Residents across the state feel the pain at the pump

SOME GRIM ECONOMIC NEWS TONIGHT FOR THOUSANDS OF NEW MEXICO FAMILIES -- THEY RE AMONG THE NATION S HARDEST HIT WHEN IT COMES TO RISING GAS PRICES STUART DYSON IS LIVE AT RIO GRANDE AND I-40 NEAR THE BOTTOM OF YET ANOTHER LIST SOME OF OUR STATE S COUNTIES ARE AMONG THE WORST IN THE NATION WHEN IT COMES TO THE SHARE OF FAMILY INCOME THAT GOES STRAIGHT INTO THE GAS TANK OUT Q STILL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE HERE S HOW IT WORKS - POOR FAMILIES PAY A HIGHER SHARE OF THEIR FAMILY INCOME FOR GAS - AND OUR STATE HAS SOME OF THE POOREST FAMILIES IN THE COUNTRY - MANY OF THEM IN RURAL AREAS WHERE YOU HAVE TO DRIVE MORE TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B TAKE LUNA COUNTY - DEMING AREA - MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME ABOUT 22 THOUSAND DOLLARS - PAYING A LITTLE OVER TWO GRAND FOR GAS THIS YEAR - THAT S ALMOST TEN PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE FAMILY S BUDGET LUNA COUNTY IS NUMBER 29 ON THE OIL PRICE INFORMATION SERVICE STUDY OF 3 THOUSAND AMERICAN COUNTIES - BUT CUSTOMERS ALL OVER THE STATE ARE FEELING THE GAS PAINS I m a single mom - I have two girls - I ve got to travel into town - I take one to school - and to work - so a good chunk of my income is going to gas I m cutting down probably half what i used to drive - so i guess my greenhouse effect is half what it used to be Especially coming from Belen I have to fill this up two times a week to get back and forth to school just two days a week - and we re looking at about eighty bucks a week HERE S ANOTHER COUNTY IN THE WORST ONE HUNDRED - CATRON - MEDIAN INCOME 25 GRAND - WELL OVER TWO GRAND ON A YEARS WORTH OF GAS - ALMOST NINE PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE FAMILY S INCOME MORA COUNTY UP NORTH IN THE SAME BOAT AS CATRON - THE AVERAGE FAMILY SPENDING ALMOST NINE PER CENT OF ITS INCOME AT THE GAS PUMP IN THE ALBUQUERQUE AREA THE AVERAGE FAMILY S GAS BITE IS SMALLER - ONLY FIVE PER CENT - BUT STILL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE GOT THE GAS PUMP BLUES - CONSIDER LOS ALAMOS - MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME OVER 80 GRAND - LESS THAN THREE PER CENT FOR GAS AT RIO GRANDE AND I-40 SDEWN4 THE RIO RANCHO SCHOOL BOARD IS