Minority / Majority
A Profile of New Mexico’s Children
2003
A KIDS COUNT SPECIAL REPORT
A Note About Census Numbers:
Although the U.S. Census attempts to count every American, undercounts invariably occur (Edmonston, 2002).
It is estimated that the 1990 U.S. Census missed 1.6% of Americans. The undercount in New Mexico was
almost twice the national average. The 1990 Census is estimated to have missed 48,054 New Mexicans,
approximately 3.1% of the state’s population. As was the case throughout the U.S., a disproportionate number
of the undercounted New Mexicans were low-income children and minorities. In New Mexico, the 1990 Census
overlooked approximately 4.3% of the state’s children, over 20,000 children in all (O’Hare, 2000). The 1990 U.S.
Census failed to count 1,811 African Americans (5.7%), 22,985 Hispanics (3.8%); and 13,353 Native Americans
(9%).
Accurate representation in the Census is important because Census population counts play a key role in the
allocation of federal funds, as well as in the determination of congressional and legislative seats. Census
population counts are used to distribute federal grants for child care, foster care, Medicaid, and highways, to
name just a few. The undercount therefore robs low income and minority communities of their share of
public funds as well as fair representation in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
The 2000 U.S. Census took numerous steps to reduce the undercount of minorities and children. For
instance over $100 million was spent on advertising the benefits of being counted in the Census in minority
communities and Census takers used helicopters, horses, and ATVs to reach remote households on the
Navajo Reservation. In the U.S. overall, the net undercount was reduced from approximately 1.6% to 1.2%.
However, the differential undercount of children and minorities persisted (Lowenthal, 2001), and Native
Americans, particularly those living on tribal land, continued to have the highest rate of undercount
(Edmonston, 2002). As a result, New Mexico children, particularly Native American children, remain seriously
undercounted.
Edmonston, B. The Undercount in the U.S. Census. Annie E Casey Foundation and Population Reference Bureau, May, 2002.
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/undercount_paper_final.pdf
Lowenthal, TA. Road to the Census 2000, A Chronology of Key Issues. Annie E Casey Foundation and Population Reference
Bureau, April 2001. http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/roadtocensus.pdf
O’Hare, W. The Overlooked Undercount, Children Missed in the Dicennial Census. Annie E Casey Foundation, 2000. http://
www.aecf.org/kidscount/census.pdf
Essay 1
Race and Ethnicity of New Mexico Children 4
Income Distribution & Poverty 13
Child and Infant Death 20
Table of
Contents
Teen Birth 21
Family Structure 27
Public Assistance 33
Labor Force Participation 40
Health Care Coverage 47
55 Language
58 Immigrant Children
60 Residential Mobility
62 The Cost of Home Ownership
63 The Cost of Renting
63 Availability of Telephones
65 Index of Tables
67 Index of Graphs and Pie Charts
i
Essay
In 2000, New Mexico was officially designated a “minority majority” state, that is, a state in which
the number of “minorities” (Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, and African Americans)
exceeds the number of non-Hispanic Whites. New Mexico’s racial, ethnic, and cultural
diversity is perhaps its greatest asset, and nowhere is New Mexico’s diversity more apparent
than among its children. Sixty seven percent of New Mexicos children are racial and/or ethnic
minorities, compared to 55% of New Mexico’s population overall. Between 1990 and 2000 the
number of Hispanic children in New Mexico increased by 22% and the number of Native
American children increased by 30%. Seven-in-ten New Mexicans under the age of six are
minorities, suggesting that our state’s future will be one of even greater diversity.
Unfortunately, New Mexico’s disparity is every bit as striking as its diversity. Eighty seven
percent of New Mexico’s poor children are minorities. Poor children in our state experience
disproportionately high rates of chronic disease, violence, incarceration, and academic failure.
Poverty is most prevalent among children, particularly young children; and it is on children that
the impact of poverty is most severe and lasting. Poor children are more likely than children
who are not poor to lack access to adequate healthcare, nutrition, and educational
opportunities. The consequences of childhood deprivation persist into adulthood and, as a
result, children raised in poverty are far more likely to raise their own children in poverty.
Present-day disparities are not surprising given the Southwest’s legacy of racial injustice. The
cycle of poverty among New Mexicos Native American families was set in motion long ago by
oppression of indigenous peoples by Spanish settlers and then the U.S. government.
Subsequently, many Hispanic families were robbed of their land and livelihood by the U.S.
government’s failure to uphold Spanish land grants and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The
Treaty, which ended the Mexican-American war in 1848 and ceded the region that came to be
New Mexico, California, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah to the U.S., also
caused Mexican Americans to be perceived in the minds of many as an inferior people
abandoned by their own country. This perception bred hostility and discrimination towards
Mexican-Americans that remains evident today.
1
Today in New Mexico, discrimination is far less blatant than it once was. Racism is rarely
found in its extremes, for example, in land grabs, slavery, and outright intolerance. However,
the more subtle forms of racism can be even more insidious, damaging, and difficult to
combat. Racial and ethnic bias pervades many of New Mexico’s mainstream institutions – it
is implicit in a worker’s compensation system that denies benefits to agricultural workers, the
lack of mainstream financial institutions and the proliferation of predatory lenders in minority
communities, and an Indian Health Service so under-funded that annual per capita healthcare
expenditure for Navajos ($800) is less than one fifth the average per capita health care
expenditure for Americans overall ($5,775).
Evidence of systemic racism can also be found in the indicators of child well-being compiled in
this report. Twenty nine percent of Hispanic children and 38% of Native American children live
in poverty, compared to 12% of White Non-Hispanic children. The median income of Native
American families with children is just over half the median income of White Non-Hispanic
families with children. Three percent of White Non-Hispanic mothers that work full-time and
year-round live in poverty, compared to 11% of Native American mothers and 13% of African
American mothers. Forty percent of Native American children in New Mexico lack health
insurance, compared to 17% of Hispanic children and 16% of White children.
Racial stratification is compounded by economic stratification. Measuring worth by income is
more acceptable these days than judging worth on the basis of race; but the outcome is often
the same. The perception that low income people are simply not working hard, or hard enough,
justifies inadequate supports and protections for economically vulnerable minority families and
an inadequate investment in minority children. Thus, the cycle of poverty is perpetuated, as is
the erroneous notion that poverty is a matter of choice for minority families and their communities.
2
New Mexico’s Children
By Race/Ethnicity 2000
# Chil dren
% of Total Chil d
Popul ation
Hispanic, al l races
256,731
50%
White Non-Hispanic
167,731
33%
Bl ack
8,171
2%
Asian & Pacific Isl ander
4,278
1%
Native American
59,761
12%
Al l other races
12,450
2%
509,122
100%
Total
New Mexico’s total population is 42% Hispanic,
the highest proportion Hispanic of any state. Even
more striking, fifty percent of children in New
Mexico are Hispanic. “Hispanic” is an ethnic rather
than racial distinction. A Hispanic person can be
of any race. The U.S. Census identifies race as
White, Black, Native American, and Asian/Pacific
Islander. The vast majority of New Mexico
Hispanics are identified as part of the White race,
although over 40% of Hispanics would not identify
themselves as White.
Forty three percent of New Mexico Hispanics trace
their ancestry to Mexico. Another 20% consider
themselves “Spanish,” “Spanish American,”
“Tejano” or “Nuevo Mexicano.” Most of the
remaining New Mexico Hispanics consider
themselves to be simply “Hispanic.”
Black is a racial distinction used by the United
States Census Bureau. It includes African
Americans, as welll as Black people of other
ancestral origins; Black Dominicans, for example.
A ll o ther races
2%
Native A merican
12%
A sian/P acific
Islander
1%
Hispanic, all races
50%
White, No nHispanic
33%
White non-Hispanics are 46% of New Mexico’s
population, and 33% of New Mexico’s child
population. Nearly 10% of the total population
is Native American, and 12% of all children in
New Mexico are Native American. Black,
non-Hispanic children are 2% of the total child
population, and Asian children are 1%.
B lack, No nHispanic
2%
Source: Unless cited separately, all statistics presented derive
from the 2000 Census.
4
Race and
Ethnicity of
New Mexico
Children
Number and Percent of All Native
American Children (2000)
ByTribe
New Mexico’s
Native
American
Children
Chil dren
Percent
Ap ache
2,642
4%
Navajo
39,806
67%
Pueb l o
11,569
19%
Other Native
American
5,744
10%
59,761
100%
Total
Other Native
A merican
10%
Approximately 176,000 New Mexico residents
report Native American ancestry. Of those,
171,034 (90%) consider themselves to be solely
Native American.1 New Mexico has the nation’s
4th largest Native American population, and
ranks 2nd only to Alaska in Native Americans as a
percent of population.
New Mexico is home to 22 Native American tribes:
the Apache, the Navajo, the Ute, and 19 Pueblos.
Tribes own over 10% of the land in New Mexico.
According to the 2000 Census, approximately
7,000 Apache people live in New Mexico. Two
groups of Apache have tribal lands in New
Mexico. The Jicarilla Apache total roughly 2,660
and have 1,172 square miles of tribal land in
north central New Mexico. The Mescalero Apache
total approximately 3,005. The Mescalero
reservation is located in south central New
Mexico and encompasses 720 square miles.
The Navajo Nation is the largest Indian tribe in
the U.S. Roughly 104,000 or approximately 38%
of Navajo people reside in New Mexico. Navajo
people make up 59% of New Mexico’s Native
American population. The Navajo Reservation is
the nation’s largest Indian reservation. Totaling
17.5 million acres, it encompasses parts of
Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
A pache
4%
P ueblo
19%
Navajo
67%
5
1
The remaining 10% are of more than one race.
For purposes of this report, only those people
reporting who claimed to be “Native American
alone” are included in statistics for Native
Americans.
The Navajo Nation spreads across 7,500 square miles
in New Mexico, mostly in the state’s northwestern
quadrant.
The Ute Mountain Indian reservation extends into New
Mexico from Colorado, but only about 300 Ute reside in
New Mexico.
Approximately 38,000 Pueblo Indians reside in New
Mexico. The term “pueblo” refers to a culture, rather
than a particular tribe. New Mexico’s 19 pueblos are
spread across 7 counties. They share a common
traditional native religion but each pueblo has its own
religious practices. Pueblos also have independent
governments. One of five languages — Tewa, Tiwa,
Towa, Keresan or Zunian, is spoken in each of the 19
pueblos. New Mexico’s pueblos range in size from
under 100 residents to almost 9,000 residents. The
combined land base of New Mexico’s pueblos is
approximately 3,100 square miles.
Although we acknowledge the important differences
that exist across pueblos and reservations, data
limitations necessitate that we categorize New Mexico’s
Native American population as either “Navajo”,
“Apache,” “Pueblo,” or “Other Native American.”
Statistics on Native Americans reflect only those New
Mexico residents who consider themselves to be Native
American only (as opposed to Native American and one
or more other race).
Age Distribution of New Mexico’s Children
(2000)
60%
40%
20%
0%
Hispanic,
all races
White
Black
Under 6
90%
Pueb l o
95%
Ap ache
88%
Navajo
97%
Percent of New Mexico
Residents Reporting
Native American
Ancestry on the 2000
Census Who Consider
Themselves to be
“Native American
Only”
6 to 10
11to 14
Native
American
All other
races
15 to 17
Child Population Change: 1990 - 2000
30.0%
22.6%
29.5%
22.6%
14.7%
20.0%
4.4%
10.0%
Al l Tri b es
Asian or
Pacific
Islander
-4.4%
0.0%
-10.0%
White non-
Hispanic, all
Hispanic
races
6
Black
Asian
Native
American
all children
New Mexico’s Hispanic population grew by 32% between 1990 and 2000, significantly more slowly than the
population of Hispanics in the U.S. overall, which increased by 58% over the same time period.
