math.
Health & Wellness
Mental health is the biggest concern in the data. Some 16.5% of adults report frequent poor mental health days (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than 86% of U.S. counties. Depression rates hit 25.2% (CDC PLACES, 2023), above 62% of counties nationally and 91% of New Mexico counties.
Obesity affects 33.2% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), which is actually lower than 84% of U.S. counties. Diabetes prevalence is 10.2% (CDC PLACES, 2023), also relatively low nationally. High blood pressure affects 30.4% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than about 73% of counties.
The uninsured rate is 14.3% (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than 79% of U.S. counties. Only 65.5% of adults had an annual checkup (CDC PLACES, 2023), a figure that falls below 99% of counties nationally. That's the lowest tier in the country for routine preventive care.
Cholesterol screening stands at 83.1% (CDC PLACES, 2023), right around the national median. Physical health complaints affect 13.6% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), also near the middle.
The pattern: physical health metrics run average or better, but mental health numbers are poor, insurance gaps are wide, and preventive care use is among the lowest in the nation.
Climate & Natural Disasters
Bernalillo County gets 13.2 inches of rain a year (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025). That's lower than 96% of U.S. counties. Fire is the predictable result.
Six of the county's 11 federal disaster declarations since 2000 involved fire (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). That's roughly one fire declaration every four years, a pace that reflects both the region's chronic aridity and its expanding wildland-urban interface. The remaining declarations split between severe storms (2), biological events including the COVID-19 pandemic (2), and one hurricane emergency in 2005.
Temperatures are moderate. The average high is 72.7°F, the average low is 47°F, and the annual mean is 59.9°F (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025). Annual snowfall averages 14.5 inches (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025), which is below the national median for a city sitting above 5,000 feet.
The most recent federal declaration was April 2020, tied to COVID-19 (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). The disaster before that, in 2016, was a fire management assistance grant.
The pattern here is clear. This isn't a county threatened by floods or hurricanes. It's dry, it's warm, and it sits adjacent to fire-prone terrain. For anyone buying near the foothills, fire risk isn't a tail event to discount. It's the baseline condition.
Financial Profile
Bernalillo County generated $23.3 billion in total adjusted gross income from 331,600 tax returns (IRS SOI, 2021). Average AGI of $70,243 per return ranks above about 70% of U.S. counties.
Banking access is solid. The county has 29 FDIC-insured bank branches holding $2.9 billion in total deposits (FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023). Branch count ranks above 84% of counties, and total deposits above 87%.
Social Security beneficiaries total 140,250 (SSA OASDI, 2024). That's higher than 97% of U.S. counties in raw numbers, a reflection of the large population base. As a share of the total population, roughly 20.8% of residents receive OASDI benefits, a figure consistent with the county's relatively young median age.
Key Comparisons
Bernalillo County occupies an unusual position. It's clearly the economic and population center of New Mexico, with the state's highest figures for labor force, total income, and housing stock. Within New Mexico, it ranks in the top 15% for income, home values, rents, and educational attainment.
Nationally, the picture is more mixed. Income sits above average but not dramatically so. Poverty is elevated. The graduation rate of 71.8% is among the worst in the country, even as the adult bachelor's degree rate is among the best. Housing costs run high relative to most counties but remain moderate compared to coastal metros.
Health data reveals a split: physical health metrics are average, but mental health, insurance coverage, and preventive care lag badly. The annual checkup rate of 65.5% is nearly the lowest in the nation.
The county's demographic composition, with nearly half its population Hispanic or Latino and a significant Native American presence, distinguishes it from most U.S. counties. Combined with its role as New Mexico's urban core, these factors shape outcomes across income, health, and education in ways that countywide averages can only partially capture.
Data Sources
- Census ACS 5-Year, 2023 (population, income, housing, demographics, education, commute, poverty)
- BLS LAUS, 2025 (unemployment, labor force, employment)
- CDC PLACES, 2023 (health metrics, insurance, preventive care)
- HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026 (fair market rents by bedroom count)
- FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026 (disaster declarations and history)
- IRS Statistics of Income, 2021 (tax returns, AGI, total income)
- FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023 (bank branches, total deposits)
- NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025 (temperature, precipitation)
- SSA OASDI, 2024 (Social Security beneficiaries)
- Education Data Portal, 2019-2021 (enrollment, spending, student-teacher ratio, graduation rate)