In 2022, Medicare transfers in Rio Arriba County totaled $105.25 million, amounting to $2,628 per capita, or 15.1% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Medicare was the smallest contributor in the county. Medicaid was the largest contributor, totaling $273.81 million, equating to $6,837 per capita and making up 39.2% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Medicare transfers across New Mexico amounted to $5.32 billion, ranking second lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $2,517 per capita, or 18.2% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $29.25 billion, accounting for 26.5% of residents’ total income, with an average of $13,842 per resident.
Social Security was the second largest contributor in Rio Arriba County in 2022, accounting for $167.31 million, averaging $4,178 per capita, representing 23.9% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $110.59 million, averaging $2,762 per capita and comprising 15.8% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 22% of the population aged 65 and older, Rio Arriba County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Rio Arriba County, excluding government transfers was $25,941, which is far below the county’s total income of $43,400, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Rio Arriba County saw an increase in its Medicare transfer dependency by 0.3%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Rio Arriba County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 17.8% (or $2,438 per capita) in 1970 to 40.2% (or $17,460 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County | 1 | 23% | 18.3% | 6.8% | 4.1% | 6.1% | 3.7% | $12,755 |
| Dona Ana County | 2 | 31.2% | 17% | 7.4% | 5.7% | 9% | 5.8% | $14,130 |
| Santa Fe County | 3 | 18% | 28.1% | 7.3% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 2.2% | $13,479 |
| Sandoval County | 4 | 21.9% | 20% | 8% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 2.9% | $11,622 |
| San Juan County | 5 | 30.8% | 16.9% | 8.3% | 6.2% | 8.9% | 4.6% | $13,384 |
| Valencia County | 6 | 33.2% | 18.7% | 8.5% | 5% | 10.7% | 5.6% | $14,588 |
| McKinley County | 7 | 43.5% | 13.7% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 17.5% | 8.5% | $15,175 |
| Chaves County | 8 | 31.9% | 16.5% | 6.9% | 5.3% | 12.4% | 5.4% | $15,250 |
| Otero County | 9 | 30.3% | 17.5% | 8.1% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 4.6% | $12,660 |
| Lea County | 10 | 21.6% | 11.7% | 4.6% | 3.5% | 8.3% | 3.8% | $11,423 |
| Eddy County | 11 | 18.8% | 14.9% | 4.7% | 3.4% | 6.6% | 3% | $12,657 |
| Rio Arriba County | 12 | 40.2% | 22% | 9.6% | 6.1% | 15.8% | 6.4% | $17,460 |
| Curry County | 13 | 26.9% | 13.5% | 4.9% | 4.2% | 9.5% | 4.6% | $14,428 |
| San Miguel County | 14 | 48% | 25.3% | 9.5% | 6.2% | 22% | 7% | $21,815 |
| Taos County | 15 | 35.4% | 30.5% | 10.8% | 6.7% | 10.8% | 4.5% | $16,575 |
| Grant County | 16 | 39.8% | 30.4% | 11.3% | 7.2% | 13.3% | 4.6% | $20,676 |
| Luna County | 17 | 43.7% | 20.5% | 10.8% | 8.4% | 12.7% | 8.7% | $16,356 |
| Cibola County | 18 | 43.9% | 17.9% | 9.5% | 8% | 15.4% | 7.3% | $14,991 |
| Lincoln County | 19 | 34.5% | 31.8% | 11.7% | 7.9% | 8.2% | 4.1% | $17,322 |
| Socorro County | 20 | 41.1% | 21% | 8.9% | 6.9% | 14.8% | 7.5% | $17,781 |
| Sierra County | 21 | 51% | 38.1% | 13.9% | 10.8% | 16% | 6% | $24,783 |
| Roosevelt County | 22 | 29% | 15.2% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 11.2% | 4.6% | $14,398 |
| Torrance County | 23 | 39% | 23.1% | 9.6% | 5.8% | 13.5% | 7% | $16,854 |
| Colfax County | 24 | 37.5% | 28.8% | 10.9% | 8.6% | 10.6% | 4.3% | $18,870 |
| Quay County | 25 | 44.4% | 27.2% | 10.4% | 8.8% | 15.3% | 6.2% | $20,947 |
| Los Alamos County | 26 | 8.9% | 18.6% | 4.4% | 2% | 0.9% | 0.8% | $7,677 |
| Mora County | 27 | 45.2% | 32.1% | 11.6% | 6.8% | 17.8% | 5.3% | $23,421 |
| Guadalupe County | 28 | 45.7% | 21.1% | 8.8% | 6.5% | 21.1% | 6.2% | $19,519 |
| Hidalgo County | 29 | 37% | 23.1% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 15% | 5.5% | $19,660 |
| Catron County | 30 | 41.3% | 42.8% | 17.4% | 9.9% | 5% | 4.2% | $16,302 |
| Union County | 31 | 36.2% | 23.5% | 9.3% | 9.2% | 10.8% | 4.1% | $15,669 |
| De Baca County | 32 | 37.3% | 29% | 9.1% | 6% | 14.3% | 4.7% | $20,909 |
| Harding County | 33 | 32.2% | 41.2% | 11.8% | 7.6% | 5.9% | 3.4% | $14,871 |