Child Population 2000
Population Change
1990 - 2000
50%
1990-2000:
Increasing
Diversity
Among Children
Asian
1%
40%
30%
20%
Native American
12%
47%
32%
20%
14%
14%
6%
10%
White non-Hispanic
34%
29%
27%
13%
19%
3%
-7%
0%
-10%
all races
White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
American
nonHispanic
total population
Native
Black
2%
Hispanic, all races
51%
children
Child Population 1990
Native American
Asian
10%
1%
White non-Hispanic
40%
Hispanic, all races
47%
Black
2%
7
Age Distribution of New Mexico Children
Hispanic, al l races
Children Under Six
By Race / Ethnicity
Under 6
6-10
11-14
15-17
Total
82,770
72,526
58,984
42,451
256,731
Non-Hispanic,
White
46,122
Bl ack
2,562
2,428
1,932
1,249
8,171
Asian or Pacific
Isl ander
1,699
914
899
766
4,278
Native American
17,202
18,446
14,105
10,008
59,761
Apache
598
875
691
478
2,642
Navajo
11,923
12,177
9,392
6,314
39,806
Pueb l o
3,317
3,654
2,724
1,874
11,569
Other Trib e(s)
1,364
1,740
1,298
1,342
5,744
4,426
3,616
2,551
1,857
12,450
154,781 145,740 121,216 87,420
509,157
Al l other races,
non-Hispanic
Total
47,810
42,745
31,089
Native American
11%
167,766
All other races
3%
Asian
1%
Hispanic, all races
53%
White
30%
Black
2%
Age Distribution of Native American Children
40%
30%
Under 6
6 to 10
11to 14
20%
15 to 17
10%
0%
A pache
Navajo
P ueblo
8
Other Native
American
New Mexico is a rural state with only three large metropolitan areas — Las Cruces in Dona Ana County; Santa
Fe in Santa Fe County; and Albuquerque in Bernalillo County. Many smaller communities are located on the
outskirts of Albuquerque in Sandoval and Valencia Counties. The affluent and densely populated City/County of
Los Alamos neighbors Santa Fe.
For purposes of this report, children residing in Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Dona Ana counties are
considered “urban”; children residing in Valencia and Sandoval counties are “suburban”; and children in New
Mexico’s remaining 27 counties are “rural”. Due to data limitations, elsewhere in this report children are classified
as “urban” and “non-urban.” In these instances, suburban and rural children are counted as “non-urban.” 2
Children:
Urban,
Suburban and
Rural
New Mexico Counties
New Mexico Children
Urban
45%
Rural
46%
Bernalillo
Dona Ana
Urban
Los Alamos
Santa Fe
Sandoval
Suburban
Valencia
Rural
Remaining 27 Counties
Suburban
9%
2
Most of the data that forms the foundation of this report comes from the 2000 Census Public Use 5% Microsample (PUMS) for New
Mexico.
PUMS geography is delineated into public use microsample areas (PUMAs). PUMAs are areas with a population of
100,000 or more. Because New Mexico’s population is small, most PUMAs in our State are made up of one or more counties. The
exception is Bernalillo County, which is composed of 5 PUMAs. New Mexico’s counties tend to be large geographically. Thus, it is
rare that a New Mexico county, not to mention a PUMA, is entirely “urban,” “suburban,” or “rural.” As a consequence, the “urban” and
“non-urban” designations in this report are somewhat imprecise. “Urban” is defined as Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Dona
Ana Counties. “Non-urban” refers to the remaining 29 counties. We acknowledge that parts of Sandoval and Valencia are certainly
“urban.” However, because other parts of Sandoval and Valencia counties are very rural and have a low population density, and
because data limitations prevent us from subdividing individual PUMAs, we have designated these “suburban” counties as “nonurban.”
9
Number and Percentage of Urban and Non-Urban Children
By Race / Ethnicity (2000)
Non-Urban
Urban
Hispanic, all races
White Non-Hispanic
Black
Asian & PI
Native American
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
All other
Total
Suburban
Rural
132,509
22,026
102,196
(52%)
(9%)
(40%)
75,493
16,025
76,248
(45%)
(10%)
(45%)
4,173
536
3,462
(51%)
(7%)
(42%)
2,751
253
1,274
(64%)
(6%)
(30%)
7,249
6,263
46,249
(12%)
(10%)
(77%)
250
81
2,311
(9%)
(3%)
(87%)
3,525
1,614
34,667
(9%)
(4%)
(87%)
1,584
3,926
6,059
(14%)
(34%)
(52%)
6,078
1,070
5,302
(49%)
(9%)
(43%)
233,615
51,795
277,773
(41%)
(9%)
(49%)
Over half of New Mexico’s children live outside the state’s four urban counties. The percentage of children
living in urban counties varies with race and ethnicity. For example, almost two thirds of New Mexico’s Asian
children live in urban counties, while only 12% of New Mexico’s Native American children live in urban counties.
Ten percent of White Non-Hispanic children live in suburban counties, compared to 9% of Hispanic children,
7% of Black children, and 6% of Asian children. More than three fourths (77%) of Native American children live
in rural counties.
10
Number of Children Urban and Non-Urban
By Race / Ethnicity (2000)
Non-Urban*
Hispanic, all races
Urban
124,222
132,509 256,731
92,273
75,493 167,766
White - Non Hispanic
Black
3,998
Asian and PI
Native American
Other
Total
* Surburban and rural
Total
4,173
8,171
1,527
2,751
4,278
52,512
7,249
59,761
6,372
6,078
12,450
280,904
228,253 509,157
Percent of All New Mexico Non-Urban Children
Navajo
Hispanic, all races
All other races
44%
70%
2%
Pueblo
Native
19%
American
Other
19%
Black
Native American
1%
Apache
White non-
5%
Hispanic
7%
Percent of All New Mexico Urban Children
Hispanic, all races
58%
33%
Navajo
49%
All other races
Pueblo
3%
22%
Native
American
3%
White
Black
2%
11
non-Hispanic
33%
Other Native
Apache
American
3%
26%
The experiences of children living in
large cities can differ dramatically from
those of children living in more rural
areas. Each living situation presents
a unique set of advantages and
challenges. Advantages of life outside
a big city may include a more cohesive
community and a better-developed
sense of cultural identity. Challenges
of life outside a large city include limited
access to health care, quality child
care, and perhaps most importantly,
employment opportunities for parents.
Where a child lives can be a critical
determinant of well-being, both within
and across racial and ethnic lines.
Number of Native American Children
Non-urban and Urban
By Tribe (2000)
Non-urban
Urban
Total
Apache
2,392
250
2,642
Navajo
36,281
Pueblo
9,985
1,584
11,569
other tribe(s)
3,854
1,890
5,744
52,512
7,249
59,761
3,525 39,806
Native American Children:
Urban and Non-Urban (2000)
100%
80%
86%
91%
91%
9%
9%
14%
Navajo
Pueblo
60%
40%
20%
0%
Apache
non-urban
urban
12
Po ver t y St at us o f N M ' s U r b an C hil d r en
30%
25%
Under 100%
$8,980
2
11,060
12,120
3
13,880
15,260
4
16,700
18,400
5
19,520
21,540
6
22,340
24,680
7
25,160
27,820
8
27,980
30,960
100-199%
200-299%
at least 300%
Federal Poverty Level
Po ver t y St at us o f N M ' s Sub ur b an C hi l d r en
under 100%FPL
at l east 300%FPL
Po ver t y St at us o f N M ' s R ur al C hi l d r en
20%
33%
under 100%FPL
FPL
20%
25%
100%to 199%FPL
200%to 299%FPL
19%
25%
200%to 299%FPL
22%
under 100%FPL
20%
100%to 199%FPL
2003
8,240
10%
0%
Federal P overty Guidelines
1
15%
at least 300%
36%
1999
19%
20%
5%
at l east 300%FPL
Fami l y si ze
28%
28%
25%
Percent of Children
Income
Distribution
and Poverty
Income Distribution of New Mexico Children
New Mexico has the nation’s highest rate
of child poverty. One quarter of New
Mexico children live in households with
income below the poverty threshold.
Another 28% live in “low income”
households, that is, households with
income between 100% and 200% of the
federal poverty level (FPL). Even
households with income greater than
200% of the FPL can have difficulty
affording necessities such as health
insurance and quality child care. Only
28% of New Mexico children live in
households with income greater than
300% of the FPL.
29%
200%t o 299%
FPL
19 %
100%t o 199%
FPL
32%
Children living in New Mexico’s urban and suburban areas are considerably less likely to be poor than those
living in rural areas. Twenty percent of urban-area children live in households with income under 100% FPL,
compared to 29% of children living in a rural area.
13
Number of Children By Federal Poverty Level (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
Under 100%
100-199%
200-299%
at l east 300%
Total
Hispanic, al l races
76,732
82,828
45,783
50,992
256,335
Non-Hispanic
White
21,814
34,024
36,649
75,023
167,510
Bl ack
2,675
2,130
1,781
1,561
8,147
Asian & Pacific Is.
609
696
864
2,097
4,266
Native American
25,140
18,082
10,013
6,456
59,691
Apache
936
937
555
214
2,642
Navajo
17,937
12,140
5,732
3,981
39,790
Pueb l o
4,378
3,582
2,504
1,051
11,515
other trib e(s)
1,889
1,423
1,222
1,210
5,744
Al l other races
2,365
2,538
2,571
4,976
12,450
Total
129,335
140,298
97,661
141,105
508,399
Percentage of Children in
Poverty by Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic
White
Black
Asian
Native American
Other
Total
30%
13%
33%
14%
42%
19%
25%
Income distribution varies tremendously across racial
and ethnic boundaries. Forty two percent of all Native
American children live in poverty compared to 30% of
all Hispanic children; 14% of all Asian children and
13% of all White Non-Hispanic children.
Among Native American children, the Navajo are most
likely to be poor.
14
Urban and
Non-Urban
Children in
Poverty
Where New Mexico Children Live
New Mexico is a rural state with only three large
metropolitan areas: Albuquerque - Rio Rancho,
Las Cruces, and Santa Fe - Los Alamos. Over
half of New Mexico’s children live outside of these
metropolitan areas. The percentage of children
living within a metropolitan or “urban”, area varies
with race. Almost two thirds of New Mexico’s
Asian children live in urban areas, while only 12%
of New Mexico’s Native American children live in
an urban area.
Non-Urban
Urban County
County
45%
55%
Income-to-Poverty Ratios: Urban
The correlation between higher incomes and
living in an urban area is consistent across race
and ethnicity. In New Mexico, poverty is higher
for children who live outside of metropolitan
areas. Forty three percent of Native American
children living outside of an urban area are poor,
compared to 34% living in an urban area.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Hispanic, all races
White
Black
Asian and Pacific
Islander
Native American
Under 100% FPL
100-199% FPL
200-299% FPL
at least 300% FPL
Income-to-Poverty: Non-Urban
Twenty seven percent of Hispanic children living
in urban areas are poor, compared to 34% of
Hispanic children who live outside of an urban
area. Conversely, the percentage of children
living in families with income at least 300% FPL
is higher in urban areas for all races and
ethnicities.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Hispanic, all
races
15
White
Black
A sian and
Pacific Islander
Native
A merican
Median Family Income (1999)
By Race / Ethnicity
Median income for New Mexico families with children
averaged $33,900 in 1999. Median income was
highest for White and Asian families, lowest for Native
American and Hispanic families. Median income for
urban families was higher than median income for
non-urban families across all racial and ethnic
categories. The same was true for individual tribes,
with the exception of the Navajo. Navajo families living
in urban areas had slightly lower median income than
Navajo families in non-urban areas.
$ 70,000
$ 60,000
$ 50,000
$ 40,000
$ 30,000
$ 20,000
$ 10,000
$0
White
Hispanic, all
races
B lack
A sian
Native
American
non-urban
urban
total
1999 Median Family Income
Median Family Income for Tribes (1999)
$ 45,000
$ 40,000
$ 35,000
$ 30,000
$ 25,000
$ 20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$0
Apache
Navajo
P ueblo
other Native
A merican
non-urban
Hispanic, all races $27,000
White
$40,000
Black
$21,800
Asian
$41,600
Native American
$25,000
Apache
$24,700
Navajo
$24,000
Pueblo
$26,800
other tribe(s)
$30,100
All other races
$33,800
Total
$31,000
16
urban
$30,000
$60,520
$32,800
$53,700
$28,850
$40,000
$23,000
$29,700
$33,000
$51,000
$38,800
total
$28,600
$48,360
$30,000
$47,400
$26,000
$25,000
$24,000
$26,900
$32,200
$42,000
$33,900
Median Income
Percent of New Mexico Children
By Federal Poverty Level
(Depth of Poverty)
1999
at least
300%
28%
New Mexico
Children:
Depth of
Poverty
200-299%
Under
19%
100%
Under 50%
11%
50-74%
6%
25%
75-99%
8%
100-199%
Depth of poverty is the extent to which a family’s
income falls short of the poverty threshold. In
this report, we measure depth of poverty using
median income-to-poverty ratios for families
with income less than the poverty level. An
income-to-poverty ratio is the ratio of a family’s
income to the federal poverty level.
