The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Lea County is a county of New Mexico with 73,733 residents. Its economy produced $12,858 million in 2024 (ranked #2 of 33 counties) and had 33,770 jobs with an average annual pay of $69,342 (#3 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2026M09. It is part of the Hobbs, NM micropolitan area (central county).
Lea County produced about $12,858 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 8.7% of the combined output of the 33 counties of New Mexico that BEA reports (about 3.5% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 2nd of 33 on that measure. Per resident that is $174,384, 151% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $69,372. In current dollars output grew 13.9% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 33,770 jobs located in Lea County on average in 2024, spread over 2,195 employer sites (about 15 jobs per site). That is 0.46 jobs for every resident, above the 0.31 of the typical county in New Mexico, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $69,342, 15% above the average of all counties in the state ($69,342 against $60,181). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 4.6% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are mining, oil and gas (27.7% of private jobs, $101,206 a year on average), retail trade (11.7% of private jobs, $36,639 a year on average), accommodation and food services (11.1% of private jobs, $25,301 a year on average). Together they hold 50.5% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is mining, oil and gas at $101,206 a year, followed by wholesale trade ($89,986). The county is specialised in several industries: mining, oil and gas (64.0 times the US share, 8,171 jobs); construction (1.7 times the US share, 2,994 jobs); transportation and warehousing (1.4 times the US share, 2,075 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($36,639), accommodation and food services ($25,301). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Lea County was 4.1%, 15% below the average of the state's counties (4.1% against 4.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 34,795. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.5% (2025M09) to 4.9% (2026M07); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $68,015 (ACS 2020–2024), 6% above the state median ($68,015 against $64,059). The guide covers 3 cities with this as the main county: Hobbs, Lovington, North Hobbs. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,014 in Lovington to $1,319 in North Hobbs, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Lea County in output are Bernalillo County, Eddy County, Doña Ana County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 33 counties of New Mexico ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 73,733 | 7 of 33 |
| GDP 2024 | $12,858 million | 2 of 33 |
| GDP per resident | $174,384 | 3 of 33 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 33,770 | 6 of 33 |
| Average annual pay | $69,342 | 3 of 33 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +4.6% | 5 of 33 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.1% | 4 of 33 |
| Median household income | $68,015 | 6 of 32 |
Federal jobs in New Mexico (864) →All cities of New MexicoState guide: New Mexico
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Lea County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbs | 40,252 | $64,021 | $1,112 | $191,300 | 17.3% |
| Lovington | 11,498 | $68,821 | $1,014 | $166,100 | 8.4% |
| North Hobbs | 6,034 | $82,554 | $1,319 | $264,400 | 12.1% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, oil and gas | 8,171 | 27.7% | $101,206 | 63.97 |
| Retail trade | 3,451 | 11.7% | $36,639 | 1.02 |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,262 | 11.1% | $25,301 | 1.06 |
