Chaves County, New Mexico
Chaves County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of 2000, the population was 61,382. Its county seat is Roswell.[1] The name commemorates the name of Jose Francisco Chaves. Created by Territorial Legislature, Feb. 25, 1889, out of land from the county of Lincoln. The county's area comprises 6,071 sq mi, making it the fourth largest county in the state.
Contents |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,075 square miles (15,734 km²), of which, 6,071 square miles (15,723 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) of it (0.07%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- De Baca County, New Mexico - north
- Roosevelt County, New Mexico - northeast
- Lea County, New Mexico - east
- Eddy County, New Mexico - south
- Otero County, New Mexico - southwest
- Lincoln County, New Mexico - west
National protected areas
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 61,382 people, 22,561 households, and 16,085 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 25,647 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.95% White, 1.97% Black or African American, 1.13% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 21.25% from other races, and 3.12% from two or more races. 43.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 22,561 households out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 13.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,513, and the median income for a family was $32,532. Males had a median income of $26,896 versus $21,205 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,990. About 17.60% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.10% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.
Localities
City
Towns
Other localities
- Dunken
- Elk
- Elkins
- Greenfield
- Mesa
- Midway
Politics
Chaves County is a Republican stronghold. No Democratic candidate has won office in Chaves County since Lyndon Johnson's landslide victory of 1964. Even in that election, Johnson took Chaves County by only 1.3 percent.[3]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 61.7% | 37.1% | 1.2% |
| 2004 | 68.1% | 31.0% | 0.9% |
| 2000 | 62.7% | 34.9% | 1.7% |
| 1996 | 53.9% | 37.9% | 6.9% |
| 1992 | 46.9% | 33.7% | 19.0% |
| 1988 | 65.8% | 33.1% | 1.0% |
| 1984 | 73.4% | 25.7% | 1.0% |
| 1980 | 67.2% | 28.8% | 1.1% |
| 1976 | 59.3% | 39.8% | 0.9% |
| 1972 | 70.9% | 26.5% | 2.6% |
| 1968 | 63.6% | 25.9% | 0.3% |
| 1964 | 49.2% | 50.5% | 0.3% |
| 1960 | 59.1% | 40.4% | 0.6% |
References
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/index.html
| De Baca County | Roosevelt County | |||
| Lincoln County | Lea County | |||
| Chaves County, New Mexico | ||||
| Otero County | Eddy County |
|
||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 33°22′N 104°28′W / 33.36°N 104.47°W
Categories: New Mexico counties | Chaves County, New Mexico >