New Mexico Population 2024

2,115,266

New Mexico currently has a growth rate of 0.64% annually, which ranks 30th in the country. The last nationwide census within the United States was carried out in 2010 and that survey revealed that the population of New Mexico was 2,059,179. This was the first time that numbers in the state had exceeded 2 million, and the figure represented an increase of 14.5% on those declared ten years earlier.

You can see details of each individual New Mexico county’s population increase and decrease between 2000 and 2010 using this interactive map. It’s important to note that, while the number of people in many counties increased, it fell in others, so the growth isn’t uniform.

New Mexico Area and Population Density

The State of New Mexico in the deep south of the United States in the fifth largest state in the US by area. However, it is the sixth most sparsely populated territory in the country, indicating that total population isn't that high. The vast area of New Mexico is filled with mountain ranges, deserts and huge forests. So it’s not surprising that, although the total surface area of NM is 121,589 square miles (315,194 square kilometers), there is an average of just 17 people who live in each square mile. Overall, New Mexico is only the 45th most densely populated state in the United States.

Many of the state’s residents are crowded into Bernalillo County. Despite being the second smallest country in the state, Bernalillo is home to more than one-third of its residents -- 676,685 to be precise. That’s mainly because Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, is within the county borders. The total population of Albuquerque is 559,121, making it the 32nd largest city in the US.

There are four other counties in New Mexico with more than 100,000 people -- Dona Ana (pop: 214,295), Santa Fe (pop: 148.686), Sandoval (pop: 139,394) and San Juan (pop: 118,737).

New Mexico Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age is New Mexico is approximately 37.2 years of age. The ratio of females to males in the state is approximately split at 50.5% females and 49.5% males.

In religious terms, New Mexico comes in with 75% of the population affiliated with a Christian based faith, 4% with a non-Christian based faith, and 21% unaffiliated with any faith in particular.

New Mexico Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

New Mexico was acquired in part in 1845 when Texas joined the United States, and in part directly from Mexico in 1848 and 1853. New Mexico Territory was established in December 1850, including most of present-day Arizona and parts of Colorado and Nevada. New Mexico acquired essentially its present boundaries in 1863, and was admitted as a State on January 6, 1912.

In 1850 census coverage of New Mexico Territory included much of the present State but did not extend beyond it. The 1860 population refers essentially to the present State; it excludes the then Arizona County, which was located within present-day Arizona, as well as areas that became part of Colorado Territory in 1861.

New Mexico Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of New Mexico was:

  • White: 64.69%
  • Two or more races: 12.4%
  • Other race: 9.71%
  • Native American: 9.37%
  • Black or African American: 2.12%
  • Asian: 1.63%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.08%

New Mexico Population History

New Mexico is one of the few US states that has never really experienced what you might refer to as a "population boom." Whereas many states at times saw increases of several hundred percent per decade, particularly in the 18th century, the largest decade on decade population increase in New Mexico was only 60%. Steady but sustained population growth has been the order of the day in this part of the US.

The first official New Mexico census was held in 1860, when the population was recorded at a healthy 61,547. Just ten years later a rise of 51.9% had been recorded, taking the number of people living in the state to 93,516. A sizeable increase but not big in relation to huge spikes experienced elsewhere.

New Mexico Population Growth

Although the following census in 1880 recorded a slight fall in numbers (1.8%), from that point on steady growth has dominated, with average rises on a census by census basis of around 25%. The population of New Mexico had exceeded one million by the time of the 1970 Census and in 2010, numbers passed two million for the first time.

New Mexico Population Projections

Growth in New Mexico has been steady and as such, it’s fairly easy to predict population increases. Growth along the lines of that seen in the last forty years could therefore take those figures close to the 2.5 million mark by the time of the 2020 census. Official population projections estimate New Mexico will still come a bit short of this number, though, reaching 2.35 million by 2020, and hitting the 2.5 million mark by 2025.

New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics (48%) of any US state, which includes both recent immigrants from Latin America and descendants of Spanish colonists. 83% of the Hispanic population was native-born, while 17% was foreign-born. Most in the state claim a Spanish ancestry, particularly in the northern area of New Mexico. The state is one of four to be ethnically a minority-majority state.

The Hispanic and Latino population of any race was 48%. New Mexico also has a very high Native American population, which is second only to Alaska.

