New Mexico population and demographics

New Mexico had 2,125,498 residents on July 1, 2025, 16th smallest among the 50 states and DC and smaller than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas). The figure was a little lower than a year earlier: the population changed by −1,276 people, and it was one of 5 states to lose residents that year (California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia). Its highest estimate so far, 2,126,774, was for 2024¹.

Nearly half of those residents are Hispanic, a larger share than in any other state, and the American Indian share is second only to Alaska's. The shares of residents who receive food benefits or have public health coverage are also the highest in the country.

Close to half the state is Hispanic

49.4% of New Mexicans were Hispanic or Latino on July 1, 2025, the highest in the nation, 28.9 percentage points above the US figure (20.5%) and higher than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas). The share is up from 47.8% in 2020⁹, just short of half.

New Mexico49.4%

California41.2%

Texas40.9%

Arizona32.5%

Nevada31.2%

Florida29.2%

Colorado24.1%

New Jersey24.0%

New York21.0%

United States20.5%

Connecticut19.9%

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Hispanic or Latino
New Mexico	49.4%
California	41.2%
Texas	40.9%
Arizona	32.5%
Nevada	31.2%
Florida	29.2%
Colorado	24.1%
New Jersey	24.0%
New York	21.0%
United States	20.5%
Connecticut	19.9%

Most Hispanic New Mexicans report Mexican origin. Over 2020–2024, 32.4% of all residents (±0.3 percentage points) did so, 21.1 percentage points above the US figure (11.3%). That point estimate is the highest of any state, but California (32.3%) and Texas (32.1%) are so close that the survey places New Mexico between 1st and 3rd. Among its neighbors, the share is higher than Arizona, Colorado and Oklahoma; not statistically different from Texas. Other origins are small: Puerto Rican (0.5%), Central American (0.5%), South American (0.5%) and Cuban (0.3%¹⁰).

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions in federal surveys, so Hispanic residents can be of any race (Census Bureau: About the topic of race). Many New Mexicans answer the race question in ways that are rare elsewhere. In 2025, 269,761 people (±16,886) reported "some other race" alone, 12.7% of the population and the 2nd highest share in the country (state ranks for these detailed groups use 2020–2024 data). The combination of white and some other race, reported by 20.1%, is the highest share of any state. Altogether 25.0%¹¹ of residents reported two or more races, the 2nd highest¹² share.

Non-Hispanic white residents were 35.2% of the population in 2025, the 3rd lowest share and down from 37.3% in 2020. Black residents of any ethnicity were 2.9%, 10.7 percentage points below the US figure (13.5%), and Asian residents 2.2%, lower than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas)⁹.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

Hispanic or Latino (any race)49.4%

White, not Hispanic34.1% 71.8%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic8.8% 12.8%

Two or more races, not Hispanic3.3%

Asian, not Hispanic1.9% 3.3%

Black, not Hispanic1.8% 3.8%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.6%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.3%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	49.4%		–
White, not Hispanic	34.1%	±0.2	71.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	8.8%	±0.2	12.8%
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.3%	±0.3	–
Asian, not Hispanic	1.9%	±0.2	3.3%
Black, not Hispanic	1.8%	±0.1	3.8%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.6%	±0.2	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.3%

American Indian New Mexicans, Navajo to Zuni

The population estimates count 11.6% of New Mexicans as American Indian or Alaska Native alone on July 1, 2025, 9.5 percentage points above the US figure (2.1%). Only Alaska has a larger share (15.6%), and New Mexico's share is higher than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas)⁹. In the 2025 survey, 218,502 residents (±7,707¹¹) reported American Indian or Alaska Native as their only race. Counting people who also reported another race, the share was 12.8% (±0.4 percentage points), 3rd highest and higher than Arizona, Colorado and Texas; lower than Oklahoma¹⁴.

These counts include Hispanic residents who report American Indian race. Excluding them, non-Hispanic American Indian residents were 8.8% of the population in 2025 (±0.2 percentage points), up from 8.3% in 2024².

