THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO
The State of New Mexico is a diverse state of 2.1 million people. No one ethnic group makes up the majority of the population. This fact, combined with our rich and varied history, makes New Mexico unique in the field of addiction treatment. Social issues like childhood poverty and high rates of drug overdose and alcohol-related death are among our most pressing concerns. 

POVERTY
In 2019, New Mexico ranked 49th in
both overall poverty (18.2%) and
childhood poverty (24.7%). In
addition, 19.6% of working-age
women had incomes that are below
the poverty line ($25,926 for a family
of four) with an income inequality
ratio of 16.6 (CAP, 2019, Section:
Gender & Age).

DEMOGRAPHICS
In 2018, "there were 1.07 times more White (Hispanic) residents (827k people) in New Mexico than any other race or ethnicity. There were 773k White (Non-Hispanic) and 184k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups" (Section: Diversity).

LANGUAGES
According to NM-IBIS (2017), 33% of New Mexicans speak a language other than English, a full 11.2% higher than the national average (Data table). The two most common non-English languages spoken are "Spanish (521,774 speakers)...(and) Navajo (69,340 speakers)" (DataUSA, Section: Diversity).

SUBSTANCE USE
In the US, New Mexico has the "12th highest drug overdose death rate" (NMDOH, 2021, Section 1). The NMDOH (2021) states that "2 of 3 drug overdose deaths in NM in 2019 involved an opioid" (Section 2). In addition, New Mexico has "the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths in the country" (AP, 2020, para. 1). 


References
The Associated Press (AP). (2020, August 16). CDC: New Mexico has highest rate for alcohol-related deaths. https://apnews.com/article/health-death-rates-new-mexico-nm-state-wire-c61068f6ea19adc8634e311436f8a5de
Center for American Progress (CAP). (2019). TalkPoverty: New Mexico 2020. https://talkpoverty.org/state-year-report/new-mexico-2020-report/
DataUSA. (2018). New Mexico, state. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/new-mexico 
New Mexico Department of Health. (2021). Drug overdose in New Mexico. https://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/marketing/2117/
New Mexico's Indicator-Based Information System (NM-IBIS). (2017). Percentage where a language other than English is spoken at home. https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/indicator/view/NMPopDemoNoEnglish.Year.NM_US.html