Twenty five percent (129,300) of New Mexico
children live in poverty. Of these, nearly half
(57,000) are deeply poor, that is, their families’
income is less than 50% of the poverty level.
28%
Poor families living in the urban areas are slightly less
poor than non-urban poor families, but the relationship
between living in a large city and depth of poverty is not
consistent across racial and ethnic groups. For
Hispanic children, the median depth of poverty in big
cities is equal to the median depth of poverty in more
rural areas. White children living in poverty outside urban
areas are poorer than White children living in poverty in
large cities. Conversely, poor Native American children
are much poorer in cities than they are outside of cities.
Also notable is the fact that although White children are
less likely than children in any other racial or ethnic group
to be poor, non-urban poor white children are poorer
than non-urban poor Black or Hispanic children.
17
Depth of Poverty: Income-to-Poverty
Ratios for Children Living in Poverty - 1999
(Lower Percentage Indicates Deeper Poverty)
non-urban
Hispanic
57%
White
48%
Black
50%
Native Americ
52%
53%
Navajo
Pueblo
58%
36%
All other races
Total
53%
urban
58%
53%
57%
34%
43%
24%
52%
57%
total
57%
50%
56%
51%
52%
54%
38%
54%
Depth of Poverty: All Children Living in Poverty (1999)
By Race / Ethnicity
The higher the median
income-to-poverty ratio, the
better. For all children
except Native American
children, those who live in a
urban area live in families
with higher median incometo-poverty ratios. Simply
stated, poverty is worse for
children in rural areas,
except Native Americans.
Hispanic, all races
White
B lack
Native A merican
A ll o ther races
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Income-to-Poverty Ratio
non-urban
urban
Depth of Poverty: Tribes (2000)
For Native American children,
these data are reversed. Native
American children in rural areas
have higher median income-topoverty ratios, meaning they are
less poor than Native American
children in urban areas.
Pueblo
Navajo
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Income-to-Poverty Ratio
18
50%
60%
New Mexico 2001 Infant Mortality Rates (2002)
By Race / Ethnicity
Infant mortality is death within
the first year of life. In 2001,
New Mexico’s infant mortality
rate averaged 6.4 infant deaths
per 1,000 live births. Among
New Mexico’s major racial and
ethnic groups, Blacks had the
highest rate of infant mortality
(8.6 deaths per 1,000 live
births) and Hispanics had the
lowest infant mortality rate (6.0
deaths per 1,000 live births).
Rate per 1,000 live births
Hispanic
6
Non-Hispanic White
7.4
Black
8.6
Native American
6.8
Pueblo
2.3
Navajo
8
Apache
16.9
Total
6.4
Source: New Mexico Selected Health Statistics Annual Report for
2001, published June 2003. New Mexico Department of Health Office
of Vital Records and Health Statistics
1990-1999 Aggregate Infant Mortality Rates
for New Mexico Tribes
Live births
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
All Native Americans 90-99
All New Mexico 90-99
1,715
25,467
8,415
37,857
273,828
Infant deaths
Number
Rate
26
15.2
247
9.7
48
5.7
329
8.7
2,012
7.3
Source: New Mexico Tribal Report 2002. New Mexico Department of Health Public
Health Division Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics
20
The infant mortality rate for
Native Americans averaged 6.8
in 2002, but ranged from a low
of 2.3 for Pueblo Indians to a
high of 16.6 for Apaches. The
small number of births within
any single tribe in any one year
can create significant variance
in annual infant mortality rates.
However, the large difference
between infant mortality rates
among Pueblo and Apache
Indians persists even when
ten years of data are
aggregated.
Child and
Infant Death
In 2001, New Mexico’s teen birth rate was 63 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 through 19. This rate was 39%
higher than the U.S. teen birth rate of 45 births per 1,000 girls. In 2001, New Mexico’s teen birth rates were
highest for Hispanics (91.2 births per 1,000) and lowest for White Non-Hispanics (27.5 births per 1,000). The
teen birth rate for Black and Native American girls dropped by more than one third from 1990 to 2001.
U.S. and New Mexico Live Birth Rates:
Girls Ages 15 through 19
By Race / Ethnicity (N.M.)
Teen Birth
1980
53
72.8
89.2
49.8
103.6
101.2
US, all races
NM, all races
Hispanic
White
Black
Native American
1990
59.9
78.1
103.5
42.3
122.5
101.1
2000
47.7
65.5
94.8
29.8
70.3
64.3
2001
45.3
62.9
91.2
27.5
75.2
62.2
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Health
Statistics. New Mexico Selected Health Statistics Annual Report for 2001, June 2003.
U.S. Births per 1,000 Girls Ages 15 to 19 (1980-2001)
100
80
78.1
72.8
65.5
62.9
60
40
59.9
53
47.7
45.3
20
0
1980
1990
2000
US
2001
NM
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Health
Statistics. New Mexico Selected Health Statistics Annual Report for 2001, June 2003.
21
Another way to measure the prevalence of teen births is by the percent of all live births that are to teenagers.
This measure is a less sensitive gauge of adolescent behavior patterns than is the birth rate because it does
not adjust for changes in teenagers as a percent of the population. However, it provides more insight into the
absolute magnitude of the problem. In 2001, 17% (4,600) of all live births in New Mexico and 11% of live births
in the US overall were to girls ages 15 through 19.
Total New Mexico Live Births and Births to Teens (2001)
By Race / Ethnicity
Births Ages Percent ages
Hispanic
White
Black
Native American
All races
Total Births
15,075
7,035
812
3,668
27,101
15-19
3,075
718
149
624
4,607
15-19
20%
10%
18%
17%
17%
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Health
Statistics. New Mexico Selected Health Statistics Annual Report for 2001,
June 2003.
Live Births to New Mexico Teenagers Ages 15-19
Under 15
15 to 17
18 to 19
Total
1998
103
1,899
2,962
4,964
1999
102
1,810
2,929
4,841
2000
78
1,697
2,953
4,728
2001
79
1,647
2,877
4,603
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Health
Statistics. New Mexico Selected Health Statistics Annual Report for 2001, June 2003.
22
Over 82% of New Mexico girls ages 15 through 19 that gave birth in 2001 were single. Native American teen
mothers were most likely to be unmarried (94%), but the percentage of unmarried teen mothers was high for
all races/ethnicities. Often single parenthood means a single source of financial support, which contributes
to high poverty for moms and their children.
2001 New Mexico Teen Mothers: Percent Unmarried
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Native American
All races
83%
73%
83%
94%
83%
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Vital Records
and Health Statistics. New Mexico Selected Health Statistics Annual
Report for 2001, June 2003.
Percent First and Repeat Births for
New Mexico Teen Mothers (2001)
By Race / Ethnicity
In 2001, 79% of babies born to New
Mexico girls ages 15 through 19 were
first births. But a significant number
(810 babies or 18% of all babies born
to N.M. teenagers) were second
births, and 3% were third births.
Native American teens who gave birth
were more likely than girls of other
races and ethnicities to be having
their first baby. African American and
Hispanic girls were most likely to have
repeat teen births.
% First
Hispanic
White
Black
Native American
All races
Birth
78
81
74
81
79
% Second
% Third
Birth
Birth
18
17
18
16
18
3
2
7
2
3
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Vital
Records and Health Statistics. New Mexico Selected Health
Statistics Annual Report for 2001, June 2003.
23
Childbearing by teens has profound consequences for teenagers, their children, their families, and their
communities. The social costs of teen birth arise because early childbearing is both a cause and
consequence of poverty. Poor children are more likely to become teen parents and, because early
parenthood limits opportunities for education and employment, they are more likely to raise their own
children in poverty.
Poverty Status of Teen Mothers in New Mexico (1999)
200 to 299%
FP L
12%
at least 300%
FP L
12%
Approximately 48% of New
Mexico teenagers (over 3,000
girls) who live with their own
minor children live in poverty.
under 100%
FP L
48%
100 to 199%
FP L
28%
Mothers of Children Under 6: Percent Poor (1999)
60%
In New Mexico, the poverty rate
for mothers of children under
the age of 6 is two and a half
times higher for teenagers than
it is for older parents.
52%
50%
40%
30%
21%
20%
10%
0%
16-19
20 and over
M ot her's age
24
The economic consequences of teen child bearing persist long into adulthood. In New Mexico, the
poverty rate for mothers who had their first child when they were 20 and older is less than half the
poverty rate for women who had their first child as teenagers. The economic consequences of teen
parenthood appear to be most severe for Hispanics. In 2000, 45% of Hispanic mothers who had their
first child when they were under 20 were raising their children in poverty.
Mother’s Age at Birth of Oldest Child
Percent Poor By Race / Ethnicity (1999)3
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Native American
Total
Mother's Age at birth of
first child
Under 20
20 and older
45%
24%
34%
9%
44%
25%
39%
34%
41%
19%
Since 1990, the teen birth rate has declined significantly in both New Mexico and the US overall.
However, the US continues to have the industrialized worlds highest rate of teen pregnancy, birth, and
abortion (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 1998) and New Mexico continues to have the nations 47th highest
teen birth rate (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2003).
3
These data are for women living with their minor children in a home that they and/or their spouse rent or own themselves. Less
than 2% of the women in this sample were under 20 at the time of the Census and their average age was 37.
25
The decline in teen birth rates for New Mexico girls of every race and ethnicity is encouraging. However,
New Mexicos teenage population is growing, particularly among Hispanics. The number of Hispanic
children in New Mexico increased by over 22% between 1990 and 2000. The relatively small decrease in
New Mexicos Hispanic teen birth rate combined with the rapid increase in the population of Hispanic teens
suggests that the magnitude of our states already significant teen birth problem may increase in the
coming years. The social costs of this alarming trend are likely to be compounded by the cyclical nature of
poverty and the high and persistent rates of poverty among Hispanic women who first give birth as teens.
Sources
Annie E Casey Foundation. When Teens Have Sex: Issues and Trends. 1998. www.aecf.org
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Teen Pregnancy and Birth Rates in the United States, August 2003. http://
www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/data/pdf/stbyst03.pdf
26
Percentage Children by Family Structure
By Race / Ethnicity (2000)
6%
Family
Structure
Most New Mexico children (63%)
live in two-parent households.
This is true for all major racial and
ethnic groups, although the
percentage of children living in
two-parent families varies
somewhat. The percentage of
children living with two parents
ranges from 45% for Blacks and
49% for Native Americans, to 74%
for White non-Hispanics and 79%
for Asians.
All children
22%
8%
63%
10%
Native A merican
49%
4%
A sian
12%
4%
79%
15%
B lack
34%
6%
45%
7%
Hispanic, all races
24%
9%
59%
4%
Single mother households are the
second most common family
type. Twenty two percent of New
Mexico children live with just their
mother. The percentage of
children living in single-mother
households ranges from 12% for
Asians to 30% for Native
Americans and 35% for Blacks.
30%
12%
White no n-Hispanic
16%
5%
0%
74%
10%
20%
2 parents
30%
single father
50%
60%
single mo ther
70%
80%
90%
o ther
Percentage Native American Children
By Family Structure By Tribe
9%
Single father households are more
common among Native
Americans than any of New
Mexico’s other racial or ethnic
groups. Twelve percent of Native
American children live in a singlefather household. Seventeen
percent of Pueblo children live in a
single-father household.
