10 Vital Services for Surviving and Thriving Data Dashboard
Food, Housing, Job Training, and Transportation Data
Food, housing, employment, and transportation are deeply interconnected, with challenges in one area often creating or worsening challenges in another. For example, unreliable transportation makes it difficult to access and sustain employment, undermining stable income. Stable employment provides income needed to afford housing and access to food. Stable housing also supports a person’s ability to maintain a job by providing safety, routine, and proximity to work opportunities. When individuals or families face housing instability or food insecurity, they are more likely to experience stress, poor health, and disruptions that make it harder to secure or retain employment. Addressing these needs together—rather than in isolation—helps create stronger, more resilient households and communities. New Mexico’s rural landscape often compounds access issues, particularly related to transportation.
Food, Housing, Job Training, and Transportation Need
This first image summarizes the level of need reported in the 100% Community Survey.1 It shows the proportion of community members who reported they had a need for food assistance (yellow), affordable housing service (red), job training (green), and transportation (blue) in the preceding 12 months. While food assistance needs are high statewide, fewer people report needs in the areas of affordable housing services, job training, and transportation. This serves as an overall snapshot of needs before looking more closely at county variation.
1. McKinley and Mora County are not included in this data because they have not yet completed the 100% Community Survey.
The next graph breaks down the same self-reported needs by county. Each county displays four points—one for food assistance, affordable housing, job training, and public transportation. You can see the exact percentage by hovering your mouse over each dot. The spacing between the stacked dots shows how some counties experience higher or lower levels of need relative to each sector. If you would like to view only one sector, you can deselect categories by clicking the corresponding dot icon (e.g., yellow dot for food assistance, red for housing, and green for job training, and blue for transportation) in the figure legend located under the figure title. In addition, you can compare a county’s need to the overall survey reported need (in the graph above). For example, the overall need reported in the 100% Community Survey for food assistance was 45%, while in Doña Ana there was a 56% reported need for food assistance.
Indicators of Food Access Need
The 100% Community Survey shows that a substantial share of community members report needing assistance to access food. Similar results are found in data collected as part of the American Community Survey. The following indicators of food access need are shown for each county participating in 100% New Mexico.
- Food insecurity (statewide 15%): This is the percentage of individuals who lack reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food, which can contribute to poor health outcomes and increased financial stress for households. In New Mexico, 15% are food insecure compared to 14% nationally.2 New Mexico has the seventh highest hunger rates among all states.3
- Limited access to healthy foods (statewide 13%): Measures the share of the population living far from grocery stores or healthy food retailers, highlighting geographic and transportation barriers that limit food choice and quality.
- Adult obesity (statewide 33%): Reflects the percentage of adults with obesity, a population-level outcome often linked to food access, food affordability, and broader economic conditions. In New Mexico, 33% (1 in 3) adults experience obesity compared to the national obesity prevalence of 25% (1 in 4 adults).4
2. Feeding America. “Map the Meal Gap.” Accessed [March 4, 2026]. https://map.feedingamerica.org/.
3. Feeding America. “Map the Meal Gap.” Accessed [March 4, 2026]. https://map.feedingamerica.org/.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, December 3). Adult obesity prevalence maps. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Together, these measures illustrate that food challenges that impact need are not only about affordability, but also about geographic access, availability of nutritious options, and long-term health impacts. Differences across counties underscore the importance of local strategies to improve food systems, transportation to food outlets, and access to healthy foods. The chart illustrates how these indicators vary across counties. Statewide averages can be compared with individual county values by de-selecting counties in the legend at the top of the chart, which allows the numeric value for each bar to appear.
Indicators of Housing Access Need
While the 100% New Mexico Initiative Community Survey reports a relatively lower need for affordable housing compared to other sectors, county-level indicators reveal important dimensions of housing access and stability that may not be fully captured by perceived need alone. These indicators provide a more comprehensive picture of housing conditions across counties.
Key county-level measures of housing access need include:
- Severe housing problems (statewide 17%): Reflect the percentage of households experiencing at least one major housing challenge, such as overcrowding, high housing costs, or inadequate kitchen or plumbing facilities.
