New Mexico State Highlights

In 2000, the New Mexico population was 1.82 million and had been estimated to increase by 3 percent to 1.87 million in 2003². The racial/ethnic population of New Mexico in 2003 consisted of 45 percent Non-Hispanic Whites, 42 percent Hispanics/Latinos(as), 2 percent Blacks/African-Americans, 9 percent American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and 3 percent Other Races. With rates of 80 births per 1,000 women of childbearing ages, Hispanics/Latinos(as) were a fast-growing race/ethnic group in New Mexico, followed by Blacks/African-Americans (69 per 1,000) and Non-Hispanic Whites (58 per 1,000)³. The American Indian/Alaskan Native rate was 86 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age. The population of New Mexico made up 2.9 percent of the 65 million people who lived in the four States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas) that share a Border with Mexico. While California contributed 55 percent of the population of the four States, Texas and Arizona accounted for 34 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

This report provides information about three regions of New Mexico based on proximity to the U.S.-Mexico Border as defined by the USMBHC. New Mexico has 33 counties, 6 of which are within 62 miles (100 kilometers) of the U.S.-Mexico Border. These are identified as Border Counties in this report. There are 25 counties between 62 and 300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border. Finally, there are two counties more than 300 miles from the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Population Dynamics

Geographic Distribution
Ninety-nine percent of New Mexico’s population lived in counties within 300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border in 2000 (Table 1). Counties within 62 miles of the Border contained 17 percent and counties between 62 and 300 miles of the Border contained 82 percent of the State population. Counties more than 300 miles from the Border were home to only 1 percent of the State’s population. Fifty-six percent of the population in the counties within 62 miles of the Border lived in Dona Ana County where Las Cruces, New Mexico, is located. The fact that 5 of the counties within 62 miles of the Border in New Mexico were non-metropolitan indicates that much of the region was sparsely populated rural county.⁴

Race/Ethnicity
Table 2 shows that in 2003, an estimated 318,450 New Mexico residents lived in the Border Counties, of whom 54 percent were Hispanic/Latino(a), a proportion somewhat higher than the New Mexico State population (42 percent Hispanic/Latino(a)). Of the 6.9 million people who lived in the Border Counties in the 4 Border States, 49 percent were Hispanic/Latino(a).⁵

Education
Level of education completed is a major concern in the New Mexico Border Counties as 15 percent of residents had completed fewer than 9 years of education in 2000. In comparison, 9.3 percent of the New Mexico population and 7.5 percent of the U.S. population had similarly low levels of education (Table 6).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2000).

Income⁶
The Border Counties in New Mexico were different from California and Arizona in the nature of the populations included in Border Counties, but similar to Texas. In New Mexico’s Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Las Cruces, the median family income in 2000 was $33,576. In Texas, similar incomes were reported in the following MSAs in 2000: El Paso: $33,410; Laredo: $29,394; and, Brownsville – Harlingen: $27,853. In comparison, the New Mexico median family income in 2000 is much lower than the median family incomes in the MSAs of San Diego, California, at $53,438; in Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona, at $51,126; and in Tucson, Arizona, at $44,446. The Texas MSAs included as Border Counties according to the definition used by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, but not directly on the U.S.-Mexico Border (San Antonio and Corpus Christi), had median family incomes similar to those of Arizona and California. Hispanic/Latino(a) median family incomes ranged from $24,500 to $28,500 in New Mexico and Texas Border MSAs, respectively, compared to higher family medians of $31,000 to $34,000 in Arizona and California Border MSAs.

Poverty
Table 4 shows that New Mexico is a poor State with 31 percent of families reported as living below 150 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines in 2000. Thirty-nine percent of those living within 62 miles of the Border fall within this category compared to 25 percent of families living in Border States, and 21 percent of U.S. families. The U.S. Federal Poverty⁷ Thresholds were established as a baseline to develop guidelines for determining eligibility for Federal and State programs such as Medicaid. In 2000, $17,761 for a family of four was established as the poverty threshold.

