Population Demographic Characteristics - Age Dependency Ratio
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options

Age Dependency Ratio by County, New Mexico, 2019
Age Dependency Ratio by 108 Small Areas, New Mexico, 2019
Age Dependency Ratio by Health Region, New Mexico, 2019
Age Dependency Ratio by Urban and Rural Counties, New Mexico, 2019
Why Is This Important?
The dependency ratio is an indicator of the amount of burden that non-working individuals in society place on the working-aged population. A high ratio means there are more non-working individuals compared to working-aged individuals. Working-aged individuals tend to pay much more in taxes. Seniors aged 65 or older and children younger than age 15 are likely to be socially and/or economically dependent on working-age population, and they may put additional demands on New Mexico families and health services. A rising dependency ratio is a concern in areas like New Mexico that are facing an aging population, since it becomes difficult for pension and tax-supported services to provide for a significantly older, non-working population.
Definition
Ratio of the combined dependent population aged 0-14 and aged 65 and older to the working population aged 15-64, expressed as the number of dependents per 100 people of working age. Higher values indicate a greater level of age-related dependency in the population.
Data Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Bridged Race Population Estimates
(https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/bridged_race/data_documentation.htm) - New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator: | Estimated population aged 0-14 and those aged 65 and over |
Denominator: | Estimated population aged 15-64 |