CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — Behind the storefronts and past the sandstone bluffs, the real economy of Cibola County is made up of people: students and seniors, parents and workers, all trying to build something in a place that has long been overlooked.
This C-section of the Cibola Citizen presents a layered portrait of our county’s economy. From housing affordability and wage disparities to student test scores and workforce trends, the data reveals a county in motion: modestly growing, unevenly developing, and still confronting the legacy of past decisions.
This section is designed to give readers a fuller picture of where the county stands — and where it’s headed. Among the highlights:
The stories in this section are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, and the New Mexico Public Education Department, among others. The Cibola Citizen has compiled and visualized this data to bring local insight into the county’s current condition.
While the front page of this week’s edition dives into the unraveling of the Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation — a story about leadership, accountability, and taxpayer trust — this Csection offers the broader context: what economic development is meant to serve, and how it has.
Ultimately, an economy isn’t about bank accounts or business licenses. It’s about whether people can afford a safe place to live, send their kids to a functioning school, and keep the lights on without panic.
That’s the real economy. And this is Cibola’s.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS Estimates.
Cibola County’s population skews younger, with the largest age groups concentrated under 40 years old. The 5–9 and 10–14 age groups are among the most populous, while the county’s senior population thins sharply above age 75. Despite near balance overall, the chart shows more males in younger brackets and more females among the elderly. Cibola has a total population of 26,686 people as of July 1, 2024, according to the US Census Bureau.