Health Access
It is surprising that with such a high number of people living on poverty wages that only 24 percent of respondents to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in counties within 62 miles of the Border indicated that, at the current time, they were not covered by health insurance.^8,9 Across New Mexico, 21 percent of the population indicated they were not covered by health insurance compared to 15 percent of the U.S. population (Table 5).
Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) were the method that HRSA used to identify areas of a State that did not have a sufficient supply of health professionals to meet the health needs of the population. In New Mexico, 8.1 percent of the population within 62 miles of the Border resided in a primary care HPSA, either single or partial county (Table 55). While 44 percent of the population within 62 miles of the Border lived in a dental HPSA (Table 56), 100 percent of residents lived in a mental HPSA (Table 57). Statewide, 36 percent of the population lived in a primary care, 43 percent lived in a dental, and 61 percent lived in a mental HPSA.

Health Status

Health status indicators for this Report were based on the Healthy Border 2010 Goals and Objectives established by the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission in 2003. The Commission is a binational organization dedicated to addressing the pervasive health needs of the U.S.-Mexico Border.

The tables in this report provide detailed information about health status in New Mexico. Comparisons to the Healthy Border objectives are used to highlight disparities in health with a focus on the Border Counties (those within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border).

Breast and Cervical Cancer

Healthy Border 2010 Objectives for breast and cervical cancer: To reduce the female breast cancer death rate to 33.7 deaths per 100,000 women ages 25 or more To reduce the cervical cancer death rate to 4.0 deaths per 100,000 women ages 25 or more Screening for breast cancer is an important aspect of women’s health. Evidence from the BRFSS in 2002 show that 79 percent of women living in New Mexico Border Counties had a mammogram within the past 2 years; this is similar to the proportion of women living in New Mexico (80 percent) and the Border States (83 percent) who have had a mammogram within the past 2 years.10 The breast cancer incidence rate in the Border Counties was 111 per 100,000 females; this was slightly lower than the New Mexico incidence rate of 120 per 100,000 (Table 7). The age-adjusted11 breast cancer mortality rate in the New Mexico counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border in 2002 was 12.4 deaths per 100,000 population; this was slightly higher than the New Mexico rate of 12.1 per 100,000 and the Border States rate of 13.3 (Table 7). When the rate is calculated only for women, the rate was 22.6 deaths in the New Mexico Border Counties. This rate was similar to the New Mexico and Border States rates of 21.9 and 23.9 deaths per 100,000 females, respectively. The loss due to premature breast cancer death cost 69 years of life per 100,000 population in New Mexico in 2002 (Table 7). The years of potential life lost (YPLL) rate was consistent across New Mexico but was somewhat higher in the Border Counties (78 years). This was higher than the rate in the Border States (72 years per 100,000 females), but somewhat lower than the U.S. rate of 86 years per 100,000 population. The number of years of life lost to breast cancer is brought more into focus when the rate is calculated for those most effected by breast cancer: 138 years of life were lost per 100,000 females in 2002 in New Mexico. The YPLL rate for females in New Mexico counties within 62 miles of the Border was 154 per 100,000. Regular screening with pap smears helps with early detection of cervical cancer. Seventy-nine percent of women living in New Mexico Border Counties had received a pap smear within the past 2 years; this rate was the same as New Mexico (79 percent) and similar to women living in the Border States (82 percent) in general.12 In the New Mexico Border Counties, the cervical cancer incidence rate was 10.3 per 100,000 females; this was slightly higher than the New Mexico incidence rate of 9.3 per 100,000 females (Table 7). In New Mexico, the age-adjusted cervical cancer mortality rate at 1.9 per 100,000 females was lower than the Border States rate of 2.6 and the U.S. rate of 2.7 deaths per 100,000 females (Table 7). The YPLL rate of 20 in New Mexico was also lower than the Border States and the U.S. rates of 32 and 34 years of life lost per 100,000 females, respectively. Diabetes Mellitus Healthy Border 2010 Objectives for diabetes mellitus: Reduce the hospital discharge rate to 11.2 per 10,000 population