| Construction | 2,994 | 10.2% | $75,775 | 1.69 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,641 | 9.0% | $50,915 | 0.55 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,075 | 7.0% | $89,080 | 1.45 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,451 | 4.9% | $52,064 | 0.73 |
| Wholesale trade | 897 | 3.0% | $89,986 | 0.67 |
| Professional and technical services | 859 | 2.9% | $67,511 | 0.37 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 722 | 2.5% | $55,550 | 0.71 |
| Manufacturing | 622 | 2.1% | $104,345 | 0.22 |
| Real estate and rental | 526 | 1.8% | $74,072 | 1.00 |
| Finance and insurance | 442 | 1.5% | $61,918 | 0.32 |
| Utilities | 436 | 1.5% | $121,519 | 3.40 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 410 | 1.4% | $58,971 | 1.50 |
| Information | 179 | 0.6% | $55,375 | 0.28 |
| Management of companies | 141 | 0.5% | $65,962 | 0.25 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 92 | 0.3% | $27,274 | 0.16 |
| Educational services | 87 | 0.3% | $43,488 | 0.12 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 34,795 |
| Employed residents | 33,352 |
| Unemployed residents | 1,443 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 33,770 |
| Employer sites | 2,195 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County | 673,930 | $54,831 million | $81,360 | 347,440 | $63,493 | 4.6% |
| Doña Ana County | 224,266 | $11,315 million | $50,455 | 79,409 | $49,974 | 5.1% |
| Santa Fe County | 156,105 | $10,087 million | $64,614 | 61,826 | $61,218 | 4.3% |
| Sandoval County | 153,604 | $6,129 million | $39,902 | 35,653 | $60,474 | 4.8% |
| San Juan County | 120,942 | $7,043 million | $58,231 | 46,650 | $56,008 | 5.1% |
| Valencia County | 78,458 | $2,430 million | $30,966 | 17,446 | $49,642 | 5.4% |
| Lea County | 73,733 | $12,858 million | $174,384 | 33,770 | $69,342 | 4.1% |
| McKinley County | 70,431 | $2,894 million | $41,083 | 19,500 | $47,226 | 6.6% |
| Otero County | 68,816 | $3,795 million | $55,145 | 17,528 | $50,017 | 5.0% |
| Chaves County | 64,217 | $2,866 million | $44,624 | 21,658 | $47,769 | 4.8% |
| Eddy County | 61,105 | $11,319 million | $185,239 | 32,197 | $76,419 | 3.6% |
| Curry County | 47,638 | $4,317 million | $90,626 | 18,303 | $46,746 | 4.2% |
| Rio Arriba County | 40,070 | $1,379 million | $34,415 | 9,291 | $48,908 | 4.8% |
| Taos County | 34,543 | $1,521 million | $44,026 | 11,075 | $45,377 | 5.3% |
| Grant County | 27,775 | $1,407 million | $50,654 | 9,440 | $54,413 | 4.9% |
| San Miguel County | 26,850 | $1,005 million | $37,431 | 7,676 | $44,192 | 5.2% |
| Cibola County | 26,845 | $868 million | $32,336 | 7,226 | $48,565 | 6.0% |
| Luna County | 25,611 | $1,242 million | $48,495 | 7,988 | $48,771 | 10.9% |
| Lincoln County | 20,224 | $894 million | $44,214 | 6,782 | $43,202 | 4.8% |
| Los Alamos County | 19,435 | $3,815 million | $196,273 | 22,697 | $113,944 | 2.3% |
| Roosevelt County | 18,928 | $949 million | $50,149 | 5,935 | $45,232 | 4.2% |
| Socorro County | 16,200 | $666 million | $41,120 | 4,870 | $51,836 | 5.4% |
| Torrance County | 15,490 | $881 million | $56,896 | 3,165 | $51,439 | 6.1% |
| Colfax County | 12,322 | $623 million | $50,599 | 4,287 | $44,087 | 5.0% |
| Sierra County | 11,500 | $423 million | $36,783 | 3,522 | $44,291 | 5.8% |
| Quay County | 8,564 | $354 million | $41,292 | 2,508 | $43,268 | 5.0% |
| Guadalupe County | 4,381 | $278 million | $63,402 | 1,415 | $42,161 | 4.8% |
| Mora County | 4,149 | $162 million | $38,944 | 668 | $45,370 | 6.1% |
| Hidalgo County | 4,041 | $255 million | $63,079 | 1,295 | $54,523 | 6.3% |
| Union County | 4,013 | $178 million | $44,467 | 1,221 | $46,421 | 4.1% |
| Catron County | 3,743 | $144 million | $38,523 | 698 | $41,645 | 6.8% |
| DeBaca County | 1,576 | $111 million | $70,350 | 440 | $41,908 | 5.2% |
| Harding County | 741 | $47 million | $63,897 | 162 | $46,650 | 3.8% |
73,733 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$12,858 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
33,770 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $69,342 (BLS QCEW).