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New Mexico Value:
Index of state economic conditions based on crowded housing, dependency, education, income, poverty and unemployment; normalized values are 1 to 100, with a higher value indicating worse economic conditions
New Mexico Rank:
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Index of state economic conditions based on crowded housing, dependency, education, income, poverty and unemployment; normalized values are 1 to 100, with a higher value indicating worse economic conditions
Top State(s): New Hampshire: 1
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 100
Definition: Index of state economic conditions based on crowded housing, dependency, education, income, poverty and unemployment; normalized values are 1 to 100, with a higher value indicating worse economic conditions
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
The economic hardship index compares economic conditions between communities. The measure combines six population-level social and economic measures, providing a more comprehensive picture of the difficulties faced in a community than a single measure could provide. The measure includes:
Income inequality can cause chronic stress, which contributes to poor health outcomes and decreased life expectancy, educational attainment and social mobility. Income inequality is also associated with increases in mental illness, obesity, infant mortality, teenage births, homicides and imprisonment.
Economic hardship and its indicators tend to be clustered geographically, reflecting pockets of hardship and contrasting areas of concentrated wealth. American Indian/Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic adults are disproportionately affected by the social and health inequities that comprise economic hardship. The effects of structural racism and health inequities are evident in the higher rates of poverty, unemployment, crowded housing and lower per capita income among racial and ethnic minority groups.
The economic hardship index is sensitive to interventions that affect any of its six underlying components. Unemployment, education, housing and poverty can all be improved through targeted interventions.
Employment and poverty are key social determinants of health in Healthy People 2030’s economic stability domain. Related objectives include:
Bailey, Zinzi D., Nancy Krieger, Madina Agénor, Jasmine Graves, Natalia Linos, and Mary T. Bassett. “Structural Racism and Health Inequities in the USA: Evidence and Interventions.” The Lancet 389, no. 10077 (April 2017): 1453–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X.
Belle, Deborah, and Heather E. Bullock. “The Psychological Consequences of Unemployment.” SPSSI Policy Statement. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=1457.
Pickett, Kate E., and Richard G. Wilkinson. “Income Inequality and Health: A Causal Review.” Social Science & Medicine 128 (March 2015): 316–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.12.031.
Skufca, Laura, and Chuck Rainville. “2021 Caregiving Out-of-Pocket Costs Study.” AARP Research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00473.001.
Solari, Claudia D., and Robert D. Mare. “Housing Crowding Effects on Children’s Wellbeing.” Social Science Research 41, no. 2 (March 2012): 464–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.09.012.
Swendener, Alexis, Katie Rydberg, Mariana Tuttle, Hawking Yam, and Carrie Henning-Smith. “Crowded Housing and Housing Cost Burden by Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Rural-Urban Location.” Policy Brief. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, March 2023. https://rhrc.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Crowded-housing-and-cost-burden-policy-brief_final.pdf.
“Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes.” Issue Brief #2. Education and Health Initiative. Richmond, VA: The VCU Center on Society and Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2014. https://societyhealth.vcu.edu/media/society-health/pdf/test-folder/CSH-EHI-Issue-Brief-2.pdf.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.