ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico Human Services Department recently released a first-of-its-kind Data Book, a 186-page compendium that provides a summary of social, economic and health statistics of our state and all its counties, in addition to some national comparisons.
With more than 40 offices statewide, HSD serves nearly half of the state’s residents with its multitude of services.
“We do not believe that New Mexico is a ‘poor state,’ ” HSD Secretary David R. Scrase wrote in the Data Book’s introduction. “We believe that our state is built on strong communities, our state’s great beauty, and the abundance of our natural resources. However, we do acknowledge that New Mexico is at or near the wrong end of the list for average income, food insecurity, and childhood poverty.”
The Data Book allows users to easily identify “hot spots” of need in the state, he said. “While no one likes to see New Mexico at the wrong end of these national lists, our very low average income results in our state having one of the very highest federal match rates in the country,” Scrase said. “This provides us with a great opportunity to leverage our financial resources and return between $3.50 and $9 of federal funds for each general fund dollar spent.”
For fiscal year 2021, HSD’s budget request is $7.78 billion, with a 15.7% – or $1.22 billion – request from the state general fund. Nearly 85% of HSD’s budget is funded by federal matching funds from a variety of programs, Scrase said. “For every additional dollar of new state general funds, HSD will earn $2.52 in additional federal funds. Over the last several years, HSD has managed its programs with little to no new general fund appropriations.”
Sources used in the Data Book include the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Living Wage Calculator at MIT, Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap, Kaiser Family Foundation, New Mexico Office of Vital Records and Statistics, New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico Human Services Department, New Mexico State Legislature and University of New Mexico Geospatial and Population Studies Program.
The accompanying graphic shows some facts found in the Data Book.
2020-02-02 07:02:00Z
https://www.abqjournal.com/1416015/state-compiles-detailed-view-of-economic-and-health-indicators.html
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