Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Table 92. Economic indicators for Cibola and McKinley Counties
Cibola
County
McKinley
County
New
Mexico
Median household income, 2009 $32,954 $30, 794 $42,830
Persons living in poverty, 2009 (95% CI) 25.8%
(20.2 – 31.4)
Children living in poverty, under 18 yrs old, 2009 (95% CI) 35.4%
(27.6 – 43.2)
28.4%
(22.6 – 34.3)
38.9%
(30.6 – 47.3)
18.2%
(17.7 – 18.8)
28.8%
(24.7 – 26.9)
Children living in poverty, under 5 yrs old, 2000 35.0% 42.6% 27.6%
Source: NMDH, 2011a; Abbreviations: CI – confidence interval
Data available at the State level indicate that people in the natural resources, construction, and
maintenance occupations are at greater risk of unemployment compared to all other occupational
categories listed (table 93). This information is confirmed by the low levels of compensation for
these industries that are presented in tables 52 and 53. This indicates that miners in the ROI may
be at particular risk of poor health outcomes.
Table 93. Unemployment rates in New Mexico by occupation, 2011
Occupation Unemployment Rate
Management, professional and related occupations 4.7%
Service occupations 10.3%
Sales and office occupations 9.0%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 16.1%
Production, transportation and material moving occupations 12.8%
Source: USBLS, 2011
Food insecurity is also related to income and employment. It is estimated that between 2007 and
2009, 15 percent of New Mexicans were food insecure (i.e., lacking basic food intake necessary
to provide energy and nutrients to live a fully productive life) (Nord et al., 2010). Rural
populations are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity.
Rates of food insecurity are not available at the county level; however, food stamp participation is
available and presented in table 94. Families with children are particularly susceptible to poverty,
with 60 and 78 percent of food stamp enrolled households in Cibola and McKinley Counties,
respectively having children under the age of 18 years old (Census, 2008).
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 399