All New Mexico Veterans
by Mark Finley, US Army Veteran and Sue Wolinsky, Family Member, IL National Guard
We are ~150,000 strong and just as diverse
We are younger and we are older, we represent several different war eras, we live in cities and we live in rural areas, we have homes and we are homeless, we are retirees and we are end-of-service veterans. You could say we mirror the population. But we are more. We have one important characteristic that binds us.
We all served our country. Our reasons varied, but the fact that we served sets us apart. That service, and the unique needs it creates, is why the NM Democratic Party Veterans and Military Families Caucus exists; to assure our state’s Veterans live our post-military lives with dignity, with respect, and with the ability to care for ourselves and for our families.
Who are New Mexico’s Veterans?
I bet you do not know that we veterans make up around 8.6% of New Mexico’s population, and our state had the 13th highest percentage of veterans in the nation in 2021.
NOTE: The percentages and raw numbers of veteran data vary slightly from year to year, as do veteran statistics from various federal and state government agencies. But the numbers are close and it gives us a good picture of who we are.
There is no way to describe a typical, average New Mexico Veteran. But we do have aggregate data (from multiple reliable sources) that give some insight:
- Sex: 89.9% or around 125,200 are male and 10.1% or 14,100 are female
- Race: 76% identify as Caucasian (10% higher than the state’s population), 5.1% Native American, 4% Afro-American and around 14% other.
- There are still more than 21,000 Pre-Vietnam Era Vets living in New Mexico
- Nearly 50,000 New Mexicans are Vietnam Era Vets (about 34%)
- Post Vietnam, Gulf Wars and Post Gulf Wars Vets number about 68,000
- Age: About half are 65 and older, 20% are 55-64, 22% are 35-54, with only 7% in the 18-34 age group
- Veterans Median Annual Incomes are estimated as $44,300 for men and nearly $40,000 for women, overall, about twice as high as non-Veterans
- Nearly 34% of New Mexico’s Veterans have a Bachelors Degree or higher
- Veterans and military families are politically active and civically engaged as well. They are more likely to follow the news carefully and be involved in their communities, according to a 2021 Military Times survey.
- Unemployment among New Mexico Veterans is around 3.3, about half a percent lower than for other New Mexicans.
- Poverty level: 7.8% of us are living in poverty (compared to 17.4% in NM overall)
- It’s estimated that around 3,500 New Mexico Vets are Homeless or near-homeless
- About 27% of New Mexico’s Vets report having a service related disability.
- Small business owners? NM Vets are #8 in US in terms of earning power. These states ranked highest for Veteran-owned businesses | KRQE News 13
Sources for the above data include:
Here is where we live as a
percentage of each county’s population
Because New Mexico’s Veterans are comprised of demographic groups that more frequently and more reliably register and vote, when we speak as a constituency our views are often heeded.