About 28% of the population over the age of 5 speaks Spanish at home, while 4% speak Navajo. There are also many in the state who speak New Mexican Spanish, an archaic form of 17th century Castilian Spanish from the colonists who arrived in the state between the 16th and 18th centuries.

New Mexico Growth Rate

New Mexico Population Rank

New Mexico Population 2024

New Mexico Facts

Population

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The state of New Mexico has many counties, and across the state, there have been significant increases and decreases in population from the time of the 2010 Census until estimates were taken by the US Census Bureau in 2015. During this 5-year period, the New Mexico county of Lea saw the highest rate of growth at 10.14%. Three other counties -- Eddy, McKinley, and Sandoval -- saw population growths of over 5%. Several other counties, including Curry, Santa Fe, and Taos, recorded smaller increases in their populations.

On the other side, some counties also saw declining populations based on this same data from this 5-year period. Colfax County had the biggest decrease in population, which was 9.62%. Other significant decreases in New Mexico include San Juan County at 8.76%, De Baca County at 9.42%, and Hidalgo County at 8.88%, amongst others.

New Mexico Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White1,364,63864.69%
Two or more races261,46412.4%
Other race204,7429.71%
Native American197,7129.37%
Black or African American44,7922.12%
Asian34,3131.63%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander1,7050.08%

White

Two or more races

Other race

Native American

Black or African American

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

New Mexico Population by Race

New Mexico Population Pyramid 2024

New Mexico Median Age

38.3

Total

37.1

Male

39.6

Female

New Mexico Adults

There are 1,624,040 adults, (369,541 of whom are seniors) in New Mexico.

New Mexico Age Dependency

68.1

Age Dependency Ratio

29.5

Old Age Dependency Ratio

38.7

Child Dependency Ratio

New Mexico Sex Ratio

Female1,060,91850.3%
Male1,048,44849.7%

New Mexico Population by Age

New Mexico Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All797,5962.5968.231.8
Married339,7423.2782.617.4
Non Family300,5721.2357.242.8
Female108,3753.7556.143.9
Male48,9073.6862.437.6

3.3

Average Family Size

2.59

Average Household Size

68.2%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

New Mexico Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

New Mexico Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

New Mexico Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.04%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 55.47%.

New Mexico Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$37,162

Average Earnings

$42,431

Average Male

$32,079

Average Female

New Mexico Earnings by Educational Attainment

New Mexico Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

New Mexico Language

67.01% of New Mexico residents speak only English, while 32.99% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 25.67% of the population.

New Mexico Language

New Mexico Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic1,025,895214,87520.95%
White745,94888,04311.8%
Native194,57261,14731.43%
Multiple255,82248,03518.78%
Other200,14347,34823.66%
Black41,9379,44622.52%
Asian33,6213,64510.84%
Islander1,66831719%

18.33%

Overall Poverty Rate

17.15%

Male Poverty Rate

19.47%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in New Mexico

The race most likely to be in poverty in New Mexico is Native, with 31.43% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in New Mexico is Asian, with 10.84% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.14%. Among those working part-time, it was 21.01%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.62%.

New Mexico Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade31.88%
High School19.06%
Some College14.24%
Bachelors or Greater6.14%

New Mexico Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed32.6%
Male Unemployed32.48%
Female Employed10.51%
Male Employed7.75%

New Mexico Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

New Mexico Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

New Mexico Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

43.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

44.6%

Male Marriage Rate

42.3%

Female Marriage Rate

New Mexico Married by Age and Sex

male

female

New Mexico Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

New Mexico Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

New Mexico Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

139,347

Number of Veterans

125,219

Male Veterans

14,128

Female Veterans

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New Mexico Veterans by War

count

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New Mexico Veterans by Age

count

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New Mexico Veterans by Race

New Mexico Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7.83%

Veteran Poverty Rate

32.3%

Veteran Disability Rate

New Mexico Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

57.3%

Labor Force Participation

52.9%

Employment Rate

6.6%

Unemployment Rate

New Mexico Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

New Mexico Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

New Mexico Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

54.31%

Born in New Mexico

90.84%

Native Born

9.16%

Foreign Born

5.19%

Non Citizen

3.97%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

90.84% of New Mexico residents were born in the United States, with 54.31% having been born in New Mexico. 5.19% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

New Mexico Place of Birth

  1. New Mexico State Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources