HomeNew MexicoLincoln County
Lincoln County, New Mexico: commercial real estate data.
Lincoln County, New Mexico has a population of 20,224 across 4,831 square miles, down 1.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $894.2 m in 2024, 695 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 41 7(a) approvals worth $20.1 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Lincoln County
How many people live in Lincoln County
- Population20,224
- Households10,000
- Average household size2.02
- Median household income$53,303
- Median age52.4
- Median gross rent$956 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$233,200
- Home value to household income4.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher32.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree13.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over15,872
- Population under 183,369
- Share under 1816.7 percent
- Population 65 and over6,327
- Share 65 and over31.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,528
- Civilian labor force8,954
- Unemployment rate5.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over53.1 percent
- Rank by population among New Mexico counties19th of 33
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1864th
Lincoln County is the 19th largest of 33 New Mexico counties by population. A median home costs 4.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 31.3 percent against 16.7 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lincoln County
Is Lincoln County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.17 percent
- Census 2020 base population20,262
- Births, 2024145
- Deaths, 2024292
- Natural change, 2024-147
- Net domestic migration, 202494
- Net international migration, 202431
- Total net migration, 2024125
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024208
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2257th
The county has lost 1.17 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Lincoln County
Where people moving to Lincoln County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving667
- People arriving, from those returns1,243
- Adjusted gross income arriving$57.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$85,984
- Largest single originLincoln County Non-migrants (7,325 households)
- Largest single destination (7,325 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County Non-migrants | 7,325 | 13,799 | $468.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 362 | 670 | $32.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 205 | 365 | $22.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 134 | 264 | $8.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 66 | 119 | $8.2 m |
| Otero County | 64 | 123 | $4.2 m |
| Do�a Ana County | 42 | 81 | $2.4 m |
| Chaves County | 41 | 77 | $2.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Lincoln County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Lincoln County
What the Lincoln County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$894.2 m
- County GDP, 2023$922.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-3.1 percent
- GDP change over five years20.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among New Mexico counties20th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1937th
- GDP per resident$44,214
Output grew -3.1 percent in the latest year and 20.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Lincoln County
Who employs people in Lincoln County
- Covered employment, annual average6,782
- Establishments reporting888
- Average annual pay$43,202
- Average weekly wage$831
- Sector 72, employment1,299
- Sector 72, average annual pay$25,765
- Sector 44-45, employment1,223
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,782
- Sector 71, employment532
- Sector 71, average annual pay$32,641
- Sector 23, employment358
- Sector 23, average annual pay$41,721
- Sector 56, employment234
- Sector 81, employment209
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 1,299 | 103 | $25,765 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,223 | 126 | $32,782 |
| Sector 71 | 532 | 24 | $32,641 |
| Sector 23 | 358 | 104 | $41,721 |
| Sector 56 | 234 | 42 | $43,061 |
| Sector 81 | 209 | 55 | $34,492 |
| Sector 53 | 165 | 56 | $40,496 |
| Sector 52 | 132 | 37 | $61,466 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,299 jobs, 19.2 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Lincoln County
What businesses operate in Lincoln County
- Establishments, all industries695
- Employment at those establishments5,538
- Annual payroll$204.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents34.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Lincoln County
What is being built in Lincoln County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202492
- Declared construction value permitted$47.0 m
- Single family units authorised88
- Multifamily units authorised4
- Multifamily share of units4.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$511,274
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.2
Multifamily is 4.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lincoln County
How much SBA lending happens in Lincoln County
- 7(a) approvals recorded41
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$20.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$490,846
- Median 7(a) approval$200,000
- 10th percentile approval$29,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,168,000
- Largest single approval$3,793,100
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)377
- Jobs per approval9.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active12
- Distinct industries receiving approvals27
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer46.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms19
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter21
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals4.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (7)
- Most active lenderFirst Savings Bank (26)
- 504 approvals recorded9
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.8 m
- Average 504 approval$528,556
- Median 504 approval$320,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval5.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.1
- Most active CDCCapital Certified Development Corporation (5)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals82.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$24.9 m
The average approval of $490,846 sits well above the median of $200,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. 46.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lincoln County
Do SBA loans in Lincoln County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded13
- Paid in full13
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Cancelled4
- Status: Paid in full13
- Status: Exempt from disclosure23
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lincoln County
Which parts of Lincoln County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- RUIDOSO, approvals24
- ALTO, approvals7
- RUIDOSO DOWNS, approvals4
- CARRIZOZO, approvals3
- CAPITAN, approvals2
- Nogal, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| RUIDOSO | 24 | $13,089,400 |
| ALTO | 7 | $3,345,000 |
| RUIDOSO DOWNS | 4 | $3,041,800 |
| CARRIZOZO | 3 | $226,000 |
| CAPITAN | 2 | $272,500 |
| Nogal | 1 | $150,000 |
RUIDOSO accounts for 24 approvals against 7 in ALTO. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lincoln County
How big is Lincoln County
- Land area4,831 sq mi
- Rank by land area among New Mexico counties8th of 33
- Width, east to west85.7 mi
- Height, north to south83.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land4
- Establishments per square mile0.14
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Lincoln County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Lincoln County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population20,224
- Households10,000
- Average household size2.02
- Median household income$53,303
- Median age52.4
Common questions
Lincoln County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lincoln County, New Mexico?
20,224, in 10,000 households, ranking 19th of 33 New Mexico counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lincoln County growing?
The population has fallen 1.17 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 145 births against 292 deaths, with net migration of 125. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lincoln County?
$53,303. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $233,200, which is 4.4 times income, and median gross rent is $956 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Lincoln County?
695 establishments, employing 5,538 people with an annual payroll of $204.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Lincoln County?
Average annual pay is $43,202, or $831 a week, across 6,782 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lincoln County?
41 7(a) approvals totalling $20.1 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, with a median approval of $200,000, plus 9 504 approvals worth $4.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Lincoln County get paid back?
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 13 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Lincoln County?
92 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $47.0 m. Multifamily was 4.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lincoln County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Lincoln County come from?
The largest single origin is Lincoln County Non-migrants, with 7,325 households. Arriving households report an average income of $85,984 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Lincoln County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Lincoln County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.