New Mexico · FIPS 35025 · ACS 2020–2024
Lea County, New Mexico property tax rate
Homeowners in Lea County paid a median of $879 a year in real estate taxes on a median home value of $184,000 (2020–2024 survey). Taxes came to 0.52% of home value, 17% below the New Mexico rate of 0.63% and 45% below the U.S. rate of 0.94%.
- 0.52%Effective tax rate±0.09% margin · New Mexico: 0.63%
- $879Median tax per yearNew Mexico: $1,731 · U.S.: $3,119
- $184,000Median home valueNew Mexico: $248,100
- 17,559Owner-occupied homes71% of households own
| Measure | Lea County | New Mexico | U.S. | Lea County 2019–2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective tax rate | 0.52% | 0.63% | 0.94% | 0.52% | no change |
| Median tax, all owners | $879 | $1,731 | $3,119 | $824 | +$55 (+6.7%) |
| Median tax, with a mortgage | $1,548 | $2,030 | $3,489 | $1,439 | +$109 (+7.6%) |
| Median tax, no mortgage | $597 | $1,332 | $2,576 | $555 | +$42 (+7.6%) |
| Median home value | $184,000 | $248,100 | $332,700 | $176,000 | +$8,000 (+4.5%) |
| Total taxes paid | $23,410,600 | $1,149,262,600 | $360,573,527,500 | $20,978,100 |
How Lea County compares
- Per $1,000 of home value, owners here paid about $5.18 a year, against $6.27 statewide and $9.40 nationally.
- Rank in New Mexico: 10 of 22 counties from lowest to highest effective rate (among those with reliable estimates). Nationally, 20% of 2,682 counties had a lower rate.
- Homes with a mortgage: 0.70% of value; homes without one: 0.39%. Median bills: $1,548 and $597.
- Compared with the 2019–2023 survey, the effective rate rose (no change) and the median tax changed +$55 (+6.7%). The two 5-year surveys share four years of responses, so year-to-year moves are small and partly noise.
- Margin of error: the effective rate is 0.52% ± 0.09% at 90% confidence, from a sample of the 17,559 owner-occupied homes.
New Mexico counties with similar rates
| County | Effective rate | Median tax | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Miguel County | 0.47% | $1,081 | $188,500 |
| Colfax County | 0.51% | $867 | $167,200 |
| San Juan County | 0.52% | $1,317 | $193,800 |
| Lincoln County | 0.54% | $1,246 | $233,200 |
| Los Alamos County | 0.56% | $2,717 | $495,800 |
| Otero County | 0.56% | $902 | $162,700 |
| Sierra County | 0.57% | $789 | $152,600 |
| Valencia County | 0.57% | $1,374 | $223,000 |
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table-based summary file: B25090 (aggregate real estate taxes), B25082 (aggregate home value), B25103 (median real estate taxes), B25077 (median home value) and B25003 (tenure); files dated January 29, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates, same tables (files dated October 31, 2024), for the comparison column.
- Geography names: Census Bureau Geos20245YR.txt (file dated January 22, 2026).
Effective rate = total real estate taxes paid by owner-occupied homes ÷ their total value, as reported by owners to the Census Bureau. It is not a millage rate. Your bill depends on your assessed value, exemptions (such as homestead) and local levies.