Population & age
- Total population
- 1,183
- Median age
- 36.9
Hobbs, NM (88244)
Lea County · Population 1,183
Fresh.Data current as of Apr 24, 2026
Hobbs, NM (ZIP 88244) sits in Lea County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 27. Top health signal: Annual Checkup comes in above the national average at 54.7%. NCES lists 1 schools serving the area, 1 non-charter. 5 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $2,256. FEMA has issued 7 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1992. Annual precipitation averages just 13.8" per NOAA's 1991–2020 Normals — an arid-climate ZCTA where landscaping and water-budget choices matter more than national averages suggest. County Health Rankings reports 12,673 years of potential life lost per 100,000 (2025) — well above the national county median. Fast-food restaurants outnumber grocery stores roughly 8-to-1 per capita (USDA Food Environment Atlas) — a "food swamp" pattern often linked to higher diet-related disease prevalence. New residents arriving here predominantly come from Lubbock County, TX (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Both healthcare access and on-paper school density skew lighter than national norms; what shows up here is a snapshot, not a verdict — neighborhood-level texture matters at this scale. Notable: fair market rent of $1,330 for a two-bedroom. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
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Demographics
Race & ethnicity
- White
- 59.5%
- Black
- 4.9%
- Asian
- 0.0%
- Hispanic / Latino
- 64.5%
- Other / multi-racial
- 26.5%
Education
- Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)
- 0.8%
Housing
- Owner-occupied
- 0
- Renter-occupied
- 0
- Vacant units
- 0
Economic wellbeing
- Below poverty line
- 0
- Uninsured
- 0(0.0%)
Digital access
- Broadband access
- 0
Language & nativity
- Foreign-born
- 69(5.8%)
- Non-English at home
- 417(35.2%)
Fair Market Rent
Fresh.HUD SAFMR · May 1, 2026Studio
$1,070
/month
1 Bed
$1,070
/month
2 Bed
$1,330
/month
3 Bed
$1,650
/month
4 Bed
$1,840
/month
HUD Fair Market Rents represent the 40th percentile of standard-quality rental housing in this area. FY2026 data.
New housing construction
New housing units permitted
172
Across 172 permitted buildings. Total construction value: $51.9M.
Single-family
172
100% of total units
Multifamily (2+ unit)
0
0% of total units
Single-family value
$51.9M
construction value
Multifamily value
$0
construction value
Based on county-level data (2024).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (census.gov/construction/bps). Public domain. BPS reports annual residential building permits from local permit-issuing jurisdictions, aggregated to county. A permit reflects intent to build, not a completed unit — actual construction lags by 6-24 months for multifamily projects.
Employment & wages
Average annual pay
$69,342
Average weekly wage
$1,333
Total employment
33,770
Total establishments
2,195
That is roughly 6% above the US national average of $65,470 per worker.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (bls.gov/cew). Public domain. QCEW is derived from state unemployment-insurance filings and covers ~95% of US jobs. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches; small-employer cells are suppressed by BLS to protect employer confidentiality.
Unemployment
Unemployment rate
3.5%
That is 0.5 percentage points below the US national unemployment rate of about 4.0%.
Labor force
35,105
Employed
33,884
Unemployed
1,221
Based on Lea County, NM data (2024).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (bls.gov/lau). Public domain. LAUS publishes monthly and annual labor-force estimates for every US county. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches.
Federal Disaster Declarations
Federally Declared Disasters
7
Date Range
1992–2020
Most Recent Declaration
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Biological — declared April 5, 2020 (DR-4529)
Incident period: January 20, 2020 – May 11, 2023
Top Incident Types
- Biological2 (29%)
- Fire2 (29%)
- Severe Storm1 (14%)
- Hurricane1 (14%)
- Flood1 (14%)
Individual Assistance
1
Direct help to disaster survivors
Households Program
1
Housing & temporary lodging support
Public Assistance
7
Repair of public facilities & roads
Hazard Mitigation
2
Funding to reduce future disaster risk
FEMA declares disasters at the county level; counts here include every federally declared disaster touching any county that overlaps this ZIP. Statewide declarations and pre-1964 records without county granularity are excluded. Program flags reflect which FEMA assistance categories were activated (Individual Assistance, Households, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation). Source: fema.gov/openfema. Public domain.
Climate
30-year averages (1991-2020) from the nearest GHCN-D weather station. Temperature and precipitation values reflect typical annual conditions, not any single year.
Avg. temperature
62.2°F
48.9° – 75.5°
Annual precipitation
13.8"
Annual snowfall
1.8"
Heating · cooling days
2,962.9 · 1,981.5
Annual base 65°F
Nearest station: HOBBS, NM US, 6 miles from the centroid of Hobbs, NM (ZIP 88244)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (ncei.noaa.gov). Public domain.