40%
Navajo
27%
10%
54%
11%
Pueblo
39%
17%
33%
8%
A pache
36%
7%
49%
11%
Other Native A merican
19%
27%
43%
0%
27
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Percentage Children by Family Structure
By Race/Ethnicity 1990-2000
1990
single father
6%
single mo ther
19%
no t with parents
5%
2 parents
70%
From 1990 to 2000, the percentage of children living in
two parent households decreased for all children
except Navajo children. Navajo children experienced
an increase in percentage of children living with two
parents. Black children experienced a large decrease
in two parent families: -12 percentage points.
Predictably, for every race/ethnicity that experienced a
drop in percentage of two parent households with
children, there were increases in single parent
households, or in the percentage of children not living
with either parents.
2000
Percentage Change in Family Structure:
Children Living with Parents
1990 - 2000
single father
8%
living w/2
single mo ther
22%
no t with parents
6%
2 parents
64%
parents
-6%
-7%
-4%
-12%
-3%
All children
Hispanic
White
Black
Asian
Native
American
-3%
28
living
living
not living
w/mother w/father w/parents
3%
2%
2%
2%
3%
2%
2%
1%
1%
6%
1%
5%
0%
3%
1%
1%
-2%
4%
Children Not
Living with
Their Parents
Between 1990 and
2000 there was a two
percentage
point
increase in the number
of children who did not
live with their parents.
The increase was
largest for Black and
Native
American
children.
“Householder” is a term used by the US Census to refer to the person, or one
of the people, in whose name a housing unit is owned or rented. If a house is
owned or rented by a married couple, the “householder” can be either spouse.
The Census categorizes all other residents of the household in terms of their
relationship to the householder.
The pie chart on this page shows New Mexico children by their relationship to
the householder in the home in which they reside. Overall, 448,521 (88%)
New Mexico children are the natural-born, adopted, or step children of the
householder of the home in which they live.
Relationship to Householder
All New Mexico Children
(2000)
other relative
other
2%
2%
group quarters
.4%
grandchild
8%
child (natural born,
adopted, or step)
88%
29
Relationship of Children to Householder
By Race / Ethnicity (2000)
100%
3%
4%
9%
5%
4%
13%
80%
4%
4%
7%
7%
3%
15%
60%
93%
87%
82%
40%
93%
88%
78%
20%
Ninety three
percent of both
White and Asian
children live in a
home in which the
householder is one
of their parents,
compared to 87%
of Hispanic
children 81% of
Black children and
78% of Native
American children.
0%
Hispanic, all
White
Black
Asian
Native American
All other races
races
Relationship to Householder:
Tribes (2000)
100%
90%
6%
8%
6%
6%
9%
12%
80%
9%
31%
grandchild
70%
child (natural born,
adopted, or step)
60%
50%
40%
other
86%
82%
82%
64%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
all other tribes
30
New Mexico Children By Relationship to Householder
By Race / Ethnicity 2000
Natural
Adopted
born child
child
207,629
Hispanic, all races
White
Black
Asian and Pacific Islander
Native American
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
other Native American
All other races, non-Hispanic
total
other
Stepchild
Grandchild
10,726
22,535
5,060
other
nephew/niece relative foster non-rel
2,770
2,817
953
3,200
Group
quarters
1,041
81%
2%
4%
9%
1%
1%
0%
1%
0%
141,907
4,054
10,485
6,934
732
734
312
2,096
512
85%
2%
6%
4%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
5,680
384
569
1,043
78
149
57
61
70%
5%
7%
13%
1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
3,226
501
120
21
9
27
113
75%
12%
6%
3%
0%
0%
0%
1%
3%
43,913
1,102
1,798
9,077
1,616
1,098
316
596
245
73%
2%
2,280
9
261
3%
-
-
15%
3%
2%
1%
224
66
33
30
150
1%
-
total
256,731
167,766
8,171
4,278
59,761
0%
-
2,642
86%
0%
0%
8%
2%
1%
1%
0%
0%
30,245
745
1,456
4,805
1,051
809
156
450
89
76%
2%
4%
12%
3%
2%
0%
1%
0%
7,115
79
163
3,537
334
165
36
58
82
62%
1%
1%
31%
3%
1%
0%
1%
1%
4,273
269
179
511
165
91
94
88
74
74%
5%
3%
9%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%
10,045
675
506
894
53
33
24
154
66
81%
5%
4%
7%
0%
0%
0%
1%
1%
412,400
11,776
24,345
40,603
5,270
4,840
1,662
6,134
2,127
81%
2%
5%
8%
1%
1%
0%
1%
0%
39,806
11,569
5,744
12,450
509,157
Eight percent of children in New Mexico (40,603) live in grandparent-headed households. In most of these households,
at least one of the children’s parents are also present. But, the number of “skipped generation” households that
include grandchildren and grandparents, but not parents, is increasing.
31
New Mexico Children in “Skipped Generation” Households 1990 - 2000
By Race / Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic
1990
Black
Native Amer.
Total
Year
1990
2000
1990
2000
1990
2000
Children
3,669 8,226 1,443 2,833
555
761
972
2,747 6,639 14,770
1990-2000 % change
2000
White
124%
96%
37%
183%
1990
2000
122%
In New Mexico, the number of children living in skipped generation households increased by 122%,
from 6,639 to 14,770, between 1990 and 2000. Increases occurred in all of New Mexico’s major racial
and ethnic groups, ranging from 37% for Black children to 183% for Native American children.
Age of New Mexico Children in “Skipped Generation” Households 1990-2000
Child age
Year
Number of Children
1990-2000 % change
0-5 years
1990 2000
1,272 5,245
312%
6-10 years
1990 2000
2,100 4,209
100%
11-17 years
1990 2000
3,267 5,326
63%
Total
1990 2000
6,639 14,780
123%
Increases in the number of children living in a skipped generation household were most dramatic
among the very young. The number of children under the age of six living without their parents in a
home maintained by their grandparent(s) increased by 312%, from 1990 to 2000.
The remarkable growth in the number of young children in skipped generation households is attributable,
in part, to rapid growth in the overall number of Hispanic children under the age of six in New Mexico.
However, the increased prevalence of skipped generation households has also been attributed by
some researchers to increases in teen parenthood, drug abuse and related child abuse and neglect,
mental and physical illness, and incarceration of parents (Burton, 1992; de Toledo & Brown, 1995;
Edwards, 1998; Fuller-Thomson et al., 1997) all of which may result in grandparents becoming primary
caretakers. In addition, economic factors and government social policies such as welfare reform,
kinship foster care initiatives, and expedited termination of parental rights in cases of abuse and neglect
have also likely contributed to the trend.
32
Children Living
with Their
Grandparents
TANF Cases (May 2003)
Head of Household
By Race / Ethnicity
Public
Assistance
Native American
In 2003, 69% of TANF recipient heads of
household in New Mexico were Hispanic,
21% were White Non-Hispanic, 6% were
Native American, and 49% were Black.
Just under 90% of New Mexico’s TANF
households are headed by a single
parent. Temporary Assistance to Needy
Families (TANF) provides cash assistance and job preparedness training to
extremely low income families with
children.
6%
Asian/PI
0%
White
21%
Black
4%
Hispanic
69%
TANF Cases, May 2003
By Race / Ethnicity And Family Structure
Race/Ethnicity
1-parent
2-parent
Total
Hispanic
9,904
1,176
11,080
Non-Hispanic White
2,846
484
3,330
Black
583
39
622
Native American
840
137
976
57
11
68
Asian/PI
Source: New Mexico Human Services Department, Income Support Division
Monthly Statistical Report, August 2003.
33
The majority of TANF heads of
household are Hispanic.
However, Census data suggests
that in New Mexico, Hispanic
mothers living in poverty are less
likely than mothers of any other
race or ethnicity to receive public
assistance income.
Mothers Living in Poverty
Receiving Public Assistance (PA) Income 1999
<100% FPL
≥100% FPL
Total
% receiving PA
21,493
5,366
26,859
20%
6,711
2,248
8,959
25%
505
274
779
35%
5,791
1,598
7,389
22%
Navajo
4,127
1,188
5,315
22%
Pueblo
1,024
296
1,320
22%
819
260
1079
24%
35,319
9,746
45,065
22%
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Native American
All other races
Total
Source: US Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample for New Mexico
Percent of Poor Mothers Receiving Public Assistance
By Race / Ethnicity 1999
40%
35%
30%
25%
22%
20%
20%
15%
10%
0%
Hispanic
White
Black
Asian & PI
Native Amer
Source: US Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample for New Mexico
34
Less than one quarter of
New Mexico mothers
living in poverty received
income from public
assistance in 1999. The
percent of poor mothers
receiving public assistance income ranged
from 20% for Hispanics
to 35% for Blacks.
Income-to-Poverty Ratios:
Mothers Receiving Public Assistance (1999)
By Race / Ethnicity
The average income-to-poverty ratio for
mothers receiving public assistance
income was 103%, compared to 257% for
mothers not receiving public assistance
income. In other words, even with public
assistance, mothers remained in poverty
(103% FPL). For Native Americans, public
assistance did not even lift mothers to the
poverty threshold.
High Poverty
Despite Public
Assistance
and Work
103%
Total
101%
Hispanic, all races
136%
Black
White
Average income-to-poverty ratios for
mothers receiving public assistance
ranged from 88% for Native Americans to
136% for Blacks. Even within the relatively
small population of mothers receiving
public assistance, White non-Hispanics
had higher income-to-poverty ratios than
either Hispanics or Native Americans.
0
21
White
21
27
18
0
5
10
15
20
Average Weekly Hours of Work
25
35
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
For Black and Native American mothers receiving
public assistance, income-to-poverty ratios
appear to correspond with average weekly hours
of work. That is, more hours of work correspond
to a higher income-to-poverty ratio (for Blacks)
and fewer hours to a lower income-to-poverty
(Native Americans). However, White nonHispanic mothers and Hispanic mothers who
received public assistance in 1999 both worked,
on average, 21 hours per week, yet the average
income-to-poverty ratio of White mothers was
considerably higher than that of Hispanic mothers,
suggesting higher wages for White mothers.
B lack
Native A merican
20
Income to Poverty Ratio
21
Hispanic, all races
88
Native American
Average Weekly Hours of Work:
Mothers Who Received Public Assistance (1999)
To tal
115%
30
Mothers who received public assistance income
at some point during 1999 worked, on average, 21
hours a week during 1999, compared to 26.9
hours per week for mothers who did not receive
public assistance income.
Percent of TANF Recipients Working
July 1998 - June 1999
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Native American
Total
40%
35%
32%
32%
37%
Source: Richardson et al. 2000. New Mexico TANF
Longitudinal Study: Results of First Year Follow up Surveys:
The New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study
conducted for the New Mexico Human Services
Department between 1999 and 2002 (Maximus,
2002) is a rich source of information on the
employment characteristics of parents participating
in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
(TANF) program and those who have recently left
TANF. The statistics presented here represent
parents who received cash assistance through
TANF between July 1998 and June 1999, taken from
surveys conducted in late 1999 and early 2000
(Maximus, 2000). The data presented are for
people who were still receiving TANF benefits at the
time of the survey.
Among current welfare recipients sampled for the
longitudinal study, Hispanics were the most likely to
be employed. Among 1999 TANF recipients not
currently working, Native Americans were the most
likely to be looking for work.
Percent of TANF Recipients Not Currently Working, But
Looking for Work
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Native American
Total
48%
46%
58%
50%
Source: Richardson et al. 2000. New Mexico
TANF Longitudinal Study: Results of First Year
Follow up Surveys: Final Report
According to Census data, 16% of mothers who
received public assistance had a disability that
impaired their ability to work, compared to 10% of
mothers not receiving public assistance. And, 19%
of mothers with children 6 and older3who received
public assistance had a child with a disability,
compared to 10% of mothers with children 6 and
older who did not receive public assistance.
3
Census defines disability status only for children 5 and over.
Mothers living with their own children are classified as having
“only children under 6,” “only children 6 to 17,” or “both
children under 6 and children 6 to 17.”
36
More Than
One Third
of TANF
Recipients
Work
Welfare to
Work
As is apparent from the data presented earlier,
many recipients of public assistance are in the
labor force. Many working-poor parents are
under-employed or sporadically employed, and
thus must rely on cash assistance (or welfare)
to make ends meet. Key to family selfsufficiency and a long-term departure from
welfare are (a) job skills that enable parents to
earn more than minimum wage, and (b) a
strong attachment to the labor force (i.e., the
desire and determination to remain
consistently employed).
