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Home >> State of New Mexico >> Lea County  

Welcome to Lea County ...

Time Zone: Lea County lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Lovington is the Seat for Lea County.

Lea County was founded in 1917. Lea was created by taking area from Chaves and Eddy Counties.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Lea had a population of 71,070 people. This is an increase of 10.02% since the last Census (which gave a population of 64,598 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Lea represented 3.14% of the total population of New Mexico.

Below are some of the communities located in Lea County:

  • Eunice
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunice
    • Eunice is located in Lea County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,049 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eunice <2>
  • Hobbs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs
    • Hobbs is located in Lea County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,339 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hobbs <2>
  • Jal
    (43 miles [69.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jal
    • Jal is located in Lea County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,118 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jal <2>
  • Lovington
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovington
    • Lovington is located in Lea County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,474 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovington <2>
  • Tatum
    (36 miles [57.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tatum
    • Tatum is located in Lea County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 829 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tatum <2>

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
 

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This page was last modified/updated: 20 Mar 2025