Valencia County, New Mexico

Valencia County
Valencia County
County
	Valencia County Courthouse in Los Lunas
	Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
	New Mexico's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°43′N 106°48′W / 34.72°N 106.8°W
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	January 9, 1852
Named for	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 km2) 0.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	76,205
• Density	71/sq mi (28/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd
Website	www.co.valencia.nm.us

Valencia County (Spanish: Condado de Valencia) is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,205.^[1] The county seat is Los Lunas.^[2]

Valencia County is included in the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county was a significant bellwether region that held the longest record for predicting presidential election winners until 2020.

History

The county, which had been previously larger in area, lost almost 81 percent of its territory on June 19, 1981, upon the creation of Cibola County, which occupies the westernmost portion of Valencia County's former area.

Geography

According to the U.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.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Cibola National Forest (part)
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (part)
Manzano Wilderness (part)

Other protected areas

Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area, est. 2003

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	13,320	—
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]

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,^[9] there were 66,152 people, 22,681 households, and 17,350 families living in the county. The population 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 or African American, 3.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 23.9% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. 55.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $14,747. About 13.5% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 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% were German, 6.7% were English, 6.1% were Irish, and 4.2% were American.^[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 the poverty line, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.^[13]

Communities

Cities

Town

Peralta

Villages

Bosque Farms
Los Lunas (county seat)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Education

Valencia County has two school districts: Belén Consolidated Schools and Los Lunas Public Schools.^[14]

Notable people

Bo Diddley lived in Valencia County from 1971 to 1978, while continuing his musical career. He served for two and a half years as a deputy sheriff in the Valencia County Citizens' Patrol; during that time he purchased and donated three highway-patrol pursuit cars. He occasionally played local dances.
Brian Reynolds Myers, lived in Valencia County during the late 1990s^[15]

Politics

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 from 1952 to 2016.^[16] In 2020, both it and Vigo County, Indiana broke their streaks dating back to the 1950s (since 1956 in Vigo) by selecting Donald Trump over eventual winner Joe Biden, leaving Clallam County, Washington, whose streak extends back to 1980, as the holder of longest-running presidential bellwether.^[17] Before 1952, its record is less reliable; the only other Democratic president it voted for was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936.

United States presidential election results for Valencia County, New Mexico^[18]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	17,364	53.80%	14,263	44.19%	650	2.01%
2016	13,215	47.89%	10,841	39.29%	3,536	12.82%
2012	12,825	46.25%	13,511	48.73%	1,392	5.02%
2008	13,136	45.45%	15,366	53.17%	397	1.37%
2004	14,474	55.64%	11,270	43.33%	268	1.03%
2000	10,803	50.54%	9,819	45.93%	755	3.53%
1996	7,779	41.95%	9,169	49.44%	1,597	8.61%
1992	6,305	37.60%	7,495	44.70%	2,968	17.70%
1988	7,874	51.80%	7,136	46.95%	190	1.25%
1984	8,474	60.32%	5,393	38.39%	182	1.30%
1980	11,177	58.39%	6,886	35.97%	1,079	5.64%
1976	7,851	47.43%	8,566	51.75%	136	0.82%
1972	8,239	56.09%	6,110	41.60%	339	2.31%
1968	5,676	47.51%	5,513	46.15%	758	6.34%
1964	3,950	33.60%	7,757	65.98%	50	0.43%
1960	4,929	41.16%	7,043	58.81%	4	0.03%
1956	4,663	56.74%	3,547	43.16%	8	0.10%
1952	3,810	53.47%	3,310	46.46%	5	0.07%
1948	3,280	52.67%	2,914	46.80%	33	0.53%
1944	2,765	52.88%	2,461	47.06%	3	0.06%
1940	3,436	50.83%	3,318	49.08%	6	0.09%
1936	2,941	46.75%	3,336	53.03%	14	0.22%
1932	3,263	59.25%	2,229	40.48%	15	0.27%
1928	3,500	79.87%	881	20.10%	1	0.02%
1924	3,183	78.01%	678	16.62%	219	5.37%
1920	2,839	74.59%	951	24.99%	16	0.42%
1916	1,540	79.50%	383	19.77%	14	0.72%
1912	1,263	77.25%	231	14.13%	141	8.62%