Hispanics were the most likely to be working
6 to 9 months after leaving welfare, while
Native Americans were the parents least
likely to be working 6 to 9 months after
leaving TANF. However, Native Americans
were more likely than any ethnic or racial
group to be working 40 hours or more if they
were employed. The most common reason
for not working after leaving welfare was a
disability or illness. The second and third
most common reasons cited were a desire
to stay home with children and the inability to
obtain reliable child care.4
Percent of Respondents Working 6-9 Months After Leaving
TANF
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Native American
64%
63%
68%
54%
Total
63%
Source: Richardson et al. 2000. New Mexico TANF Longitudinal
Study: Results of First Year Follow up Surveys: Final Report
Parents Employed 6-9 Months After Leaving TANF:
Average Weekly Hours Worked
Weekly hours worked
1-19
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Native American
Total
5%
6%
2%
6%
20-29 30-39
15%
21%
16%
16%
27%
20%
22%
24%
40+
53%
53%
60%
54%
Source: Richardson et al. 2000. New Mexico TANF Longitudinal
Study: Results of First Year Follow-Up Surveys: Final Report
4
Data are for parents who left the TANF program
between July 1998 and June 1999.
37
Slightly over half of employed former welfare recipients earned over $1,000 per month.
(The poverty threshold for a single mother with two children was $13,880 or $1,157 per month in 1999).
Almost 55% of White non-Hispanics made $1,000 or more a month, compared to just under 50% of
Hispanics and 51% of Native Americans.
Post-TANF
Wages
Parents Employed 6-9 Months After Leaving TANF:
Average Monthly Earnings
50%
41%
40%
40%
34%
30%
30%
38%
33%
34%
33%
22%
20%
10%
17%
19%
17%
15%
9%
11%
9%
0%
Hispanic
White
$1-499
$500-$999
Native Amer.
$1,000-$1,499
Total
$1,500+
Source: Richardson et al. 2000. New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study:
Results of First Year Follow-Up Surveys: Final Report
38
Parents employed 6-9 months after leaving TANF:
Percent who believe they have a chance for promotion
in their current job.
Work After
TANF:
Conclusions
Native Americans who
left TANF worked more
hours on average than
both Hispanics and
White Non-Hispanics.
However, they were
much less likely to see
a chance for
advancement in their
current job.
Perceive chance for
advancement
Hispanic
47%
Non-Hispanic White
53%
Native American
31%
Total
46%
Source: Richardson et al. 2000. New Mexico TANF
Longitudinal Study: Results of First Year Follow-Up
Surveys: Final Report
Based on the final report of the longitutinal study, over 74% of the single parents tracked lived in poverty
(based on earnings alone) after leaving welfare. Eighty percent of Native Americans lived in poverty and
56% were deeply poor (income less than 50% of the FPL). Roughly three quarters of both Hispanics and
non-Hispanic Whites lived in poverty. Forty five percent of Hispanics were deeply poor. The study found
post-TANF poverty to be most prevalent for parents in rural areas and those that had not completed high
school (Richardson et al, 2002).
Sources:
Richardson, P., Schoenfeld, G., LaFever, S., Teco, M., Jain,S., Bleiman,R., and Larsh, G.. 2002. New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study
Final Report. MAXIMUS, June, 2002.
http://www.cortidesignhost.com/maximus/cpss/NewMexicoTANF LongitudinalStudy_FinalReport.pdf. Last accessed November 10,
2003.
Richardson, P., Schoenfeld, G., LaFever, S., Teco, M., Reniero, K.. 2000. New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Results of First Year
Follow up Surveys: Final Report. Washington DC.: MAXIMUS, April 14, 2000.
http://www.state.nm.us/hsd/welfaresurvey.html. Last accessed November 10, 2003.
39
The “labor force” consists of the employed and those who are unemployed and seeking work. It does not
include those people who are not actively seeking work, and thus may exclude people who would prefer to
be employed but have given up looking for work.
Overall, 26% of New Mexico children who live with their parents are in “traditional” two parent families in
which only one parent works. Asian children are the most likely to live in a “traditional” household. Thirty
seven percent of New Mexico children who live with their parents live in a two-parent household in which both
parents work or are seeking work. Almost half of white non-Hispanic children live with two working parents
or parents who are seeking work. Fourteen percent of New Mexico children who live with their parents are in
households in which there are no working parents.
Labor Force
Participation
Number and Percent of Children Living With Their Parents By Parents’.
Labor Force Participation 2000
By Race / Ethnicity
Parents in labor force
Hispanic, all races
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Asian & PI
Native American
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
Other tribe(s)
All other races
Total
Living with two parents
Neither
One
Both
15,482
58,244
79,014
6%
24%
33%
3,272
48,125
73,419
2%
30%
46%
338
1,161
2,207
5%
17%
32%
141
1,635
1,622
3%
40%
40%
4,140
10,550
14,366
8%
20%
27%
269
446
570
11%
18%
24%
3,081
8,077
10,302
9%
22%
28%
629
1,129
2,056
6%
11%
20%
161
898
1,438
3%
18%
28%
464
2,956
4,287
4%
25%
36%
23,837
122,671
174,915
5%
26%
37%
40
Living with one parent
One
None
62,749
23,382
26%
10%
28,993
6,866
18%
4%
2,618
637
38%
9%
492
206
12%
5%
15,730
9,252
29%
17%
873
267
36%
11%
8,983
5,732
25%
16%
4,156
2,363
40%
23%
1,718
890
34%
17%
3,122
1,150
26%
10%
113,704
41,493
24%
9%
Total
238,871
100%
160,675
100%
6,961
100%
4,096
100%
54,038
100%
2,425
100%
36,175
100%
10,333
100%
5,105
100%
11,979
100%
476,620
100%
Fifty nine percent of New Mexico children who live with their parents live in households in which both parents
work or are seeking work. This percentage increases with the age of the child:
·
·
54% of infants (41,567 infants) live in homes in which both parents work or are seeking work.
55% of preschoolers (42,288 preschoolers) live in homes in which both parents work or are seeking
work.
Number and Percent of Children With All Parents
In The Labor Force (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
White
Black
All other races
Native American
Total
infant
23,454
55%
11,961
53%
804
61%
1,538
49%
3,810
46%
41,567
54%
41
preschool
school age
22,478
101,676
56%
58%
12,697
80,268
54%
66%
875
3,492
71%
62%
1,397
3,996
47%
77%
4,841
22,290
54%
52%
42,288
211,722
55%
61%
Total
147,608
57%
104,926
63%
5,171
63%
9,757
58%
30,941
52%
298,403
59%
The percent of infants in homes in which all parents work or are seeking work increased from 51% to 54%
between 1990 and 2000. This trend was consistent across all races, with the exception of Native
Americans. The largest percent increase in labor force participation by all parents present was for Black
infants, increasing from 42% in 1990 to 61% in 2000.
Infants: Percent With All Parents In Labor Force
1990 and 2000
By Race / Ethnicity
80%
61%
60%
55%
51%
50%
56%
53%
51%
54%
46%
42%
40%
20%
0%
Hispanic
White
1990
Black
Native American
2000
42
Total
Mothers With Minor Children At Home:
Employment In The Previous Year
By Race / Ethnicity
Employed
Employment
Characteristics
of Mothers
Seventy two percent of
mothers residing with
their minor children
worked in the previous
year. The percent of
mothers employed in the
previous year ranged from
81% for African American
mothers to 69% for Native
American mothers.
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Asian & Pacific Islander
Native American
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
other tribe(s)
All other races
Total
Yes
75,260
70,071
2,504
2,391
15,349
715
9,750
3,335
1,549
2,325
167,900
No
32,128
22,811
600
1,156
6,974
296
4,911
1,338
429
960
64,629
Total
% Employed
107,388
70%
92,882
75%
3,104
81%
3,547
67%
22,323
69%
1,011
71%
14,661
67%
4,673
71%
1,978
78%
3,285
71%
232,529
72%
Percent of Mothers Working Specified Number of Weeks 1999
By Race / Ethnicity
Fifty nine percent of
working mothers (99,061)
worked at least 50 weeks
in the previous year. The
percent of working
mothers who worked
year-round ranged from
66% for Asians to 54% for
Native Americans.
Hispanic, all races
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Asian and PI
Native American
Apache
Navajo
Pueblo
other tribe(s)
All other races
Total
43
Weeks worked in the previous year
1-13
14-26
27-49
at least 50
8%
10%
25%
57%
7%
10%
22%
61%
6%
5%
25%
63%
6%
3%
24%
66%
10%
10%
26%
54%
9%
13%
13%
65%
11%
11%
27%
51%
7%
6%
25%
62%
8%
8%
32%
52%
8%
7%
24%
61%
8%
10%
24%
59%
Working Mothers: Average Weeks
Worked in the Previous Year
Mothers Working Year Round:
Average Hours Worked Per Week
(1999)
1-10
1-13 weeks
8%
over 45
14-26
weeks
2%
17%
11-20
5%
21-30
9%
10%
at least 50
weeks
59%
27-49
31-45
weeks
67%
24%
Two thirds of New
Mexico mothers who
work year-round (at
least 50 weeks per
year) also work full
time (31-45 hours
per week). Of these,
17% (11,283 mothers) work 45 hours
or more per week.
Mothers Working Year-round (At Least 50 Weeks Per Year):
Average Hours Per Week (1999)
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic, all races
%
Non-Hispanic White
%
Black
%
Native American
%
All other races
%
Total
%
1-10
586
1%
978
2%
39
2%
97
1%
84
3%
1,784
2%
Average weekly hours
11-20
21-30
31-45 Over 45 Total
1,686
3,498 31,735 5,627 43,132
4%
8%
74%
13%
2,958
4,281 24,834 9,527 42,578
7%
10%
58%
22%
30
171
1,170
175
1,585
2%
11%
74%
11%
130
351
7,104
585
8,267
2%
4%
86%
7%
224
230
1,927
538
3,003
7%
8%
64%
18%
5,028
8,531 66,770 16,452 98,565
5%
9%
68%
17%
44
Eighty five percent
of mothers who
work year-round
work at least 30
hours per week.
The percentage of
employed mothers
working at least 30
hours per week
was highest for
Native Americans
(93%) and lowest
for White NonHispanics (80%).
Earnings of
Mothers
Working Full
Time
The average earnings of
mothers working full-time
and year-round vary considerably by race and ethnicity.
Asian mothers earn almost
twice what Black mothers
do. The average earnings
of White Non-Hispanic
mothers exceed those of
Hispanic mothers by 26%,
and Native American mothers by 32%.
Average Earnings of Mothers Who Work Full Time
(at Least 35 hours per week) and Year Round
(At Least 50 Weeks Per Year) (1999)
By Race / Ethnicity
$ 60,000
$ 43,478
$ 40,000
$ 30,859
$ 24,412
$ 23,299
$ 22,824
$ 20,000
$Hispanic, all
races
Mothers who work full-time
year round have
considerably lower poverty
rates than mothers overall.
However 6% are poor and
another 22% live near the
poverty threshold.
White No nHispanic
B lack
A sian
Native A merican
Income Distribution of Mothers Who Work
Full-time and Year-round 1999
Under 100%
FPL
at least 300%
48%
Despite working full time,
year round, 28% of mothers
earn less than 200% FPL.
6%
100% to 199%
FPL
22%
200% to 299%
FPL
24%
45
The rate of poverty for
mothers who work full-time
and year-round varies
substantially across race and
ethnicity. Thirteen percent of
African American mothers and
11% of Native American
mothers who work full-time
and year-round raise their
children in poverty, compared
to 3% of both Asian and White
Non-Hispanic mothers.