Air quality
Median daily AQI
44
GoodGood 255dModerate 104dUSG 5d
Peak AQI (2024)
150
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Primary pollutant
Ozone
292 days as main pollutant
Days measured
364
Based on Lea County data (2024).
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System (epa.gov). Public domain. Only counties with EPA AQS monitoring stations appear here (~30% of US counties); rural ZIPs whose primary county has no monitor will not show this section.
Community health profile
Years of potential life lost (per 100K)
12,673
That is roughly 4,473 years per 100,000 above the national county median (~8,200).
Premature death is the headline composite outcome CHR reports — age-adjusted, all-cause, before age 75.
Fair or poor health
24%
of adults self-report
Poor physical health days
4.8
avg per adult per month
Poor mental health days
5.4
avg per adult per month
Uninsured
13.3%
of residents under 65
Primary care MDs
30
per 100,000 residents
Preventable hospital stays
2,588
per 100K Medicare enrollees
Food environment (0-10)
7.7
10 = best access & security
Exercise access
87%
residents near a facility
Flu vaccinated
22%
of Medicare enrollees
Low birth weight (under 2,500 g) accounts for 8.5% of live births in this county — an early-life health input that downstream outcomes track against.
Based on Lea data (2025 CHR release).
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (countyhealthrankings.org). Annual release. Underlying source datasets vary by measure (CDC BRFSS, NCHS Vital Statistics, AHA, USDA Food Environment Atlas, and others). Figures are county-level and assigned to every ZIP whose primary county matches.
Food access
Food access status
Moderate food access challenges
20.7% of Lea County, NM residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.
Grocery stores
0.10
per 1,000 residents
Supercenters & clubs
—
per 1,000 residents
SNAP-authorized stores
1.05
accepting food benefits
Fast-food restaurants
0.78
per 1,000 residents
Among low-income residents, 7.2% are low-access — those without a supermarket within 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural).
Per-1,000 figures show how many of each store type exist in Lea County, NM for every 1,000 residents. Higher grocery and supercenter density usually means easier access to fresh food; higher convenience-store-only density (with low grocery rate) often signals a food swamp.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Environment Atlas (ers.usda.gov). County-level metrics fanned to ZIP via the primary county in the Census ZCTA-county relationship file. Variable years differ per family (stores ~2020, low-access ~2019).
Safety
FBI publishes crime data at the county level. Numbers below cover the primary county that contains this ZIP. Rates are per 100,000 residents in the area covered by reporting agencies.
Violent crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 103 reports
Property crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 653 reports
Homicide
1
Robbery
6
Burglary
116
Vehicle theft
68
County-level data for Lea (2024)
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program (cde.ucr.cjis.gov). Public domain. Coverage varies by reporting agency; areas with partial agency coverage may understate true crime totals.
Who’s moving in and out
Net migration (2022-2023)
▼−347 people
−218 households • −$36.4M net AGI flow
Moved in
1,814households
3,590 people • $89.2M AGI
Moved out
2,032households
3,937 people • $125.6M AGI
Where new residents came from
- Lubbock County, TX — 64 households
- El Paso County, TX — 63 households
- Bernalillo County, NM — 49 households
- Gaines County, TX — 46 households
- Eddy County, NM — 45 households
Where departing residents went
- Lubbock County, TX — 141 households
- Midland County, TX — 67 households
- El Paso County, TX — 55 households
- Ector County, TX — 49 households
- Eddy County, NM — 47 households
Incoming households reported an average AGI of $49,190 versus departing households' $61,830.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income, Migration Data (irs.gov). Public domain. Migration is measured by year-over-year changes in the address on individual tax returns; figures are county-level totals attributed to ZIPs whose primary county matches. Foreign migration contributes to inflow/outflow totals but does not appear in the top-county lists. Small flows are suppressed by IRS to protect taxpayer confidentiality.
Taxes & benefits in New Mexico
State-level rules that apply to every resident of ZIP 88244. Numbers reflect the most recent published year per source.
Tax rates
Income tax
5.90%
graduated · 5 brackets
Sales tax (combined)
7.67%
State 4.88% · avg local 2.79%
Property tax (effective)
0.66%
Median $1,365/year
Tax burden rank
30 of 50
10.50% of personal income
Paid family leave
Program
No program
No program
Safety net
SNAP eligibility
165% FPL
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (raises gross income limit above federal 130% floor). No asset test.
Sources: Tax Foundation (state tax rates & brackets), Bipartisan Policy Center (paid family leave), USDA FNS (SNAP categorical eligibility).