for diabetes mellitus Reduce the diabetes death rate to 24.2 deaths per 100,000 population In 2002, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in the United States13 and New Mexico.14 Recent studies show that Type 2 diabetes is preventable.15 Overweight and obesity contribute to diabetes prevalence.16 Findings from the BRFSS indicate that Hispanics/Latinos(as) have a higher prevalence of diabetes than Non-Hispanic Whites at comparable Body Mass Index (BMI) ranking.17 Table 8 provides information about diabetes in New Mexico. Sources: Hospital Inpatient Discharge Data, New Mexico Health Policy Commission (2002), and Office of New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). Fifty-six percent of New Mexico residents were overweight or obese based on Body Mass Index: 37 percent were overweight but not obese, while 19.7 percent were obese. There was little variation across geographic areas of the State with respect to this measure (Table 9). The reported prevalence of diabetes in New Mexico’s Border Counties was 6.8 percent of adults responding to the BRFSS; this was slightly higher than the State rate of 6.3 percent and slightly below the Border States rate of 7.3 percent. Residents of the counties within 62 miles of the Border were slightly less likely to be hospitalized for diabetes related issues (9.8 hospital discharges per 100,000 population) than New Mexico residents in general (11.6 per 100,000 population). This was lower than the Border States rate of 14.5 per 100,000 and notably lower than the U.S. rate of 20 hospital discharges per 100,000 population (Table 8). The diabetes age-adjusted mortality rate was 36 per 100,000 population in the New Mexico Border Counties; this was somewhat higher than the New Mexico rate of 33 deaths per 100,000 population which was higher than both the Border States and U.S. rates at 26 and 25 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. Premature death due to diabetes resulted in 91 years of potential life lost per 100,000 population in the counties within 62 miles of the Border, and 89 years of potential life lost per 100,000 across all of New Mexico (Table 8). This suggests that many of the people in New Mexico who die as a result of diabetes or diabetes complications die at a younger age than those in other Border States. New Mexico diabetes years of potential life lost rates were higher than the Border States (73 years lost per 100,000 population) and the U.S. (79 years lost per 100,000 population) rates. Although hospital discharge rates were below the HB 2010 goal, the mortality rate for diabetes in the New Mexico Border Counties was considerably higher than the goal. HIV/AIDS Healthy Border 2010 Objective for HIV: Reduce the incidence rate to 4.2 per 100,000 population for HIV HIV/AIDS, despite recent advances in treatment, is an increasing concern in Mexico and a major cause of illness and death in the United States.18 While the latest therapies have reduced death rates from AIDS in the Border region, their costs are prohibitive for some segments of the population.18 Estimates in the United States of the lifetime costs associated with health care for HIV/AIDS have increased from $55,000 to $155,000 or more, contributing to the burden of illness, disability, and death.18 In this context, HIV prevention becomes even more cost-effective. The incidence rate for HIV in the Border Counties was 5.7 cases per 100,000 population in 2002, while the AIDS incidence rate was 5.0 cases per 100,000 population. Both rates were lower than the New Mexico HIV and AIDS incidence rates (5.7 per 100,000 each) and lower than the Border States rates (15.5 and 11.5 cases per 100,000 respectively, Table 11). The HIV incidence rate in the counties within 62 miles of the Border (at 5.7 per 100,000) was higher than the established HB 2010 objective. Hepatitis and Tuberculosis Healthy Border 2010 Objectives for hepatitis and tuberculosis: Reduce the incidence rate to 5.5 per 100,000 population for hepatitis A Reduce the incidence rate to 3.2 per 100,000 population for hepatitis B Reduce the incidence rate to 5.0 per 100,000 population for tuberculosis (TB) The TB incidence rate of 5.1 cases per 100,000 population in New Mexico Counties within 62 miles of the Border was higher than the State rate of 3.1. Both rates were much lower than the Border States rate of 7.8 cases per 100,000 population (Table 12). Sources: Hepatitis Program, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002), and Tuberculosis Program, Infectious Disease Bureau, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). The New Mexico Border Counties meet the HB 2010 objectives for hepatitis A and B, as well as tuberculosis. Immunization Coverage Healthy Border 2010 Objectives for immunizations is to achieve and maintain an