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
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
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 11,576. 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
Truth or Consequences
''Truth or Consequences'' is an American game show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940–57) and later on television by Edwards (1950–54), Jack Bailey (1954–56), Bob Barker (1956–75), Steve Dunne (1957–58), Bob Hi ...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water.
Grant County Grant County may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* County of Grant, Victoria
;United States
* Grant County, Arkansas
* Grant County, Indiana
* Grant County, Kansas
*Grant County, Kentucky
Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...
- west
National protected areas
*
Cibola National Forest
The Cibola National Forest (pronounced SEE-bo-lah) is a 1,633,783 acre (6,611.7 km2) United States National Forest in New Mexico, US. The name Cibola is thought to be the original Zuni Indian name for their pueblos or tribal lands. The name wa ...
As of the 2000 census, there were 13,270 people, 6,113 households, and 3,618 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 8,727 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.97%
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 ...
, 0.48%
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 ...
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 ...
, 8.27% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. 26.28% 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 6,113 households, out of which 20.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.50% 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, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.80% were non-families. 35.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.10% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 19.50% from 25 to 44, 27.40% from 45 to 64, and 27.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 100.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,152, and the median income for a family was $29,787. Males had a median income of $24,570 versus $19,839 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 $15,023. About 13.80% of families and 20.90% 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 31.50% of those under age 18 and 14.70% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 11,988 people, 5,917 households, and 3,126 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 8,356 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 8.6% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 28.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.0% were German, 9.4% were American, 8.4% were English, and 8.0% were Irish.
Of the 5,917 households, 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 47.2% were non-families, and 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.64. The median age was 54.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,583, the lowest of any county in New Mexico. The median income for a family was $38,641. Males had a median income of $32,059 versus $26,213 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,667. About 15.6% of families and 22.5% 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 29.8% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Spaceport America
Spaceport America is located in Sierra County, north of Las Cruces and east of Truth or Consequences. Sierra County voters approved the creation of a spaceport tax district in April 2008, freeing up funding for its construction. The first launch from Spaceport America occurred on September 25, 2006, since which over 300 launches have occurred. On May 22, 2021,
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a British-American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group conglomerate, which retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and opera ...
's VSS Unity launched from the spaceport with three people aboard becoming the first crewed launch from both Spaceport America and New Mexico and making New Mexico the third U.S. state, after
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
Truth or Consequences
''Truth or Consequences'' is an American game show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940–57) and later on television by Edwards (1950–54), Jack Bailey (1954–56), Bob Barker (1956–75), Steve Dunne (1957–58), Bob Hi ...
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentWinston
Unincorporated communities
*
Chloride
The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
Monticello
Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...
Sierra County was a swing county up until the 1950's, and since then it has largely voted Republican. The only Democrat since then to carry the county with a full majority was
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...
in 1964.
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
carried the county with pluralities in 1992 and 1996, but this was largely due to unusually strong third-party performance by
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot ( ; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an Independent politician ...