Roosevelt 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 ...

located 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 19,191. 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 Portales. The county was created in 1903 from Chaves and Guadalupe counties and named for the then-current

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. The county's eastern border is the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

state line. Roosevelt County comprises the Portales, NM Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Clovis–Portales, NM Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Curry County - north * Quay County - north * De Baca County - west * Chaves County - west * Lea County - south * Cochran County, Texas - southeast * Bailey County, Texas - east

National protected area

* Grulla National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 18,018 people, 6,639 households, and 4,541 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 7,746 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.14%

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 ...

, 1.65%

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 ...

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 ...

, 1.10% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 19.76% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. 33.29% 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 6,639 households, out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.14. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.10% under the age of 18, 16.00% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,586, and the median income for a family was $31,813. Males had a median income of $26,170 versus $20,684 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 $14,185. About 17.30% of families and 22.70% 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 25.10% of those under age 18 and 16.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 19,846 people, 7,299 households, and 4,671 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 8,163 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 76.9% white, 1.8% black or African American, 1.3% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 15.9% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 39.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.7% were German, 10.0% were American, 9.8% were English, and 9.3% were Irish. Of the 7,299 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.0% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 29.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,762 and the median income for a family was $43,536. Males had a median income of $37,719 versus $21,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,933. About 16.0% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the

, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The Roosevelt County clerk and deputy clerk resigned in late 2013 after the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that all counties in the state must license same-sex marriages. County Manager Bill Cathey said they had resolved to quit "rather than be associated with that," according to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. Roosevelt County is heavily Republican. It has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. However, the county is located in the New Mexico's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez.