De Baca County, New Mexico
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De Baca County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the U.S. state of
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,698, making it New Mexico's second-least populous county. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Fort Sumner. The county is named for Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca, the second elected Governor of New Mexico.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Guadalupe County - north * Quay County - northeast * Roosevelt County - east * Chaves County - south * Lincoln County - west


Demographics


2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,240 people, 922 households, and 614 families living in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 1,307 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.02%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.04%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.94% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 12.54% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. 35.27% of the population were
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race. There were 922 households, out of which 27.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 30.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 21.70% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 25.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,441, and the median income for a family was $32,870. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $18,487 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $14,065. 17.70% of the population and 13.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.30% are under the age of 18 and 15.00% are 65 or older.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,022 people, 912 households, and 581 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 1,344 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.3% white, 0.6% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 7.9% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 38.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 13.7% were American, 9.6% were English, and 7.4% were Irish. Of the 912 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.3% were non-families, and 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 47.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $30,643 and the median income for a family was $36,618. Males had a median income of $27,460 versus $20,980 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,769. About 15.9% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.


Communities


Village

* Fort Sumner (county seat)


Census-designated place

* Lake Sumner


Unincorporated communities

* Agudo * Buchanan * Canton * Cardenas * Dunlap * Evanola * Ingleville * La Lande * Largo * Ricardo * Taiban * Tolar * Yeso


Ghost town

* Añal


Education

The county has a single school district: Fort Sumner Municipal Schools.


Notable people

*
Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
was killed and buried in Fort Sumner, New Mexico * Lucien Maxwell,
mountain man A mountain man is an Geographical exploration, explorer who lives in the wilderness and makes his living from hunting, fishing and trapping. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s ...
, rancher,
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
, businessman, land owner, and rancher * Paulita Maxwell, daughter of Lucien and friend of
Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
* Fern Sawyer, cowgirl,
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
champion, and politician


Politics

In its early history, De Baca County was dominated by the Democratic Party. It began shifting Republican in the second half of the 20th century, only supporting a Democratic candidate 3 times after 1948. Since then, the Republican trend has gradually increased, with Donald Trump's 2024 performance being the best by a Republican in the county's history.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in De Baca County, New Mexico


References

{{Coord, 34, 28, 18, N, 104, 14, 44, W, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NM_source:GNIS-enwiki 1917 establishments in New Mexico Populated places established in 1917