How America Moves

Valencia County, NM

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
94
6% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$206,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+62.6%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$970
national $1,348
Homeownership
82%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.9%
national 3.6%
Household income
$58,333
national $78,538
Median age
39.0 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Albuquerque, NM.

The cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. The median home is valued at $206,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 63% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $970 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.9% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $58,333. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Valencia County, NM saw a net gain of 414 tax-filing households and a net gain of 843 individuals. Against a population of about 79,141, that is a net inflow of about 11 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $32.1M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 957 households, came from Bernalillo County; the largest outflow, about 701 households, went to Bernalillo County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 977 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$32.1M
nominal dollars
Net households
+414
tax returns
Net people
+843
exemptions

+10.7 net people per 1,000 residents (population 79,141)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$113.7M
Moved out$81.6M
Net +$32.1M (nominal)
HowAmericaMoves.com

Valencia County within New Mexico

Valencia County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other New Mexico counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
Loading map…

Where movers came from

  1. 1Bernalillo County, NM957$51.2M
  2. 2Sandoval County, NM104$7.4M
  3. 3Socorro County, NM78$3.5M
  4. 4Santa Fe County, NM49$2.4M
  5. 5Maricopa County, AZ41$2.1M
  6. 6Cibola County, NM37$1.1M
  7. 7Doña Ana County, NM28$1.2M
  8. 8Clark County, NV22$1.4M
HowAmericaMoves.com

Where movers went

  1. 1Bernalillo County, NM701$30.6M
  2. 2Socorro County, NM62$2M
  3. 3Sandoval County, NM61$3.3M
  4. 4Maricopa County, AZ36$2.3M
  5. 5Cibola County, NM31$1.2M
  6. 6Doña Ana County, NM27$1.3M
  7. 7Santa Fe County, NM26$1.2M
  8. 8Torrance County, NM23$992K
HowAmericaMoves.com

Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Bernalillo County, NM957701+256+$20.6M
Sandoval County, NM10461+43+$4.2M
Socorro County, NM7862+16+$1.4M
Maricopa County, AZ4136+5-$186K
Santa Fe County, NM4926+23+$1.2M
Cibola County, NM3731+6-$92K
Doña Ana County, NM2827+1-$81K
Torrance County, NM23
Clark County, NV22

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$83.1M (+4,029 people)
20122023
HowAmericaMoves.com
Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$4.2M-239
2013-$29.1M-533
2014-$12M-276
2015-$565K-49
2016-$943K+206
2017+$7.1M+514
2018+$7.5M+654
2019+$16.3M+580
2020+$16.9M+733
2021+$16.2M+619
2022+$33.9M+977
2023+$32.1M+843
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 843 more people moved into Valencia County, NM than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $32.1M in income (nominal) — in a county of 79,254 people.

Population
79,254
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+10.6
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +106 people.
Net income per resident
+$405
nominal dollars
+$32.1M total across 79,254 residents.

The rate lets you compare Valencia County, NM with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+858
Deaths
-830
Net domestic migration
+847
Net international migration
+144
Total change
+1,018

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Valencia County, NM run about 6% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $107 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$46,621
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
33% below the U.S. average
Price level
93.6
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 6.4% lower than average
What that income buys
$49,794
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
29% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Albuquerque, NM metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

HowAmericaMoves.com

Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents88.7
Goods97.4
Utilities77.7
Other services93.8

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Who lives here

The people of Valencia County, NM

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
39.0
years
Median household income
$58,333
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
26% below the U.S. median
College degree
21%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
18.4%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
29 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
80%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 31%Hispanic 61%Black 1%Asian 1%Other 6%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$206,800
owner-occupied homes
32% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$970
gross rent per month
28% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
82%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+9.6%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+63%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
259new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.9%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
32,696
31,434 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Unemployment now
4.9%
April 2026 · ▲ 1.2 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com

How Valencia County, NM has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202413,60919,057611R +16.433,277
202014,26317,364650R +9.632,277
201610,84113,2153,536R +8.627,592
201213,51112,8251,392D +2.527,728
200815,36613,136397D +7.728,899
200411,27014,474268R +12.326,012
20009,81910,803755R +4.621,377

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Get the next update for Valencia County, NM

The IRS releases new migration data once a year. Drop your email and we will send the refreshed numbers when they land. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.