Torrance 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 center of 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 ...

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 15,045. The

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 Estancia. The geographic center of New Mexico is located in Torrance County, southwest of the Village of Willard, and in 2010, the

center of population In Demography, demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to dif ...

of New Mexico was located in Torrance County, near Manzano. Torrance County is included in the

Albuquerque metropolitan area The Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area, sometimes referred to as Tiguex (named after the Southern Tiwa), is a metropolitan area in central New Mexico centered on the city of Albuquerque. The metro comprises four counties: Bernalillo, Sa ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.03%) is covered by water. Most of the county is gently rolling grassland ranging from 6000 to 6200 feet in elevation. The Manzano Mountains rising to 10,098 feet on the western edge of the county provide it with its only significant topographic relief. The Manzano Wilderness area includes the highest part of the mountains. The other notable geographic feature of the county is the series of playas and seasonal lakes centering on Laguna del Perro southeast of Estancia.

Adjacent counties

* Santa Fe County - north * San Miguel County - north * Guadalupe County - east * Lincoln County - south * Socorro County - south * Valencia County - west * Bernalillo County - northwest

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 ...

(part) * Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (part)

Government

County Commissioners * District 1: Kevin McCall (2019 - 2022) * District 2: Ryan Schwebach (2019 - 2022) * District 3: Samuel Schropp (2023 - 2024) * County Manager - Janice Y. Barela * County Clerk - Linda Jaramillo (2023 - 2024) * County Treasurer - Tracy L. Sedillo (2021 - 2024) * County Assessor - Jesse Lucero (2019 - 2022) * County Sheriff - David Frazee (2023-2026) * County Probate Judge - Josie Chavez-Eaton (2019 - 2022)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 16,911 people, 6,024 households, and 4,391 families residing 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 7,257 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.10%

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 ...

, 1.63%

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 ...

, 1.71% Native American, 17.64% from other races, and 4.41% from two or more races. 37.15% 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 6,024 households, out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% 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, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20. In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,446, and the median income for a family was $34,461. Males had a median income of $29,403 versus $21,833 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 $14,134. About 15.20% of families and 19.00% 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 24.50% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 16,383 people, 6,264 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,798 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 76.05% white, 2.34% American Indian, 1.34% black or African American, 0.43% Asian, 15.47% from other races, and 4.32% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 39.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were German, 12.2% were Irish, 10.0% were English, and 2.3% were American. Of the 6,264 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 41.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,117 and the median income for a family was $43,914. Males had a median income of $37,545 versus $28,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,278. About 13.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the

, including 30.7% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Moriarty

Towns

* Estancia (county seat) * Mountainair

Villages

* Encino * Willard

Census-designated places

* Deer Canyon * Duran * Indian Hills * Manzano * Manzano Springs (partial) * McIntosh * Punta de Agua * Tajique * Torreon

Unincorporated communities

Abo The ABO blood group system is used to denote the presence of one, both, or neither of the A and B antigens on erythrocytes (red blood cells). For human blood transfusions, it is the most important of the 47 different blood type (or group) cla ...

* Cedarvale * Clines Corners * Progresso * Wagon Wheel

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Corona Municipal Schools * Estancia Municipal Schools * Moriarty Municipal Schools * Mountainair Public Schools * Vaughn Municipal Schools

References

{{Coord, 34.64, -105.85, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NM_source:UScensus1990 1903 establishments in New Mexico Territory Albuquerque metropolitan area