immunization coverage rate of 90% for children 19 to 35 months of age for the following vaccination series: 4+ doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis or diphtheria and tetanus (DTP) 3+ doses of haemophilus influenzae (Hib) 3+ doses of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) 3+ does of polio vaccine 1 dose of varicella vaccine 1 dose of measles, mumps, German measles vaccine (MCV) If children are properly immunized, most childhood diseases could be prevented. This could result in a significant reduction in the cost of health care. The only reliable data about childhood immunization status come from the National Immunization Survey (NIS). These data were available only for the Nation and individual States. The NIS results estimated that 71 percent (plus or minus 7.2 percent)19 of New Mexico children 19 to 35 months of age had coverage for the prescribed vaccination series. Nationally, the NIS estimated that 73 percent of children in this age group (plus or minus 1.0) had received this coverage. Hispanic/Latino(a) children had slightly higher rates of coverage for the prescribed vaccination series (72 percent, plus or minus 9.5) than the State total (71 percent, plus or minus 7.2 percent). Data for other race/ethnic groups were not available (Table 13). Injury-Related Deaths Healthy Border 2010 Objectives for selected injury related deaths: Reduce the mortality rate to 10.0 per 100,000 population for deaths due to motor vehicle crashes Reduce the mortality rate to 10.3 per 100,000 population for deaths due to unintentional injuries for children ages 0 to 4 Injury is identified as the leading health threat in the first 4 decades of life.20 Unintentional injury was the third leading cause of death among all persons in New Mexico21 and the fifth leading cause in the Border States and the United States22 in 2002. Most injuries are preventable. Intentional injury is also among the leading causes of death with suicide being eighth and homicide twelfth in New Mexico.21 In the United States, suicide and homicide rank as the eleventh and fourteenth leading causes of death.22 Injuries sustained by violent-intentional or accidental-unintentional means are responsible for more than 146,000 deaths each year nationwide.23 Source: Office of New Mexico Vital records and Health Statistics, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). · The motor vehicle crash age-adjusted mortality rate in the Border Counties was 11.4 deaths per 100,000 population; this was noticeably lower than the New Mexico rate of 16.2 (Table 14). In New Mexico, there were 539 years of life lost in 2002 for every 100,000 people living in the State. In the counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, the years of potential life lost rate was 365 per 100,000 population. There were 103 more years of potential life lost in New Mexico that in the Border States (436 years of life lost per 100,000) in general. · Statewide, in 2002, unintentional injuries resulted in 14 deaths to children ages 0 to 4 in New Mexico.24 Hispanic/Latino(a) children accounted for 64 percent of these deaths (9 of 14) statewide. The motor vehicle crash mortality rate in counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border was approaching the HB objective for 2010. Prenatal Care Healthy Border 2010 Objective for prenatal care: Increase the percent of women starting prenatal care in the first trimester to 85 percent Early prenatal care is important to a healthy pregnancy and is critical in identifying potential problems that may put the pregnancy at risk. Risk factors and maternal health conditions including pregnancy-related hypertension, gestational diabetes, and cigarette smoking, among others, which can contribute to poor infant outcomes can be identified by screenings as a part of prenatal care.25 Source: Office of New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). In New Mexico, only 66 percent of women received prenatal care in the first trimester. The proportion of women receiving prenatal care varied only slightly by geographic area except in the two counties more than 300 miles from the Border where 82 percent of mothers received early prenatal care. There was a large gap between the proportion of New Mexico mothers beginning prenatal care in the first trimester (66 percent) and mothers in the Border States (82 percent, Table 16). In 2002, 74 percent of New Mexico’s Non-Hispanic White mothers began prenatal care in the first trimester. Sixty-three percent of Hispanic/Latina mothers began prenatal care in the first trimester. Only 57 percent of American Indian/Alaskan Native mothers started prenatal care early in pregnancy. All race/ethnic groups in New Mexico fell below the desired goal set out in the HB 2010 Objective for the proportion of women who should