Percent of Mothers Working Full-time, Year-round
Who Live in Poverty (1999)
By Race / Ethnicity
16%
13%
11%
12%
8%
7%
3%
4%
3%
0%
Hispanic
White Non-
Black
Asian
Hispanic
Native
American
Income Distribution of Mothers Who Work Full Time
(at Least 35 Hours Per Week) and Year Round
(at Least 50 Weeks Per year) 1999
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Asian & PI
Native American
Total
Household income as a percent of the
federal poverty level
under
100% to
200% to
at least
100%
199%
299%
300%
7%
27%
26%
40%
3%
15%
22%
60%
13%
31%
24%
32%
3%
10%
16%
71%
11%
34%
26%
30%
6%
22%
24%
48%
46
Less than half of mothers who
work full-time year-round have
household income in excess
of three times the federal
poverty threshold. However,
the percentage of mothers
with this level of economic
success ranges from less
than one third (30%) for Native
Americans to 60% for White
New Mexico has the nation’s highest rate of uninsured children. Approximately 21% of New
Mexico children (roughly 107,000 children) lack health insurance.
Number and Percent of New Mexico Uninsured Children
By Age
Health Care
Coverage
Total children
Uninsured
Percent uninsured
509,122
106,916
21%
0 through 5 years
152,737
25,965
17%
6 through 17 years
356,385
81,969
23%
All children (0 - 17 years)
Number and Percent of Uninsured Children
By Poverty Status
Children’s
Health
Insurance
Most of New Mexico’s
uninsured children are from
low- or moderate-income
families. Approximately
three-quarters of uninsured
children in New Mexico
have family income less
than 235% of the federal
poverty level ($18,400 for a
family of 4 in 2003), and
are therefore eligible, on
the basis of income, for
free or low cost health
insurance through New
Mexico’s Medicaid
program.
Poverty status
Under 100% FPL
100%-199% FPL
200%-250% FPL
Over 250% FPL
Total
Total children
122,200
140,300
49,000
197,600
509,100
Uninsured
42,100
31,500
11,000
22,400
107,000
Percent uninsured
34%
22%
22%
11%
21%
Sources: Percent uninsured: Average of Census Bureau’s March Current Population
Survey files from 2000 through 2002 prepared by the Population Reference Bureau
for the Annie E Casey Foundation.
Total children: 2000 Census 5% Public Use Microdata Sample for New Mexico
Over one third of children living in poverty lack health insurance.
47
Health Insurance Coverage of New Mexico Children
By Race / Ethnicity and Poverty Status (1999-2001)
Total
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
Under 100% FPL
Over 100% FPL
insured uninsured insured uninsured insured uninsured
83%
17%
79%
21%
86%
14%
White
Black
Native
85%
82%
16%
18%
73%
75%
27%
N/A
86%
86%
14%
29%
American
Total
60%
79%
40%
21%
24%
66%
76%
34%
77%
84%
22%
16%
The percentage of Hispanic
children who are uninsured
is 17%, but the largest
number of all uninsured
children are Hispanic (40%
of all uninsured children are
Hispanic). A high percentage of Native American
children are uninsured and
the number of uninsured
Native American children is
also high: 35% of all uninsured children are Native
American, even though
Native American children
are only 12% of New
Mexico’s child population.
Percentage of All Uninsured
Children in New Mexico
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
Native American
40%
35%
Lack of health insurance is
most prevalent among New
Mexico’s Native American
children and least prevalent
among White Non-Hispanic
children. Over three
quarters of Native American
children living in poverty lack
health insurance. White
Non-Hispanic children in
households above the
poverty level have the
lowest rate of un-insurance.
White non-Hispanic
25%
48
Insured
Children
Private
Coverage
Indian
Health
Service
Private coverage
Over half of New Mexico’s insured children
have private health insurance. In New Mexico,
almost 80% of private health insurance is
acquired through employment (US Census,
2003). The prevalence of employersponsored children’s health insurance varies
by race and ethnicity. Over two thirds of White
Non-Hispanic parents of insured children
report that their children are insured through
their employment, compared to only 40% of
Native American parents (New Mexico Health
Policy Commission, 2003).
Percent of Children Insured Through
Parent’s Employment
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Native American
All other
Total
49%
67%
40%
55%
51%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy
Commission 2003 Survey of New Mexico
Households, unpublished data
Indian Health Service
Thirty eight percent of Native American parents whose children were insured reported
that the Indian Health Service (IHS) was their children’s primary health insurance. IHS
is an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services that is charged
with providing a comprehensive healthcare delivery system for members of federallyrecognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their descendents. However,
access to IHS services does not constitute health insurance, nor is IHS an entitlement
program. Unlike privately insured people, or recipients of Medicare or Medicaid, Indians
who utilize IHS are not assured access to a defined package of health care services.
In fact, federal IHS appropriations are estimated to constitute only 59 percent of the
funding necessary to provide all medically necessary healthcare to the Native
Americans currently utilizing IHS services, and 54% percent of the funding necessary
to provide all medically necessary healthcare to the Native Americans living within IHS
service areas (Indian Health Service, 1999).
49
New Mexico Medicaid Enrollees
By Age (August 2003)
Roughly 46% of New Mexico children
and over half of New Mexicos insured
children are enrolled in Medicaid.
Medicaid is a publicly-financed health
insurance program serving low income
children, pregnant women, elderly, and
disabled New Mexicans. As of August
2003, 412,460 New Mexicans were
enrolled in Medicaid. Approximately
two-thirds of New Mexico Medicaid
recipients (272,000) were children.
15-20
14%
21-64
Under 21
28%
65%
6-14
29%
1-5
20%
Under 1
3%
Over 65
6%
Native
American
17%
White
21%
Black
2%
Estimated Medicaid Enrollment
By Age and Race / Ethnicity
(August 2003)
Hispanic
59%
Asian
1%
Source: New Mexico Human Services
Department Medical Assistance
Division, unpublished data.
Hispanic
White
Black
Asian & PI
Native American
total
Conventional Medicaid covers children
in households with income up to 185%
of the federal poverty level ($34,040
for a family of four in 2003). The State
Children’s Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP) provides Medicaid coverage
to children in households with income
between 185% FPL and 235% FPL
(between $34,040 and $43,420 for a
family of four in 2003).
Under 21
152,702
55,730
5,643
1,417
44,241
259,733
According to the N.M. Human Services Department, nearly 45,000 Native American children are enrolled in Medicaid. The large
apparent discrepancy between the estimates of uninsured Native American children derived from Census data and the New
Mexico Medical Assistance Division’s enrollment data is attributable to several factors inherent to the data sources used and
illustrates the difficulties associated with accurately estimating and tracking insurance rates for children. First, we have
categorized as “Native American” those who: (1) were counted by the 2000 Census; (2) were reported on the Census to be
“Native American only” (as opposed to “Native American and some other race”); and (3) had one or more specific tribal
affiliations. This population of children is considerably smaller than those children potentially defined as “Native American” by
the Medical Assistance Division, which might include children of mixed race or those overlooked by the Census in their counts
of Native American enrollees. Second, the Census data is specific to children under the age of 18, whereas, the Medical
Assistance Division data is for children 0 through 20. Third, there is confusion about IHS and Medicaid. Some Native American
parents believe their children are “insured” by IHS, when they are in fact insured by Medicaid. But, if parents responded to
Census questions that their children were insured by IHS, they were counted as uninsured. Finally, the Census data are from
2000 and 2001, while the Medical Assistance data is for 2003. Both the population of Native American children and enrollment
in New Mexico Medicaid increased steadily between 2000 and 2003.
50
Medicaid
Parents‘
Health
Insurance
Coverage
New Mexico has the nation’s highest rate of uninsured parents.
Approximately 28% of New Mexico parents, and 47% of New
Mexico’s low income parents, lack health insurance (Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities). This is not surprising given that most
non-elderly adults in the US obtain private health insurance through
their employment, and New Mexico ranks extremely low among
states in the percent of private employers offering health insurance
to their employees (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
1998). Roughly 48% of New Mexico’s private employers offer
employee health insurance, and only 23% of private employers with
more than 50% low wage employees offer health insurance (ibid) to
their workers.
Able bodied, non-elderly adults also have extremely limited access
to government-subsidized health insurance. In New Mexico,
parents can obtain Medicaid coverage, if and only if, (a) they are
low income (less than $28,231 for a family of three in 2003) and
pregnant; (b) have certain disabilities; or (c) have minor children
and exceedingly low income (typically less than $5,000 per year for
a family of three).
The New Mexico Health Policy Commission’s (NMHPC) 2003 Survey
of New Mexico Households provides valuable data on the health
insurance status of New Mexico parents. Overall, 71% of insured
parents who were surveyed had private coverage. However, the
percent of insured parents with private coverage ranged from 39%
for Native Americans to 78% for White Non-Hispanic parents.
Medicaid and Medicare enrollments ranged from 6% of White NonHispanic parents to 12% of Hispanic parents surveyed. Forty four
percent of insured Native American parents referred to the Indian
Health Service (IHS) as their primary source of insurance coverage.
This statistic is troubling because IHS is not health insurance.
Despite the IHS mandate to provide a comprehensive health care
system for federally recognized tribes, IHS does not provide Native
Americans with a defined benefit package or even a guarantee of
all medically necessary services. Therefore, it is likely that many
Native American parents who consider themselves insured actually
lack health insurance.
51
Employed Parents
By Race / Ethnicity: Health Insurance
Available Through Employment (2002)
E m p lo y e r he a lth
c o vera g e
N ot
O f f e red o f f ered
H isp a n ic
36%
64%
N o n -H isp a n ic W hit e
34%
66%
N a tive A m eric a n
41%
59%
T o ta l
34%
66%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003
Survey of New Mexico Households, unpublished data
Insured Parents
By Race / Ethnicity:
Type of Coverage (2002)
Type of coverage
Medicaid /
Hispanic
White
Native
American
Total
Private
64%
78%
Medicare
12%
6%
39%
71%
10%
9%
IHS Other
1% 23%
0% 16%
44%
2%
7%
18%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003
Survey of New Mexico Households, unpublished data.
Research shows that when patients consistently receive healthcare in the same place or from the same
provider they are more satisfied with the quality of their care (Franks, Cameron, an Bertakis, 2003). Continuity
improves the quality of care by increasing the provider’s knowledge of their patients thereby increasing
opportunities for coordination of care. Numerous studies show that children and adults with a usual source
of care that is not an emergency room are more likely to receive timely preventive healthcare, including
immunizations (American family physician, 2001; and Merzel and Moon, 2002).
Healthcare
Access
Children’s Usual Source of Medical Care (2002)
By Race / Ethnicity
Usual source of medical care
ER or
Dr's office
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Native American
All other races
Total
or clinic
82%
89%
88%
87%
86%
urgent care No usual source
center
3%
2%
3%
0%
2%
of care
14%
9%
10%
13%
11%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003 Survey of New Mexico
Households, unpublished data.
52
Overall, 13% of parents surveyed
by the NMHPC reported that their
children either had no usual
source of medical care or usually
received their healthcare in an
emergency room or urgent care
center. Eleven percent of White
Non-Hispanic parents and
seventeen percent of Hispanic
parents reported that their
children either had no usual
source of medical care or usually
utilized an emergency room or
urgent care center for healthcare.
Healthcare
Access:
Parents
Overall, 17% of New Mexico
parents surveyed by the
NMHPC reported that they had
no usual source of medical
care, or usually received
healthcare at an emergency
room or urgent care center.
The percent of parents
reporting that they had no usual
source of medical care or
usually received healthcare at
an emergency room or urgent
care center ranged from 9% for
Native American parents to
20% for Hispanic parents.
Fifty four percent of parents
surveyed by the NMHPC
reported that they needed
healthcare for health problems
in 2002. Of these, 81%
reported that they had been able
to obtain that healthcare
whenever they needed it.
However, the percent of parents
who were able to access all
needed care for health
problems ranged from 68% for
Native American parents to 85%
for White Non-Hispanic parents.
Parents’ Usual Source of Medical Care (2002)
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Native American
Total
Doctor
ER/Urgent
/Clinic
68%
75%
83%
72%
care
4%
4%
2%
4%
None
16%
12%
7%
13%
Other
12%
10%
7%
10%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003 Survey of New Mexico
Households, unpublished data
Percent of Parents Who Needed Healthcare Who Were
Able to Receive Treatment As Needed
Self-Reported (2002)
Hispanic
White (Non-Hispanic)
Native American
Total
76%
85%
68%
81%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003 Survey of
New Mexico Households, unpublished data
Data on parents’ access to health insurance and health care from the
New Mexico Health Policy Commission’s 2003 Survey of New Mexico
Households. The data are not statistically weighted and thus may
not be representative of New Mexico’s population overall.
