Economic Security & Prosperity
The economy should work for everyone, not just a select few. But for New Mexicans who lack job skills and education, and work in low-wage jobs with little hope for advancement, economic security is just a dream. Long-term economic prosperity involves promoting economic and workforce development opportunities for all New Mexicans, as well as supporting access to adequate wage and work supports for those in crisis and those who are unable to work.
Featured Content
New Mexico is Putting Families First in Tax Policy
Our state’s policy makers made a number of improvements to the tax code since 2019 that will help low- and middle-income New Mexicans, improve equity, and increase economic opportunity for our working families.
Eligible but Excluded: How Systemic Inequities in Language Access are Impacting Asian, Pacific Islander, and African Immigrant and Refugee Communities During the Pandemic
A follow-up to our Essential but Excluded report, this looks at how Asian/Pacific Islander and African immigrants and refugees are unable to access public benefits for which they are eligible – and not just during the pandemic – due to a pervasive lack of language access at many state agencies. This, despite federal laws requiring such access.
Tax Policy: A Powerful Tool to Advance Racial Equity in New Mexico
Systemic racism isn’t accidental – it’s the result of public policies that benefit one group while disadvantaging others. Our state and national tax systems have been built to benefit those at the top (who are mostly white) while disadvantaging people of color. This report looks at concrete ways New Mexico can make our tax system more equitable.
Recent Publications
A Demographic Analysis of Young Parents (Ages 18-24) and Their Families in New Mexico
Report Young parents make up a very small share of New Mexico's population and they face unique challenges and barriers to success. This report looks at how this subpopulation is faring. (State-level data on the demographics of parents and young adults on indicators such as economic security, educational attainment, etc.)
2023 Legislative Post-session Review
Post-session Review Many of the policies enacted during the 2023 legislative session mean big wins for New Mexico's families. This fact sheet lists some of the highlights, along with some policies that were either not passed or were passed and then vetoed.
Recent Blog Posts
Albuquerque City Council Can Improve Housing Outcomes by Creating a Rental Database
Albuquerque Journal--By creating a rental database, Albuquerque would be able to gather data about the city’s residential rental market, improve communications between the city and landlords, and protect the health and well-being of rental occupants.
Tax Day – a time for reflection on all the things New Mexico has done right
Another Tax Day has come and gone, which makes it a great time to mention some of the improvements our state leaders have made to our tax system over the last several years. The big news is the creation and expansion of our Child Tax Credit, which we know is one of the best and most effective ways to help our families and their growing children.
Recent News Coverage
Los Alamos National Laboratory operator investing in child care capacity
Santa Fe New Mexican--Lab officials said the initiative will be one piece of the solution to closing the gap between the number of existing and needed child care slots in New Mexico, a void that currently includes more than 20,000 slots, according to a 2023 report by New Mexico Voices for Children.
Albuquerque City Council Can Improve Housing Outcomes by Creating a Rental Database
Albuquerque Journal--By creating a rental database, Albuquerque would be able to gather data about the city’s residential rental market, improve communications between the city and landlords, and protect the health and well-being of rental occupants.
Programs, Coalitions & Networks
Economic Relief Working Group A coalition of several grassroots and advocacy organizations – many of them focused on immigrant rights – ERWG was formed in 2020 initially to secure pandemic relief for those New Mexicans who did not qualify for federal relief due to their immigration status. ERWG worked on getting an accurate 2020 Census count for the state, and has also worked on wages, voting rights, tax credits and child care assistance, and currently runs a guarantied basic income (GBI) pilot project for families with mixed immigration status.
New Mexico Fairness Project A coalition of more than 30 organizations, NMFP works to ensure that New Mexico collects tax revenue in a way that is equitable and sustainable, and that is adequate to fund the programs, services, and infrastructure that New Mexico’s children, families, communities, and businesses rely upon. Run by NM Voices, NMFP also fights for fair wages and working conditions, and other issues central to family economic security.
Economic Analysis and Research Network EARN is a program of the Economic Policy Institute for research, policy, and advocacy organizations across the nation fighting for an economy that works for everyone. EARN advances an inclusive, worker-centered economy through state and local policy change, rigorous research, and collaboration between researchers, advocates, and community groups across the country.
State Revenue Alliance A network of state-based community, labor, and policy advocates from across the country, SRA works with on-the-ground advocates, giving them the strategic resources they need to build intersectional, people-powered campaigns that transform revenue policy – ensuring our states fully fund communities and that corporations and the ultra rich pay what they owe.
New Mexico Civic Engagement Table A project of the Center for Civic Policy, NMCET unifies more than 40 diverse organizations from different sectors around a common agenda to strengthen our democracy. Among its issues are economic justice, early childhood education, climate justice, immigration reform, and economic development.
Resources
A Basic Family Budget Calculator is an important tool in determining if a family lives in poverty, because the system currently in place to do that is completely outdated.
Federal poverty guidelines, which dictate whether a family is eligible to receive assistance such as Medicaid and Food Stamps, are tied to a formula that was created in the 1960s. It was based on what the typical family spent on groceries because that was a family’s biggest expense at the time. Today, necessities like housing, childcare and health care take up a far greater share of most family incomes than groceries. Not only do the guidelines not take these changes into account, they do not take into account regional differences in the cost of living.
Because the federal guidelines are so inaccurate, families are generally considered low-income when they earn up to twice (or 200 percent) the poverty level. This makes up for some shortfalls in the guidelines, but they are still nowhere near as accurate as a Basic Family Budget.
- Click here to find out the minimum amount families need to earn in order to live at a basic, no-frills level in New Mexico’s cities and counties