Other ZIPs near 88244
Other ZIPs in Hobbs
Nearby ZIPs by distance
88242 (North Hobbs, 5 mi) · 88265 (Monument, 14.3 mi) · 88240 (Hobbs, 14.3 mi) · 88260 (Lovington, 18.3 mi) · 79323 (Denver City, 22 mi) · 88231 (Eunice, 23.6 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
Data sources used on this page
SourcesFresh.CDC PLACES · Apr 24, 2026Fresh.NCES CCD via Urban Institute EDP · Apr 27, 2026Fresh.HUD SAFMR · May 1, 2026
All data on this page is sourced from federal government datasets · Not AI-generated · Methodology
Health profile
Crude prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES, derived from BRFSS small-area modeling. Population-level figures only.
Obesity
37.8%
4.8pp above the 33.0% national rate.
High Blood Pressure
26.9%
5.1pp below the 32.0% national rate.
Depression
16.9%
5.1pp below the 22.0% national rate.
Annual Checkup
54.7%
21.3pp below the 76.0% national rate.
Health Insurance
25.1%
12.1pp above the 13.0% national rate.
Diabetes
8.3%
2.7pp below the 11.0% national rate.
Schools in this ZIP
1 school serves this ZIP, including 1 non-charter.
| School | Type | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAE COUNTY CORRECTIONS | Alternative | 8–12 | 10 |
Schools listed from NCES Common Core of Data via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal.
Fresh.NCES CCD via Urban Institute EDP · Apr 27, 2026Colleges & universities nearby
Colleges in this area
5
Median in-state tuition
$2,256
Median earnings (10 yr)
$41,970
- 2-Year
New Mexico Junior College
Hobbs, NM · 88240
- In-state tuition
- $1,440
- Out-of-state tuition
- $2,280
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 42.1%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $34,233
- Median student debt
- $11,313
- 2-Year
Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus
Roswell, NM · 88203
- In-state tuition
- $2,256
- Out-of-state tuition
- $5,616
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 29.8%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $38,550
- Median student debt
- $16,500
- 2-Year
Southeast New Mexico College
Carlsbad, NM · 88220
- In-state tuition
- $1,176
- Out-of-state tuition
- $4,008
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 26.0%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- —
- Median student debt
- —
- 4-Year
University of the Southwest
Hobbs, NM · 88240
- In-state tuition
- $16,670
- Out-of-state tuition
- $16,670
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 23.1%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $45,389
- Median student debt
- $21,303
- 2-Year
New Mexico Military Institute
Roswell, NM · 88201
- In-state tuition
- $7,190
- Out-of-state tuition
- $14,156
- Acceptance rate
- 52.6%
- Graduation rate
- 41.1%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $57,410
- Median student debt
- $5,500
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov). Public domain data. Earnings figures reflect median earnings 10 years after entry for federally-aided students.
What these numbers say together
Hobbs, NM (ZIP 88244) sits in Lea County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 27. Top health signal: Annual Checkup comes in above the national average at 54.7%. NCES lists 1 schools serving the area, 1 non-charter. 5 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $2,256. FEMA has issued 7 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1992. Annual precipitation averages just 13.8" per NOAA's 1991–2020 Normals — an arid-climate ZCTA where landscaping and water-budget choices matter more than national averages suggest. County Health Rankings reports 12,673 years of potential life lost per 100,000 (2025) — well above the national county median. Fast-food restaurants outnumber grocery stores roughly 8-to-1 per capita (USDA Food Environment Atlas) — a "food swamp" pattern often linked to higher diet-related disease prevalence. New residents arriving here predominantly come from Lubbock County, TX (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Both healthcare access and on-paper school density skew lighter than national norms; what shows up here is a snapshot, not a verdict — neighborhood-level texture matters at this scale. Notable: fair market rent of $1,330 for a two-bedroom. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
Both surfaces skew lighter than national averages. That isn’t a verdict — small-area estimates compress real neighborhood-level texture, and a single ZIP reading can miss a district line or a hospital corridor sitting just outside it. Treat this as a starting point for fieldwork, not a conclusion.
One concrete reading worth keeping: Depression prevalence sits lower the national rate at 16.9%. Each figure on this page links to the original federal dataset with its retrieval date — this synthesis is a reading, not a substitute for the underlying records.
Frequently Asked Questions — ZIP 88244
What is the obesity rate in ZIP 88244?
37.8%, which is 4.8 percentage points above the national average of 33.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
What is the depression rate in ZIP 88244?
16.9%, which is 5.1 percentage points below the national average of 22.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
What is the high blood pressure rate in ZIP 88244?
