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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Quay County is a county of New Mexico with 8,564 residents. Its economy produced $354 million in 2024 (ranked #26 of 33 counties) and had 2,508 jobs with an average annual pay of $43,268 (#29 for pay). The unemployment rate was 5.0% in 2026M09.
Quay County produced about $354 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.2% of the combined output of the 33 counties of New Mexico that BEA reports (about 0.4% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 26th of 33 on that measure. Per resident that is $41,292, 40% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $69,372. In current dollars output grew -9.3% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 2,508 jobs located in Quay County on average in 2024, spread over 330 employer sites (about 8 jobs per site). That is 0.29 jobs for every resident, below 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 $43,268, 28% below the average of all counties in the state ($43,268 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 fell 2.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are retail trade (25.5% of private jobs, $27,949 a year on average), accommodation and food services (24.7% of private jobs, $20,486 a year on average), health care and social assistance (20.5% of private jobs, $60,376 a year on average). Together they hold 70.6% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is utilities at $86,144 a year, followed by finance and insurance ($60,568). Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($27,949), accommodation and food services ($20,486). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Quay County was 5.0%, 4% above the average of the state's counties (5.0% against 4.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 3,397. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.9% (2025M09) to 5.6% (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 $41,946 (ACS 2020–2024), 35% below the state median ($41,946 against $64,059). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Quay County in output are Colfax County, Sierra County, Guadalupe County, Hidalgo County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 33 counties of New Mexico ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,564 | 26 of 33 |
| GDP 2024 | $354 million | 26 of 33 |
| GDP per resident | $41,292 | 23 of 33 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 2,508 | 26 of 33 |
| Average annual pay | $43,268 | 29 of 33 |
| Job change vs 2023 | -2.1% | 31 of 33 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 5.0% | 16 of 33 |
| Median household income | $41,946 | 29 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.
None of the 40 largest places of New Mexico has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 444 | 25.5% | $27,949 | 1.77 |
| Accommodation and food services | 429 | 24.7% | $20,486 | 1.88 |
| Health care and social assistance | 356 | 20.5% | $60,376 | 0.99 |
| Construction | 102 | 5.9% | $45,384 | 0.77 |
| Utilities | 79 | 4.5% | $86,144 | 8.28 |
| Finance and insurance | 68 | 3.9% | $60,568 | 0.67 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 62 | 3.6% | $37,323 | 0.82 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 58 | 3.3% | $40,003 | 0.55 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 44 | 2.5% | $38,513 | 2.17 |
| Professional and technical services | 30 | 1.7% | $36,321 | 0.17 |
| Administrative and waste services | 27 | 1.6% | $37,901 | 0.18 |
| Information | 13 | 0.7% | $75,614 | 0.28 |
| Real estate and rental | 12 | 0.7% | $36,583 | 0.31 |
| Wholesale trade | 11 | 0.6% | $61,183 | 0.11 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 5 | 0.3% | $44,181 | 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 | 3,397 |
| Employed residents | 3,226 |
| Unemployed residents | 171 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 2,508 |
| Employer sites | 330 |
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% |
8,564 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$354 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
5.0% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
2,508 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $43,268 (BLS QCEW).