Which counties are New Mexico’s economic drivers?

Most New Mexicans are at least vaguely aware of the outsize impact the State’s oil and gas industry has on the State’s economy. A new report from the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University called “State of New Mexico County-Level Revenue & Expenditure Analysis, 2015-2021″ highlights that economic impact by examining revenues and expenditures on a county-by-county basis. 

The list of top-5 counties in terms of their net contributions can be found below. When contributions and expenditures (by the state) are taken as a whole, Lea and Eddy County contribute massively to the State budget with Los Alamos, Bernalillo, and San Juan counties all contributing significantly as well.

Interestingly, Santa Fe and Doña Ana both have negative net returns per person in the $10,000 range. Here’s the full report with data from each of New Mexico’s counties.