Guadalupe County, New Mexico

History

Guadalupe County was named after Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) or after the Mesita de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Plain). The county was created from the southern portion of San Miguel County February 26, 1891, by an act of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature. The original county seat was Puerto De Luna, but was moved north to Santa Rosa in 1903. That same year, after the popular Spanish–American War of 1898, the county's name was changed to Leonard Wood County after the Presidential physician, Major-General in the Rough Riders, and recipient of the Medal of Honor. The name was later changed back to Guadalupe County. The County contains whole, or parts of, several previous Spanish land grants to include the Aqua Negra, the Jose Perea, the Anton Chico, and the Preston Beck land grants.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3032 sqmi, of which 3030 sqmi is land and 1.1 sqmi (0.04%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• San Miguel County – north
• Quay County – east
• De Baca County – south
• Lincoln County – south
• Torrance County – west

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,452. The median age was 42.0 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 130.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 132.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 46.4% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 1.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 18.9% from some other race, and 30.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 77.2% of the population.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,659 households in the county, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,187 housing units, of which 24.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.8% were owner-occupied and 34.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,687 people, 1,766 households, and 1,114 families living in the county.{{cite web |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213030038/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US35019 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213185644/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US35019 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213031455/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US35019 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 1,766 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 40.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,488 and the median income for a family was $37,535. Males had a median income of $36,494 versus $23,984 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,710. About 21.7% of families and 28.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.7% of those under age 18 and 27.4% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213013912/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US35019 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,680 people, 1,655 households, and 1,145 families living in the county. The population density was 2 /mi2. There were 2,160 housing units at an average density of 1 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 54.1% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, nil% Pacific Islander, 39.1% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. 81.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,655 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 121.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,783, and the median income for a family was $28,279. Males had a median income of $22,463 versus $18,500 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,241. About 18.1% of families and 21.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Santa Rosa (county seat)

Town

• Vaughn

Census-designated places

• Anton Chico
• Llano del Medio
• Newkirk
• Pastura
• Puerto de Luna

Unincorporated communities

• Colonias
• Cuervo

Politics

Guadalupe County leans Democratic, and has voted for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election since 1988. In 2024, however, Guadalupe County saw a trend toward the Republican Party in line with majority-Hispanic counties nationally when Donald Trump came within less than 1% of flipping it, with Kamala Harris holding it by a plurality and winning by only 14 votes. This was the best performance for a Republican in the county since Reagan won it in 1984.

Education

The county has two school districts serving sections: Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools and Vaughn Municipal Schools.

References

References

1. "Guadalupe County, New Mexico". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Bowden, J. J.. "Guadalupe County". Office of the State Historian.
4. "Guadalupe Co. History". The New Mexico GenWeb Project.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
16. "2020 Census – School District Reference Map:". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].