Skip to content

Monday, Aug. 12, 2024

Are unemployment benefits more “generous” in New Mexico than Texas?


yes

New Mexico offers higher unemployment benefits and is slightly more lenient about who qualifies than Texas.

The weekly benefit in New Mexico is 52.5% of a filer’s highest recent average weekly wage. Filers may receive up to 26 weeks of benefits or 60% of wages earned in the 12 months prior to filing a claim — whichever is less.

The weekly benefit in Texas is 4% of a filer’s highest recent quarterly earnings. Filers may receive up to 26 weeks of benefits or 27% of all wages earned in the 12 months prior to filing a claim — whichever is less.

Texas and New Mexico both have a maximum weekly benefit cutoff of $577. But New Mexico’s minimum benefit of $107 is higher than Texas’ $73.

New Mexico requires that filers earned wages in at least two months of the previous year, while in Texas it’s three.

See a full discussion of this at El Paso Matters

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

El Paso Matters is a member-supported nonpartisan media organization that uses journalism to expand civic capacity in our region. We inform and engage with people in El Paso, Ciudad Juárez and neighboring communities to create solutions-driven conversations about complex issues shaping our region.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.