53
Parents’ Rating of Health Care Quality (2002)
By Race / Ethnicity
healthcare quality
Seventy eight percent of New Mexico
parents surveyed by the NMHPC
graded the quality of healthcare they
received in the previous year as either
“good” or “excellent.” Eighty one
percent of White Non-Hispanic parents
graded their healthcare as “good” or
“excellent” compared to 74% of Native
American parents and 73% of Hispanic
parents.
% good or
excellent
% poor
Hispanic, all races
73%
5%
White Non-Hispanic
81%
2%
Native American
74%
5%
Total
78%
3%
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003
Survey of New Mexico Households, unpublished data
Travel to Usual Source of Healthcare (2002)
By Race / Ethnicity
d ista n c e ( miles) time ( minu tes)
H ispa nic
15
20
W hite N o n -H ispa n ic
13
18
N a tive A meric a n
20
25
T ota l
13
18
Source: New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003 Survey of
New Mexico Households, unpublished data
On average, New Mexico parents
reported traveling 13 miles to their usual
source of healthcare. Native American
parents traveled, on average, 20 miles
and reported an average one-way trip
time of 25 minutes.
Sources (This Section)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Cost and Financing
Studies. 1998 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey — Insurance Component.
Table II.A.1.b(1998).
Indian Health Service, 2000. Level of Funding Needed Summary
Report FY 1999. http://www.ihs.gov/nonmedicalprograms/lnf/. Last
accessed on July 30, 2003.
American Family Physician Policy Center. 2001. “The Importance of
Primary Care Physicians as the Usual Source of Healthcare in the
Achievement of Prevention Goals” http://www.aafp.org/afp/
20001101/policy.html
Merzel C, Moon-Howard J. “Access to health services in an urban
community: does source of care make a difference?” J Urban Health.
2002 Jun;79(2):186-99.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. unpublished tabulation of Census
Bureaus March Current Population Survey data for 1998-2000.
New Mexico Health Policy Commission 2003 Survey of New Mexico
Households, unpublished data.
Ettner SL. “The timing of preventive services for women and children: the effect
of having a usual source of care.” American Journal of Public Health. 1996
Dec;86(12):1748-54
Reynis L. A., Alcantara A,. Health Care Coverage and Access in New
Mexico. An analysis of the 1999 Health Policy Commission Statewide
Household Survey of Health Care Coverage. Bureau of Business and
Economic Research, University of New Mexico, 2000.
Franks, P., Cameron, C. and Bertakis, K.D. “On Being New to an Insurance Plan:
Health Care Use Associated With the First Years in a Health Insurance Plan”
Ann. Fam. Med, September 1, 2003; 1(3): 156 - 161.
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPS Annual Social and
Economic Supplement http://ferret,bls.census.gov/macro/032003/
health/toc.htm.
54
Sources
Language
Thirty one percent
(117,080) of New Mexico
children over the age of 4
speak a language other
than English. Asian
children are most likely
to speak a language
other than English,
followed by Hispanic
children and Native
American children. Only
4% of White NonHispanic children, and
2% of Black children,
speak a language other
than English.
Number of Children Over Age 4 Who Speak A Language
Other Than English (2000)
Speak non-English Language
Hispanic, all races
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Asian & PI
Native American
Navajo
Pueblo
Other tribe(s)
All other races
Total
Yes
88,185
5,724
139
1,670
20,054
13,959
4,949
1,146
1,308
117,080
No
99,313
123,735
5,820
1,141
25,508
15,966
3,860
5,682
7,506
263,023
Total
187,498
129,459
5,959
2,811
45,562
29,925
8,809
6,828
8,814
380,103
Percent of Children Over the Age of Four Who Speak A Language
Other Than English (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
80%
59%
60%
47%
44%
40%
31%
20%
4%
2%
White
Black
0%
Hispanic, all
races
55
Asian
Native
American
Total
Children Who Speak A Language Other Than English,
Percent, Language (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
H isp a n ic , a ll ra c es
N o n -H isp a n ic W hite
Bla c k
A sia n
N a tive A m eric a n
T o ta l
S p a n ish C hin ese V ietn a m ese
99%
0%
0%
65%
0%
0%
87%
0%
0%
0%
18%
19%
2%
0%
0%
79%
0%
0%
N a va jo
0%
0%
0%
0%
72%
13%
K eres
0%
0%
0%
0%
11%
2%
O the r
N a tive
A m eric a n
la n g u a g e
0%
0%
0%
0%
14%
2%
Ability to Speak English Among Children Who Speak A Language
Other Than English (2001)
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic, all races
Non-Hispanic White
Asian & PI
Native American
Total
very well
58,257
66%
4,394
77%
1,020
61%
13,322
65%
77,748
66%
well
18,173
21%
883
15%
556
33%
5,260
26%
25,111
21%
not well
9,948
11%
447
8%
94
6%
1,763
9%
12,357
11%
not at all
1,807
2%
0
0%
0
0%
35
0%
1,864
2%
56
Seventy nine percent (92,152)
of New Mexico children who
speak a language other than
English speak Spanish. Over
seventeen percent (20,547) of
children who speak a language
other than English speak a
Native American language.
Navajo is spoken by roughly
15,000 New Mexico children
over the age of 4. Navajo is the
most commonly spoken Native
American language in New
Mexico. Keres (Eastern and
Western) is a language spoken
by the Indians of Cochiti, Santo
Domingo, San Felipe, Santa
Ana, Acoma, Zia, and Laguna
Pueblos. Keres is spoken by
approximately 2,265 New
Mexico children over the age
of 4.
Two thirds of New Mexico
children over the age of 4 who
speak a language other than
English speak English “very
well”. Asian children who speak
a language other than English
are least likely to speak English
“very well”. Two percent of New
Mexico children who speak a
language other than English
(1,807 children) do not speak
English at all. Almost all of
these children are Hispanic.
Linguistic
Isolation
“Linguistic isolation” is a
termed used by the US
Census to refer to households
in which all adults are limited in
their ability to speak English. A
household is considered
“linguistically isolated” if no
household member over the
age of 13 speaks English only,
and no household member
over the age of 13 who speaks
a language other than English
speaks English “very well”.
The US Census tabulates all
the members of a linguistically
isolated household as
linguistically isolated, including
members under the age 14
who may speak English “very
well” or who speak English
only.
Number and Percentage of New Mexico Children Living in Linguistically
Isolated Households (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic, all races
Non-Hispanic White
Black
Asian & PI
Native American
Navajo
Pueblo
other tribe(s)
Total
28,783
885
9
858
5,002
3,945
819
211
35,762
Children in Linguistically
Isolated Households
Native American
14%
Asian & PI
2%
White
The majority of children who
live in linguistically isolated
household are Hispanic. The
children who are the most
likely to be linguistically
isolated are Asian. Twenty
percent (20%) of Asian children
live in linguistically isolated
households.
2%
Hispanic, all races
82%
57
11%
1%
0%
20%
8%
10%
7%
3%
7%
In 2000, at least 19,442 New
Mexico children, or 4% of all
children, were foreign-born (that
is, born outside of the U.S.)
Eighty three percent of
immigrant children were
Hispanic.
Foreign Born Children in New Mexico (2000)
Asian & PI
1,269
White
1,523
(7%)
other race(s)
442
(2%)
(8%)
Fourteen percent of foreign-born
children are naturalized citizens
and 86% are not US citizens.
Forty four percent of immigrant
children are linguistically
isolated.
Hispanic
16,208
(83%)
Ancestry
Seventy three percent of New
Mexico’s immigrant children are
of Mexican ancestry. Roughly
1% of immigrant children trace
their ancestry to Central
America and 1% trace their
ancestry to South America.
Another 7% of New Mexico’s
foreign-born children are
Hispanics of “other Spanish”
ancestry.
Immigrant Children: Number and Percentage of
All Children
By Race / Ethnicity
Number of Children
Hispanic, all races
16,208
Non-Hispanic White
1,523
Asian & PI
1,269
Total
19,442
Percent of children
6%
1%
30%
4%
58
New Mexico’s Asian immigrant
children represent a diverse
array of ancestries including
Vietnamese, Korean, and Indian.
Thirty five percent of Asian
immigrant children in New
Mexico are Chinese.
Immigrant
Children
Immigrant Children: Family Structure and Parental Labor
Force Participation 2000
(Percent of All Immigrant Children By Family Structure,
Parental Labor Force Participation)
Eighty nine percent of
all immigrant children
in New Mexico live
with one or both
parents. Nearly three
fourths (73%) live with
two parents. Over
eighty percent of
children living with
their parents have at
least one working
parent.
Status of Parents
Number children living Both Work ing One Working Neither Working
with 2 parents
4,097 (21%)
7,803 (40%)
2,238 (12%)
Number children living
with 1 parent
Total children living
with parents by
Family Structure
Immigrant children
not living with parents
Total number
immigrant children
4,097 (21%)
Total
14,138 (73%)
2,195 (11%)
1,027 (5%)
3,222 (16%)
9,998 (51%)
3,265 (17%)
17360 (89%)
n/a
n/a
n/a
2,082 (11%)
n/a
n/a
n/a
19,442 (100%)
At least 300%
Poverty Status of Foreign
Born Children (2000)
(2,133)
Yet, despite the fact
that most parents of
immigrant children
work, 42% of New
Mexico’s foreign born
children live in poverty.
200 to 299%
(2,310)
Under 100%
(8,234)
100 to 199%
6,369
59
Poverty status reflects children in
households only.
Frequent moves can be disruptive
to children. Research indicates
that frequent school changes lower
student achievement and can place
children as much as a year behind
their peers academically. (Kerbow,
1996). Students who change
schools frequently are also at
greater risk of dropping out
(Rumberger & Larson, 1998).
Children Five Years and Older,
Residence Five Years Ago (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
Different house
Same house
Outside US
Inside US
Hispanic, all races
55%
3%
42%
White
Black
48%
39%
2%
1%
50%
60%
Asian & PI
41%
17%
42%
Native American
69%
1%
31%
68%
72%
54%
0%
1%
3%
32%
27%
44%
Navajo
Pueblo
Total
Over half of New Mexico children
over the age of four (54%) have
lived in the same house for at least
five years. Native American
children (69%) are the least likely to
have moved in the last five years.
Black children are most likely to
have moved in the last five years.
Source: 2000 Census Public Use Microdata Sample for New Mexico
New Mexico Children: Parental Home Ownership (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
Ow ned by someone
in household
Rented by
w ith
ow ned someone in
mortgage outright household Other*
H ispanic, all races
52%
17%
28%
3%
Non-H ispanic White
65%
9%
22%
4%
Black
32%
6%
54%
8%
Asian
57%
8%
27%
8%
Native American
32%
39%
24%
5%
31%
28%
54%
38%
53%
16%
24%
18%
26%
6%
2%
4%
Navajo
Pueblo
Total
Seventy percent of New Mexico
children live in a home that is
owned by one of its residents
(usually a parent). Over eighty
percent of Pueblo children live in a
home that is owned by its residents
and over fifty percent of Pueblo
children live in a home that is
owned outright. Black children
(54%) are more likely than children
of any other race to live in a rented
house or apartment.
*occupied without payment of cash rent or group quarters
Source: 2000 Census Public Use Microdata Sample for New Mexico
60
Residential
Mobility
Percent of Children Living in Owner-occupied Homes (2000)
80%
74%
69%
71%
70%
Native
Total
64%
60%
White children are most
likely, and Black children are
least likely, to be living in an
owner-occupied home.
38%
40%
20%
0%
Hispanic, all
White
Black
Asian & PI
races
American
New Mexico Children, Percent Living in Owner-occupied Homes (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity and Geographic Location
Children of all races/
ethnicities (except Navajo)
living in suburban counties
(Sandoval and Valencia) are
most likely to live in an
owner-occuped home. Less
than one third of rural Black
children live in an owner
occupied home -- by far the
lowest percentage of any
race/ethnicity.