The 2020 Census, which recorded tribal affiliation, counted 195,765 people who were American Indian alone in New Mexico on April 1, 2020, 9.1% of the national total and the 4th largest number of any state. The largest group by far was the Navajo Nation, with 126,720 people reporting it alone or with another group. The Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation came next with 9,702. Many of the other large groups are individual Pueblos, such as the Pueblo of Laguna (6,288) and the Pueblo of Acoma (4,717), and Apache tribes, such as the Jicarilla Apache Nation (3,684¹⁵). Groups overlap, because a person can report more than one, so the counts should not be added.

Spanish and Navajo spoken at home

In 2025, 30.6% of residents aged 5 and older (±1.0 percentage points) spoke a language other than English at home, 7.7 percentage points above the US figure (22.9%) and the 6th highest share. Spanish accounts for most of it: 24.0% (±0.9 percentage points) spoke Spanish at home, the 3rd highest share after California (28.5%) and Texas (27.6%¹⁶). Over 2020–2024, 29.4%¹⁷ of Spanish speakers said they spoke English less than "very well".

After English and Spanish, Navajo is the most common language spoken at home. Over 2020–2024, 57,560 people (±2,048) spoke Navajo at home, 2.9% of residents 5 and older. No other state has a higher share; only Arizona has more speakers by number (75,037). Among Navajo speakers in New Mexico, 31.3%¹⁷ spoke English less than "very well".

Immigrants are a smaller part of the population than nationally. 9.8% of residents (±0.6 percentage points) were born abroad in 2025, 4.9 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). Of those immigrants, 75.3% were born in Latin America, 25.0 percentage points above the US figure (50.3%)¹⁸.

SNAP and Medicaid: the highest shares in the country

The Department of Agriculture counted an average of 466,081 SNAP participants in New Mexico in fiscal year 2025, 21.9% of the population. That is the highest in the nation, 9.6 percentage points above the US figure (12.3%) and ahead of the District of Columbia (20.3%). Benefits averaged $178.12 per person a month, $11.24 (6%) below the US figure ($189.36)¹⁹.

New Mexico21.9%

District of Columbia20.3%

Oregon18.0%

Louisiana17.7%

Oklahoma16.8%

West Virginia15.4%

Massachusetts15.2%

Nevada15.1%

Pennsylvania15.0%

Illinois14.9%

United States12.3%

Source: USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), SNAP Monthly State Participation and Benefit Summary, Fiscal Year 2025. Period: FY2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).

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State	SNAP participants (% of residents)
New Mexico	21.9%
District of Columbia	20.3%
Oregon	18.0%
Louisiana	17.7%
Oklahoma	16.8%
West Virginia	15.4%
Massachusetts	15.2%
Nevada	15.1%
Pennsylvania	15.0%
Illinois	14.9%
United States	12.3%

The household survey points the same way. In 2025, 19.0% of households (±0.9 percentage points) said they had received SNAP in the previous 12 months, the highest in the nation. The two sources count different things (monthly participants against households receiving benefits at any time in a year) and should not be compared directly. Among households receiving SNAP, 44.4% included someone aged 60 or older and 41.9%²⁰ included children; neither share is statistically different from the national one.

Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program had 675,997 enrollees in June 2026, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: 31.8% of residents, the 3rd highest share after the District of Columbia and New York. Enrollment changed by −3.1% from June 2025, when it was 697,723; that is 2.7 percentage points above the US figure (−5.8%)²¹, a smaller decline than in the country as a whole.

In the 2025 survey, 48.1% of residents (±1.0 percentage points) had some public health coverage, through Medicaid, Medicare, VA care or similar programs. That is the highest in the nation, ahead of West Virginia (45.5%). Medicaid or other means-tested coverage reached 26.3% of all residents and 53.6% of children (±2.1 percentage points), 18.4 percentage points above the US figure (35.2%)²². Even so, 10.5% of residents had no coverage at all, 2.1 percentage points above the US figure (8.4%); for children the rate, 5.6%, was not statistically different from the US figure (6.1%)²³.

Poverty and income: high official poverty, average after benefits

The official poverty rate was 15.5% in 2025 (±0.8 percentage points), 3.7 percentage points above the US figure (11.8%) and higher than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas). Allowing for the margins of error it ranks between 3rd and 8th, and it was not statistically different from 16.4% in 2024. