Valencia County | |
|---|---|
 Valencia County Courthouse in Los Lunas | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNew Mexico | |
 New Mexico's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:34°43′N106°48′W / 34.72°N 106.8°W /34.72; -106.8 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Mexico |
| Founded | January 9, 1852 |
| Named after | Valencia, New Mexico |
| Seat | Los Lunas |
| Largest village | Los Lunas |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,068 sq mi (2,770 km2) |
| • Land | 1,066 sq mi (2,760 km2) |
| • Water | 2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 76,205 |
| • Density | 71.49/sq mi (27.60/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional districts | 1st,2nd |
| Website | www |
Valencia County (Spanish:Condado de Valencia) is acounty in theU.S. state ofNew Mexico. As of the2020 census, the population was 76,205.[1] Thecounty seat isLos Lunas.[2]
Valencia County is included in theAlbuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county was a significantbellwether region that held the longest record forpredicting presidential election winners until2020.
The county, which had been previously larger in area, lost almost 81 percent of its territory on June 19, 1981, upon the creation ofCibola County, which occupies the westernmost portion of Valencia County's former area.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,068 square miles (2,770 km2), of which 1,066 square miles (2,760 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[3] It is the second-smallest county in New Mexico by area.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 14,189 | — | |
| 1860 | 11,321 | −20.2% | |
| 1870 | 9,093 | −19.7% | |
| 1880 | 13,095 | 44.0% | |
| 1890 | 13,876 | 6.0% | |
| 1900 | 13,895 | 0.1% | |
| 1910 | 13,320 | −4.1% | |
| 1920 | 13,795 | 3.6% | |
| 1930 | 16,186 | 17.3% | |
| 1940 | 20,245 | 25.1% | |
| 1950 | 22,481 | 11.0% | |
| 1960 | 39,085 | 73.9% | |
| 1970 | 40,539 | 3.7% | |
| 1980 | 61,115 | 50.8% | |
| 1990 | 45,235 | −26.0% | |
| 2000 | 66,152 | 46.2% | |
| 2010 | 76,569 | 15.7% | |
| 2020 | 76,205 | −0.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[4] 1790–1960[5] 1900–1990[6] 1990–2000[7] 2010[8] | |||
As of the2000 census,[9] there were 66,152 people, 22,681 households, and 17,350 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 62 people per square mile (24 people/km2). There were 24,643 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (8.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 66.5%White, 1.3%Black orAfrican American, 3.3%Native American, 0.4%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 23.9% fromother races, and 4.6% from two or more races. 55.0% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 22,681 households, out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% weremarried couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,099, and the median income for a family was $37,157. Males had a median income of $30,339 versus $23,132 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,747. About 13.5% of families and 16.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of the2010 census, there were 76,569 people, 27,500 households, and 19,967 families living in the county.[10] The population density was 71.8 inhabitants per square mile (27.7/km2). There were 30,085 housing units at an average density of 28.2 per square mile (10.9/km2).[11] The racial makeup of the county was 73.2% white, 3.8% American Indian, 1.4% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 17.0% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 58.3% of the population.[10] In terms of ancestry, 10.9% wereGerman, 6.7% wereEnglish, 6.1% wereIrish, and 4.2% wereAmerican.[12]
Of the 27,500 households, 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.4% were non-families, and 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 37.7 years.[10]
The median income for a household in the county was $42,044 and the median income for a family was $48,767. Males had a median income of $41,511 versus $32,584 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,955. About 15.7% of families and 19.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.[13]
Valencia County has two school districts:Belén Consolidated Schools andLos Lunas Public Schools.[14]
Valencia County once held the longest active streak of voting for the winner of U.S. presidential elections, breaking for the nationwide winner in every presidential election from1952 to2016.[16] In2020, both it andVigo County, Indiana broke their streaks dating back to the 1950s (since1956 in Vigo) by selectingDonald Trump over eventual winnerJoe Biden, then leavingClallam County, Washington, whose streak extends back to1980 (but would later have its own streak broken, when it backed the losing candidate inKamala Harris over Trump in2024), as the holder of longest-running presidential bellwether.[17] Before 1952, its record is less reliable; the only other Democratic president it voted for wasFranklin D. Roosevelt in1936. The county has seen a steady Republican trend in recent elections, with Donald Trump's 2024 performance being the best by a Republican presidential candidate since 1984.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,263 | 77.25% | 231 | 14.13% | 141 | 8.62% |
| 1916 | 1,540 | 79.50% | 383 | 19.77% | 14 | 0.72% |
| 1920 | 2,839 | 74.59% | 951 | 24.99% | 16 | 0.42% |
| 1924 | 3,183 | 78.01% | 678 | 16.62% | 219 | 5.37% |
| 1928 | 3,500 | 79.87% | 881 | 20.10% | 1 | 0.02% |
| 1932 | 3,263 | 59.25% | 2,229 | 40.48% | 15 | 0.27% |
| 1936 | 2,941 | 46.75% | 3,336 | 53.03% | 14 | 0.22% |
| 1940 | 3,436 | 50.83% | 3,318 | 49.08% | 6 | 0.09% |
| 1944 | 2,765 | 52.88% | 2,461 | 47.06% | 3 | 0.06% |
| 1948 | 3,280 | 52.67% | 2,914 | 46.80% | 33 | 0.53% |
| 1952 | 3,810 | 53.47% | 3,310 | 46.46% | 5 | 0.07% |
| 1956 | 4,663 | 56.74% | 3,547 | 43.16% | 8 | 0.10% |
| 1960 | 4,929 | 41.16% | 7,043 | 58.81% | 4 | 0.03% |
| 1964 | 3,950 | 33.60% | 7,757 | 65.98% | 50 | 0.43% |
| 1968 | 5,676 | 47.51% | 5,513 | 46.15% | 758 | 6.34% |
| 1972 | 8,239 | 56.09% | 6,110 | 41.60% | 339 | 2.31% |
| 1976 | 7,851 | 47.43% | 8,566 | 51.75% | 136 | 0.82% |
| 1980 | 11,177 | 58.39% | 6,886 | 35.97% | 1,079 | 5.64% |
| 1984 | 8,474 | 60.32% | 5,393 | 38.39% | 182 | 1.30% |
| 1988 | 7,874 | 51.80% | 7,136 | 46.95% | 190 | 1.25% |
| 1992 | 6,305 | 37.60% | 7,495 | 44.70% | 2,968 | 17.70% |
| 1996 | 7,779 | 41.95% | 9,169 | 49.44% | 1,597 | 8.61% |
| 2000 | 10,803 | 50.54% | 9,819 | 45.93% | 755 | 3.53% |
| 2004 | 14,474 | 55.64% | 11,270 | 43.33% | 268 | 1.03% |
| 2008 | 13,136 | 45.45% | 15,366 | 53.17% | 397 | 1.37% |
| 2012 | 12,825 | 46.25% | 13,511 | 48.73% | 1,392 | 5.02% |
| 2016 | 13,215 | 47.89% | 10,841 | 39.29% | 3,536 | 12.82% |
| 2020 | 17,364 | 53.80% | 14,263 | 44.19% | 650 | 2.01% |
| 2024 | 19,057 | 57.27% | 13,609 | 40.90% | 611 | 1.84% |
Places adjacent to Valencia County, New Mexico | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofValencia County, New Mexico,United States | ||
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