26.9%, which is 5.1 percentage points below the national average of 32.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
How many schools are in ZIP 88244?
1 school serves this ZIP, including 1 public school (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 27, 2026). No charter schools are listed in this ZIP by NCES CCD.
Does ZIP 88244 have charter schools?
No charter schools are listed in ZIP 88244 by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 27, 2026).
Are there high schools in ZIP 88244?
Yes, 1 high school serves this ZIP: Lae County Corrections. (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 27, 2026).
What is the population of ZIP 88244?
1,183 people live in ZIP 88244, with a median age of 36.9 (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
How vulnerable is ZIP 88244 to disasters and public health emergencies?
According to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (2022), ZIP 88244 ranks in the 65th percentile nationally for social vulnerability — a high vulnerability profile (retrieved May 3, 2026).
What is the biggest vulnerability factor in ZIP 88244?
Racial & Ethnic Minority Status is the highest-scoring CDC SVI theme for ZIP 88244, ranking in the 79th percentile nationally (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022, retrieved May 3, 2026).
How many federally declared disasters has ZIP 88244 experienced?
FEMA has recorded 7 federal disaster declarations affecting ZIP 88244 between 1992–2020 (FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What kinds of disasters most often hit ZIP 88244?
Biological is the most common federally declared disaster type affecting ZIP 88244, accounting for 2 of 7 declarations (29%, FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What was the most recent disaster declared for ZIP 88244?
The most recent FEMA disaster declaration affecting ZIP 88244 was "COVID-19 PANDEMIC" — a biological declared in 2020 (DR-4529) (FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What colleges are near ZIP 88244?
5 colleges and universities are listed near ZIP 88244 by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, including New Mexico Junior College, Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus, and Southeast New Mexico College (retrieved May 2, 2026).
What is the average tuition at colleges near ZIP 88244?
Median in-state tuition across 5 nearby institutions is $2,256 (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
What do graduates earn from colleges near ZIP 88244?
Graduates of nearby colleges earn a median of $41,970 ten years after entry (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
What is the climate like in ZIP 88244?
ZIP 88244 has an average annual temperature of 62.2°F and 13.8" of annual precipitation based on the HOBBS, NM US weather station 6.0 miles from the ZIP centroid (NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, retrieved May 8, 2026).
What taxes apply in ZIP 88244?
New Mexico has a graduated income tax with a top rate of 5.90%. Combined sales tax: 7.67% (Tax Foundation 2025).
Does New Mexico have paid family leave?
New Mexico has no state paid family leave program (Bipartisan Policy Center 2026).
What data is available for ZIP 88244?
This page covers health outcomes from CDC PLACES (40 metrics), school information from NCES CCD (1 school), demographics from the Census ACS 5-Year (2022), colleges from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (5 institutions), social vulnerability scores from the CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022), federal disaster declarations from FEMA OpenFEMA (7 on record), climate normals from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020), county-level crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024), and state-level tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Data is refreshed on Mubboo's standard schedule.
How current is this data?
Health data retrieved Apr 24, 2026 from CDC PLACES. School data retrieved Apr 27, 2026 from NCES CCD. Demographics retrieved Apr 30, 2026 from Census ACS 5-Year (2022). College data retrieved May 2, 2026 from U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard. Social vulnerability scores retrieved May 3, 2026 from CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022). Federal disaster declarations retrieved May 3, 2026 from FEMA OpenFEMA (7 on record). Climate normals retrieved May 8, 2026 from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020). County-level crime data retrieved May 4, 2026 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024). State-level tax rates retrieved 2026-05-05 15:58:22.284+00 from the Tax Foundation.
Other ZIPs near 88244
Other ZIPs in Hobbs
Nearby ZIPs by distance
88242 (North Hobbs, 5 mi) · 88265 (Monument, 14.3 mi) · 88240 (Hobbs, 14.3 mi) · 88260 (Lovington, 18.3 mi) · 79323 (Denver City, 22 mi) · 88231 (Eunice, 23.6 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
More Info topics
Have a specific question about ZIP 88244?
Ask Mubboo — launching Q4 2026.
Data refreshed via Mubboo's ETL pipeline; oldest source on this page retrieved Apr 24, 2026.
Social Vulnerability Index
Overall SVI
65th percentile
High Vulnerability
Based on 1 census tract, population 1
Vulnerability Themes
The Social Vulnerability Index uses U.S. Census data to identify communities most at risk during public health emergencies and natural disasters. Higher percentiles indicate greater vulnerability. Tract-level scores are aggregated to this ZCTA via Census 2020 ZCTA→Tract crosswalk, weighted by land-area share. Source: atsdr.cdc.gov. Public domain.