- Overcrowding (statewide 3%): Reflects the percentage of households with more people than rooms, which can contribute to health risks, stress, and reduced quality of life.
- Households with severe cost burden (statewide 13%): Refers to households that spend a large share of their income on housing costs, limiting their ability to afford other basic needs such as food, healthcare, and transportation.
- Homeownership (statewide 70%): The percentage of owner-occupied housing units is an indicator of residential stability and wealth-building opportunities. Comparing national, state, and county rates helps contextualize local housing market conditions. Nationally, 70% of households own their homes, compared to 70.5% in New Mexico.5 County-level data provides more localized insight and can vary significantly within a state. Higher ownership rates generally reflect more long-term residency and are often seen in suburban or rural areas, while lower rates typically indicate a larger renter population and are more common in higher-cost or urban areas.
Together, these indicators show that even when fewer residents identify housing as an immediate need, many households still experience housing-related stressors that can affect health, economic stability, and overall well-being. Examining both community-reported need and county-level housing conditions helps identify hidden vulnerabilities and informs more targeted housing and prevention strategies. Statewide averages can be compared with individual county values by de-selecting counties in the legend at the top of the chart, which allows the numeric value for each bar to appear, or you can hover overreach bar to see the value.
5. U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). Tenure (DP04). 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://data.census.gov/
Indicators of Job Training Need
The 100% Community Survey data indicate that many residents identify a need for job training, reflecting challenges related to employment stability and economic opportunity. County-level employment and education indicators help contextualize this need by showing patterns in:
- Unemployment (statewide 3.8%): Captures the percentage of individuals actively seeking work but unable to find employment, signaling economic instability and reduced household income. The unemployment rate in the United States provides a broad indicator of labor market health. The U.S. unemployment rate has been around 4%, meaning roughly that proportion of the labor force is actively seeking work but currently without employment.6 New Mexico’s unemployment rate has generally been slightly below the national estimate.
- High school completion (statewide 88%): Indicates the share of adults who have completed high school, a key predictor of employability, earnings potential, and long-term economic security.
- Some college or higher education (statewide 64%): Measures the proportion of adults with education beyond high school, reflecting workforce readiness and access to higher-paying job opportunities.
These measures highlight how education and workforce readiness shape employment opportunities and long-term economic security. Variability across counties suggests that access to job training, adult education, and career pathways differs by community, reinforcing the need for locally tailored workforce development efforts.
Indicators of Transportation Need
In New Mexico, transportation challenges are compounded by the state’s large geographic size and rural landscape, where many people live far from employment and essential services. Limited public transportation in rural areas makes reliable access to work especially difficult, increasing the risk that transportation barriers will disrupt employment. 100% Community Survey data indicate that public transportation access is a significant need for residents (21%), particularly in rural counties where long distances and limited transit options shape daily travel. Transportation insecurity was strongly associated with increased difficulty accessing nine other services, including affordable housing, medical care, and preschool programs.7 County-level transportation indicators help contextualize this need by showing patterns in:
- Driving alone to work (statewide 75%): Across counties, a large share of workers commute alone by car, reflecting limited availability of public transportation, carpooling options, or alternative modes of travel—especially in rural areas.
- Long commutes among those who drive alone (statewide 28%): In several counties, a substantial proportion of solo drivers experience long commute times, highlighting the geographic distance between housing and employment centers and the added time burden transportation places on workers.
6. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/annual-average-unemployment-rates-increased-in-21-states-in-2024.htm
7. Semborski, S., McCrae, J. S., Cappello, D., & Ortega Courtney, K. (2025). Transportation Insecurity as a Critical Social Determinant of Health. Journal of Social Service Research, 1-7.
These measures highlight how transportation access shapes residents’ ability to connect to employment, housing, health care, and other essential services. Variability across counties suggests that geographic distance, limited transit infrastructure, and reliance on personal vehicles affect communities differently—particularly in rural areas. Together, these patterns reinforce the need for locally tailored transportation and land-use strategies that reduce access barriers and better align housing, jobs, and services.
Find out if your county is active in the 100% New Mexico Initiative.