start prenatal care in their first trimester of pregnancy. Prenatal Care – Border Teenage Mothers by Race/Ethnicity Teenage mothers living in the counties within 62 miles of the Border fell well below the desired goal established in the Healthy Border 2010 Objectives of 85 percent of mothers beginning prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy (Table 18). In 2002, the proportion of teenage mothers receiving prenatal care in New Mexico during the first trimester was: 51 percent of Non-Hispanic White mothers 53 percent of Hispanic/Latina mothers 52 percent of Black/African-American mothers Prenatal Care – New Mexico State Teenage Mothers by Geographic Distribution In New Mexico, the proportion of mothers, ages 15 to 17, who received prenatal care in the first trimester varied by geographic region: 55 percent of mothers in Border Counties, 50 percent of teenage mothers in counties between 62 and 300 miles from the Border, and 63 percent of mothers in counties more than 300 miles from the Border (Table 18). Prenatal Care of Border Teenage Mothers – Comparison of Race/Ethnicity to State Teenage mothers of all race/ethnic groups were substantially below the goals established by the HB 2010 objectives for beginning prenatal care in first trimester of pregnancy. There was little difference by geographic area within the State (Table 18). Source: Office of New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). Teenage Pregnancy Healthy Border 2010 Objective for teenage pregnancy, ages 15 to 17: Reduce teenage pregnancies to 28.0 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 17 The birth rate for teenage women in the New Mexico Border Counties within 62 miles of the Border was the highest in the State at 44 births per 1,000 females between 15 and 17. Statewide, there were 37 births for each 1,000 females ages 15 to 17 in 2002 (Table 17). This was higher than the overall Border States teenage birth rate of 29 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17. Source: Office of New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). There was considerable variation in the teenage birth rate by race/ethnicity in New Mexico. The Hispanic/Latina birth rate in New Mexico counties within 62 miles of the Border was 69 per 1,000; this was somewhat higher than the New Mexico rate for Hispanics/Latinas of 64 births per 1,000 teenage women. The higher teenage birth rate was reflected in all race/ethnic categories except Non-Hispanic Whites. The teenage birth rate by race/ethnicity in New Mexico was 30 per 1,000 for Blacks/African-Americans and 12 per 1,000 among Non-Hispanic White teenage women (Table 17). In comparison, the teenage birth rate in New Mexico (37 per 1,000) was higher than the overall Border States teenage birth rate (29 per 1,000) and higher than the U.S. teenage birth rate (18 per 1,000). Healthy Border 2010 Objective for infant deaths: · Reduce the infant mortality rate to 4.6 deaths per 1,000 live births Infant Mortality Healthy Border 2010 Objective for infant deaths: Reduce the infant mortality rate to 4.6 deaths per 1,000 live births Table 15 shows that in New Mexico the infant mortality rate in 2002 was 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. Source: Office of New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Health (2002). For Non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics/Latinos(as), the infant mortality rate was 5.3 and 5.8, respectively. The Black/African-American infant mortality rate was 12.7 deaths for each 1,000 live births. This reflects an infant mortality rate that was more than 2 times greater than occurs in the Non-Hispanic White and Hispanic/Latino(a) populations. Infant mortality rates in 2002 for New Mexico were higher for all racial/ethnic groups than the Healthy Border 2010 Objective of 4.6 deaths per 1,000 population. In the counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, the infant mortality rate is approaching the HB 2010 goal. Mental Health Healthy Border 2010 Objective for mental health: Reduce the mortality rate for suicides to 9.4 deaths per 100,000 population Meeting mental health needs has been identified as a national priority in the United States. The National Action Agenda, established by the Surgeon General, notes specific action steps aimed at decreasing the burden of mental illness including promoting public awareness, supporting mental health-related research, improving early assessment, recognition and access to care, and training appropriate personnel to recognize and manage mental disorders.26 Hospitalizations for psychiatric-related conditions occurred at the rate of 45 per 10,000 population in New Mexico’s Border Counties in 2002; this was 2.4 times higher that the State rate of 18.6 per 10,000 population (Table 19). At the rate of 45 per 10,000 population, hospitalizations for psychiatric related conditions in New Mexico’s Border Counties were higher than those of the Border States (38 per 10,000). The counties between 62 and 300 miles from the Border had the lowest rate or hospitalization for psychiatric related conditions in the State at 13.2 per 10,000. Suicide takes a disproportionate toll in the community as well as on the family and friends of the deceased. It also results in a significant loss of years of potential life of a productive community member. Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death in New Mexico27 and the eleventh in the United States28. Table 19 shows that the New Mexico 2002 age-adjusted suicide mortality rate was 19.1 deaths per 100,000 population. This was almost twice the Border States and the U.S. rates (10.9 per 100,000 each). In the two counties more than 300 miles from the Border, the suicide mortality rate was 36 per 100,000; this was 1.9 times the State suicide mortality rate. This resulted in 926 years of life lost in 2002 per 100,000 population, twice the State rate and 4 times the rate for the Border States. In New Mexico, suicide resulted in the loss of 479 years of life lost per 100,000 population; this was twice the number of years of potential life lost due to suicide in the Border States. Oral Health Healthy Border 2010 Objective for oral health: Increase the use of oral care system to 75 percent “You are not healthy without good oral health,” noted Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General.29 The importance of meeting oral health care needs in communities in the Border Counties, Border States and nationwide is increasing as research continues to link oral health with general well-being. Oral infection has been associated with the onset and severity of systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and negative birthing outcomes.30 Despite increased use of dental sealants and water fluoridation, preventable oral diseases still afflict many children and adults during their lifetimes, impacting their self-image and quality of life as well as compromising their health and well-being.30 Disparities in access to preventative and therapeutic oral care are demonstrated by the unmet needs of those with lower income and education levels, underserved populations, and a notable proportion of untreated tooth decay (over 40 percent in persons between 2 and 19 years, and approximately 90 percent of adults) observed in individuals regardless of sociodemographic characteristics.31 While it is now possible to maintain healthy teeth throughout a lifetime, currently available preventive measures, knowledge, and technologies must be utilized universally by professionals and consumers alike.32 Healthy Border 2010 Objective for oral health includes these essential services: Treatment of dental cavities Preventive services such as dental sealants Dental restorative treatments such as replacement of permanent teeth Screening and diagnosis of oral and pharyngeal cancers Identification and referral for treatment of oral birth defects, such as cleft lip and cleft palate Information collected in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) results from answers to the question, “Have you visited the dentist or dental clinic within the past year for any reason?” Results indicate that, in 2002, New Mexico residents were 10 percent below the HB 2010 goal of 75 percent of the population visiting a dentist each year (Table 20). Sixty-five percent of adults in New Mexico had visited a dentist or dental clinic within a past year. This was consistent with other Border States (66 percent) and the U.S. (70 percent). Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2002). Asthma Healthy Border 2010 Objective for asthma: Reduce the hospital discharge rate to 5.2 per 10,000 population In 2002, 11.7 percent of New Mexico respondents to the BRFSS reported that they had been diagnosed as ever having asthma by a health professional. The highest prevalence of asthma in New Mexico (12.3 percent) was reported among residents in the New Mexico Border Counties (Table 21). In 2002, the asthma hospitalization rate (9.9 per 100,000) for New Mexico was almost twice the HB 2010 goal. For counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, the asthma hospitalization rate (6.8 per 100,000) was above the HB 2010 goal. The hospitalization rate reflects only cases that are severe enough to be admitted to the hospital, not cases that made their presence in the emergency department, treated and released. Death due to asthma is a relatively rare cause of death; the age-adjusted mortality rate for New Mexico was 1.6 deaths per 100,000 population. This rate was similar to the Border States and U.S. rates and was consistent across New Mexico.