Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lovington gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $184K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the Hobbs area’s $68K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 27th of 72 in New Mexico. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $69K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country. 33% of residents are under 18 in Lovington, where New Mexico’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Lovington's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Lovington has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lea County Courthouse and Pyburn House.
Where Lovington beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Mexico), ordered by how far Lovington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 411 in 1920, 11,668 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lovington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Lovington.
Lovington has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has commutes longer than most of New Mexico.
Only 7 of the 73 New Mexico towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Lovington. For adults locally, the share who had a checkup this year is 65%. Against the New Mexico average, Lovington comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 14. Among adults in the town, 30% say their health is fair or poor and 34% get no exercise outside work.
| Lovington | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 65% | 69% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lovington | NM |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 7.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22% | 25.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 25.5% | 15.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Two of its 10 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The public schools here belong to the Lovington school district. The 6 public schools in Lovington teach 2,048 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yarbro ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 474 | – |
| Lovington HighLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 746 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NM on state tests and graduation
At 2.7 years of the Hobbs area’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $184K) costs less against local pay than in 83% of New Mexico towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $184K, is 27% below its February 2021 peak.
A home in Lovington typically sold within 49 days of listing. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.9%. Also worth knowing: the town’s going rate for rent is $1,014 a month.
| Lovington | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,014 a month | $936 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 4,278 working residents takes 30.9 minutes, against 23.5 across New Mexico.
Lovington had 3,068 jobs in 2023, down 723 from 2013. Roughly one working resident in three has a job in Lovington itself. In Lovington, the average trip to work is 31 minutes. The top destinations are Hobbs (24%), Albuquerque (4%) and Carlsbad (4%).
| Lovington | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
On expected storm and flood damage, Lovington sits above 72% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, Lovington has seen 2 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 52% come from inland flooding and 22% from wildfires.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Hobbs 13w weather station, 16 miles away, records that about 101 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
In July, afternoons reach 93°; in January, nights fall to 26°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Walkers can cover 6.7 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Chaparral Park, at 70 acres with 3.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In Lovington, the trail network density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Lovington | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chaparral Park | 3.6 mi | 70 |
| 2. Avenue D Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 3. Jefferson Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The violent crime rate for Lovington comes to 3.2 per 1,000 residents. Lovington's reported crime rate is well below New Mexico's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Lovington | New Mexico towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 16.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lovington
About 3 of every 100 Lovington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Mexico.
5 places in Lovington on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Lovington.
City in New Mexico, United States
Lovington is a city in and the county seat of Lea County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lovington had a population of 11,668.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lovington grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #27 of 72 in New Mexico. It grades C− for health and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
5 notable people were born here, including Jim Franklin and Ray Berry.
