Otero County
$651.6M in FY2025 federal spending, $9,605 per capita.
New Mexico · FIPS 35035
In FY2025, Otero County in New Mexico received $651.6M in federal spending - $9,605 per capita for a population of 67,839. This is 38.6% below the national average and 50.9% below the New Mexico average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Social Security Administration. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #16 of 33 New Mexico counties.
- Total spending
- $651.6M
- Per capita
- $9,605
- vs. national avg
- -38.6%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Otero County posts above-median federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending led by Social Security Administration, among several agencies.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 30%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $9,605
- Leading agency
- Social Security Administration
- 45.6% of tracked spending
- New Mexico rank
- #16 of 33
How Otero County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Otero County vs. New Mexico and the nation
Population: 67,839 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
Leading Federal Agencies in Otero County
Top awarding agencies in Otero County, FY2025
Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Social Security Administration is the most common leading agency nationally, topping 86% of agency-tracked counties.
These 3 agencies together account for $643.8M (98.8%) of Otero County's $651.6M in total tracked federal spending.
All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Otero County has no smaller residual awarding agencies broken out beyond this set, a compact agency footprint rather than a long tail of minor awardees.
Read the agency breakdown as a table
| Agency | Spending | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $293.6M | 45.6% |
| Department of Defense | $269.5M | 41.9% |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $80.7M | 12.5% |
How Otero County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$9,605 Top 30% higher than 70% of 3,224 US counties
Each bar is a $1K-wide band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USASpending.gov FY2025 + U.S. Census Bureau population estimates
Otero County Among New Mexico's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: New Mexico's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County | 676,444 | $17,868 | $12.1B |
| Doña Ana County | 219,561 | $7,841 | $1.7B |
| Santa Fe County | 154,823 | $16,576 | $2.6B |
| Sandoval County | 148,834 | $8,082 | $1.2B |
| San Juan County | 121,661 | $8,415 | $1.0B |
| Valencia County | 76,205 | $7,359 | $560.8M |
| Lea County | 74,455 | $4,263 | $317.4M |
| Mckinley County | 72,902 | $10,373 | $756.2M |
| Otero County (this county) | 67,839 | $9,605 | $651.6M |
| Chaves County | 65,157 | $6,895 | $449.3M |
| Eddy County | 62,314 | $6,052 | $377.1M |
| Curry County | 48,430 | $7,399 | $358.3M |
| Rio Arriba County | 40,363 | $7,760 | $313.2M |
| Taos County | 34,489 | $11,622 | $400.8M |
| Grant County | 28,185 | $11,639 | $328.1M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Otero County's $9,605 - prioritizing New Mexico peers first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Otero County, New Mexico receive?
How does Otero County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Otero County, New Mexico?
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.
Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →
Every figure on PlainSpending is computed directly from USASpending.gov award-transaction data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every federal award with a place-of-performance in this county, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.