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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Rio Arriba County is a county of New Mexico with 40,070 residents. Its economy produced $1,379 million in 2024 (ranked #16 of 33 counties) and had 9,291 jobs with an average annual pay of $48,908 (#15 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2026M09. It is part of the Española, NM micropolitan area (central county).
Rio Arriba County produced about $1,379 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.9% of the combined output of the 33 counties of New Mexico that BEA reports (about 1.9% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 16th of 33 on that measure. Per resident that is $34,415, 50% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $69,372. In current dollars output grew 0.9% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (16th) and its output-per-resident rank (31st) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 9,291 jobs located in Rio Arriba County on average in 2024, spread over 859 employer sites (about 11 jobs per site). That is 0.23 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 $48,908, 19% below the average of all counties in the state ($48,908 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 1.8% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (25.1% of private jobs, $63,906 a year on average), retail trade (19.5% of private jobs, $32,605 a year on average), accommodation and food services (17.3% of private jobs, $26,287 a year on average). Together they hold 62.0% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is administrative and waste services at $72,317 a year, followed by construction ($68,384). Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($32,605), accommodation and food services ($26,287). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Rio Arriba County was 4.8%, about the same as the average of the state's counties (4.8% against 4.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 15,926. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.8% (2025M09) to 5.5% (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 $57,155 (ACS 2020–2024), 11% below the state median ($57,155 against $64,059). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Española. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Rio Arriba County in output are Taos County, Grant County, Luna County, San Miguel County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 33 counties of New Mexico ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,070 | 13 of 33 |
| GDP 2024 | $1,379 million | 16 of 33 |
| GDP per resident | $34,415 | 31 of 33 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 9,291 | 16 of 33 |
| Average annual pay | $48,908 | 15 of 33 |
| Job change vs 2023 | -1.8% | 30 of 33 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.8% | 10 of 33 |
| Median household income | $57,155 | 11 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 Rio Arriba County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Española | 10,473 | $47,667 | $829 | $210,800 | 18.3% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,300 | 25.1% | $63,906 | 0.98 |
| Retail trade | 1,010 | 19.5% | $32,605 | 1.09 |
| Accommodation and food services | 897 | 17.3% | $26,287 | 1.06 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 307 | 5.9% | $50,625 | 1.10 |
| Construction | 298 | 5.8% | $68,384 | 0.61 |
| Administrative and waste services | 273 | 5.3% | $72,317 | 0.50 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 151 | 2.9% | $52,174 | 0.38 |
| Manufacturing | 123 | 2.4% | $36,526 | 0.16 |
| Finance and insurance | 121 | 2.3% | $52,403 | 0.32 |
| Professional and technical services | 119 | 2.3% | $77,220 | 0.18 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 110 | 2.1% | $35,976 | 0.70 |
| Utilities | 104 | 2.0% | $87,036 | 2.94 |
| Information | 78 | 1.5% | $45,132 | 0.45 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 73 | 1.4% | $44,092 | 0.97 |
| Educational services | 51 | 1.0% | $22,842 | 0.27 |
| Management of companies | 50 | 1.0% | $69,193 | 0.32 |
| Wholesale trade | 44 | 0.9% | $53,098 | 0.12 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 40 | 0.8% | $73,852 | 1.14 |
| Real estate and rental | 27 | 0.5% | $47,716 | 0.19 |
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 | 15,926 |
| Employed residents | 15,155 |
| Unemployed residents | 771 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 9,291 |
| Employer sites | 859 |
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% |
40,070 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$1,379 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.8% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
9,291 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $48,908 (BLS QCEW).