Rural
Urban
Suburban
Hispanic, all races
White Non-Hispanic
Black
70%
70%
30%
66%
75%
44%
81%
85%
44%
Asian and PI
64%
61%
na
Native American
72%
53%
82%
Navajo
72%
45%
63%
Pueblo
75%
70%
72%
68%
90%
82%
Total
61
Owner-occupied Homes that Include Children:
Selected Owner Costs as a Percentage of
Household Income (2000)
By Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
White
Black
Rural
26%
24%
N/A
Urban
Suburban
27%
30%
24%
26%
33%
N/A
Total
27%
25%
31%
Asian
N/A
24%
N/A
25%
Native American
Total
20%
24%
25%
26%
19%
27%
20%
25%
Families With Children: Homeownership Costs as a
Percent of Gross Household Income
By Family Poverty Status
Under 100% FPL
44%
100 to 199% FPL
28%
200 to 299% FPL
21%
At least 300% FPL
Total
17%
25%
The Census Bureau defines
“selected owner costs” as “the
sum of payments for
mortgages, deeds of trust,
contracts to purchase, or
similar debts on the property;
real estate taxes; fire, hazard,
and flood insurance on the
property; utilities; and fuels. It
also includes, where
appropriate, the monthly
condominium fees or mobile
home costs.” Monthly owner
costs as a percentage of
monthly household income
are highest for Black families
and lowest for Native
American families.
The percentage of gross
family income spent on
homeownership increases
with poverty. The poorest
homeowners spent 44% of
their gross income on
housing.
62
The Cost
of Home
Ownership
Families with Children: Rent as a Percent of Gross
Household Income by Poverty Status
For the very poor, renting is
even more expensive than
owning. On average, poor
parents pay 51% of their
monthly gross income in rent.
The Cost
of Renting
Rent as a percent of
Poverty Status
household income
Under 100% FPL
51%
100 to 199% FPL
26%
200 to 299% FPL
20%
At least 300% FPL
Total
14%
34%
Rented Homes that Include Children:
Gross Rent as a Percent of Household Income
by Race/Ethnicity of Children
The costs of renting are more
similar across race/ethnicity
than the costs of home
ownership. But, rent exceeds
homeownership costs as a
percentage of household
income for all races/ethnic
groups.
Hispanic, all races
White, Non-Hispanic
Black
Asian
Rural
33%
31%
N/A
N/A
Urban
36%
30%
38%
32%
Suburban
40%
33%
N/A
N/A
Total
35%
31%
35%
30%
Native American
Total
25%
31%
40%
35%
20%
34%
28%
33%
Homes with Children: Telephone Available
By Race / Ethnicity
Availability of
Telephones
Seven percent of New Mexico
children live in a household
that lacks a telephone.
Children living in rural
counties are more likely than
urban or suburban children to
live in a home that lacks a
phone. Almost one third of
Native American children live
in a home that lacks a phone,
compared to 2% of White
Non-Hispanic children.
Rural
Urban
Suburban
Total
H ispanic
Non-H ispanic White
Black
8,419
2,115
n/a
8%
3%
n/a
4,596
525
n/a
3%
1390
6%
1% na
na
n/a
n/a
n/a
14,405
2,888
336
Native American
Navajo
Pueblo
Total
16,304
14,214
877
27,299
35%
41%
15%
12%
829
589
n/a
6,323
12%
17%
n/a
3%
19,232 32%
15,974 40%
1,844 16%
37,507
7%
2,099
1,171
859
3,885
34%
73%
22%
8%
Sources
Kerbow, D., “Patterns of Urban Student Mobility and Local School Reform” Journal of
Education for Students Placed at Risk, 1(2), 1996.
Rumberger, R.W., Larson, K.A., “Student Mobility and the Increased Risk of High School
Dropout,” American Journal of Education, 107(1), pp. 1-35, 1998.
63
6%
2%
4%
Index of
Tables
New Mexico’s Children By Race/Ethnicity 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number and Percent of All Native American
Children (2000) By Tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Percent of New Mexico Residents Reporting
Native American Ancestry on the 2000 Census
Who Consider Themselves to be “Native
American Only” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Age Distribution of New Mexico Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Mexico Counties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number and Percentage of Urban and Non-Urban
Distribution of Children By Race/Ethnicity (2000) . . . . . . . . .
Number of Children Urban and Non-Urban By
Race/Ethnicity (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number of Native American Children Non-Urban
and Urban By Tribe (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number of Children By Federal Poverty Level (2000)
By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Percentage Children in Poverty Each Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Percentage Native American Children in Poverty
by Tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1999 Median Family Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Depth of Poverty: Income-to-Poverty Ratiosfor
Children Living in Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Mexico 2001 Infant Mortality Rates (2002)
By Race/Ethnicity
Mortality Rates for New Mexico Tribes
Mother’s Age at Birth of Oldest Child Percent
Poor By Race/Ethnicity (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
U.S. and New Mexico Live Birth Rates: Girls Ages
15 through 19 By Race/Ethnicity (N.M.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total New Mexico Live Births and Births to
Teens (2001) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Births to New Mexico Teenagers Ages 15-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2001 New Mexico Teen Mothers: Percent Unmarried . . . . . . .
Percent First and Repeat Births for New Mexico
Teen Mothers (2001) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Percentage Change in Family Structure: Children
Living with Parents 1990-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Mexico Children By Relationship to Householder
By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Race and Ethnicity of New Mexico Children in
“Skipped Generation” Households 1990-2000 . . . . . . . . . . .
Age of New Mexico Children in “Skipped
Generation” Households 1990-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
65
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
14
14
14
16
17
20
20
22
23
24
24
25
25
28
31
32
33
TANF Cases, May 2003 By Race/Ethnicity and
Family Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Mothers Living in Poverty Receiving Public
Assistance (PA) Income 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Percent of TANF Recipients Working
July 1998 - June 1999 By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . 36
Percent of TANF Recipients Not Currently
Working, But Looking for Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Percent of Respondents Working 6-9 Months
After Leaving TANF By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Parents Employed 6-9 Months After Leaving
TANF: Average Weekly Hours Worked . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Parents Employed 6-9 Months After Leaving
TANF: Percent Who Believe They Have a
Chance for Promotion in Their Current Job . . . . . 39
Number and Percent of Children Living With
their Parents By Parents’ Labor Force
Participation 2000 By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Number and Percent of Children With All
Parents in the Labor Force 2000 By
Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Mothers With Minor Children at Home
Employment in the Previous Year By
Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Percent Mothers Working Specified Number
of Weeks 1999 By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Mothers Working Year-round (At Least 50
Weeks Per Year): Average Hours Per
Week (1999) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Income Distribution of Mothers Who
Work Full Time (at Least 35 Hours
Per Week) and Year Round (at Least
50 Weeks Per Year) 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Number and Percent of New Mexico
Uninsured Children By Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Number and Percent of Uninsured Children
By Poverty Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Health Insurance Coverage of New Mexico
Children By Race/Ethnicity and Poverty
Status (1900-2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Percent Children Insured Through
Parent’s Employment By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . 49
Estimated Medicaid Enrollment By Age
and Race/Ethnicity (August 2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Employed Parents By Race/Ethnicity: Health
Insurance Available Through Employment (2002) . . . . . . . . . .51
Insured Parents By Race/Ethnicity:
Type of Coverage (2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Children’s Usual Source of Medical Care (2002)
By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Parents’ Usual Source of Medical Care (2002). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Percent of Parents Who Needed Healthcare
Who Were Able to Receive Treatment As
Needed Self-Reported (2002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Parents Rating of Health Care Quality
(2002 By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Travel to Usual Source of Healthcare (2002)
By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Number of Children Over Age 4 Who Speak
A Language Other Than English (2000). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Children Who Speak A Language OtherThan
English Percent By Language (2000) By
Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 56
Ability to Speak English Among Children Who
Speak A Language Other than English (2001)
By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Number and Percentage of New Mexico Children
Living in Linguistically Isolated Households
(2000) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Immigrant Children: Number and Percentage of
All Children By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Immigrant Children: Family Structure and
Parental Labor Force Participation 2000
(Percent al All Immigrant Children by Family
Structure, Parental Labor Force Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Children Five Years and Older Residence Five
Years Ago (2000) By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
New Mexico Children: Parental Home Ownership
(2000) By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
New Mexico Children, Percent Living in
Owner-Occupied Homes (2000) By
Race/Ethnicity and Geographic Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Owner-occupied Homes that Include
Children: Selected Owner Costs as a
Percentage of Household Income
(2000) By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Families with Children: Homeownership Costs
as a Percent of Gross Household Income
by Poverty Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Families with Children: Rent as a
Percent of Gross Household Income by
Poverty Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rented Homes that Include Children:
Gross Rent as a Percent of Household
Income by Race/Ethnicity of Children. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telephone Available in Home
By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
66
62
63
63
63
Index of
Graphs and
Pie Charts
New Mexico’s Children by
Race/Ethnicity 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Number and Percentof All Native American
Children (2000) By Tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Age Distribution of New Mexico’s
Children (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Child Population Change: 1990-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Population Change 1990-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Child Population 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Child Population 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Percentage Children Under Six by
Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Age Distribution of Native American Children . . . . . . . 8
New Mexico Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
New Mexico’s Rural Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
New Mexico’s Urban Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Native American Children: Urban and
Non-Urban (2000). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Income Distribution of New Mexico Children . . . . . . . . 13
Poverty Status of NM’s urban children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Poverty status of NM’s suburban children. . . . . . . . . . . 13
Poverty status of NM’s rural children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Where New Mexico Children Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Income-to-Poverty Ratios: Metro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Income-to-Poverty: Non-Metro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Median Family Income (1999) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Median Family Income for Tribes (1999) . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Percent of New Mexico Children by Federal
Poverty Level (Depth of Poverty) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Depth of Poverty: All Children Living in
Poverty (2000) By Race/Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 18
Depth of Poverty: Tribes (2000). . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . 18
Poverty Status of Teen Mothers in
New Mexico (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . 21
Mothers of Children Under 6:
Percent Poor (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
U.S. Births per 1,000 Girls Ages
15 to 19 (1980-2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Percentage Children by Family Structure
By Race/Ethnicity (2000). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Percentage Native American Children
By Family Structure By Tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Percentage Children by Family Structure
By Race/Ethnicity 1990-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
67
Relationship to Householder All New Mexico
Children (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Relationship of Children to Householder
By Race/Ethnicity (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 30
Relationship to Householder: Tribes (2000) . . . . . . . 30
TANF Cases (ay 2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Percent of Poor Mothers Receivig Public
Assistance By Race/Ethnicity 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Income-to-Poverty Ratios: Mothers Receiving
Public Assistance (1999) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . 35
Average Weekly Hours of Work: Mothers
Who Received Public Assistance (1999) . . . . . . . . . 35
Parents Employed 6-9 Months After Leaving
TANF: Average Monthly Earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Infants: Percent with All Parents in Labor
Force 1990 and 2000 by Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . 42
Working Moms: Average Weeks Worked in
the Previous Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Mothers Working Year Round: Average
Hours Worked er Week (1999) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Average Earnings of Mothers Who Work
Full Time (at Least 35 hours per week)
and Year Round (At Least 50 weeks per
year) (1999) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Income Distribution of Mothers Who
Work Full-time and Year-round 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Percent of Mothers Working Full-time,
Year-round Who Live in Poverty (1999) . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Percentage of Uninsured Children in
New Mexico By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
New Mexico Medicaid Enrollees
By Age (August 2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Estimated Medicaid Enrollment By Age
and Race/Ethnicity (August 2003). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Percent of Children Over the Age of
Four Who Speak a Language Other
than English (2000) By Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Children in Linguistically Isolated Households . . . . . 57
Foreign Born Children in New Mexico (2000) . . . . . . .. 58
Poverty Status of Foreign Born
Children (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Percent of Children Living in
Owner-occupied Homes (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Thank you to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for funding
this KIDS COUNT publication, and other KIDS COUNT
special reports. Their funding makes it possible for us to
better understand the needs of our children. Any mistakes in the data presented are the sole responsibility of
New Mexico Voices for Children.
New Mexico Voices for Children
801 Encino Place N.E., Suite F-21
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
Phone: (505) 244-9505
Fax: (505) 244-9509
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nmvoices.org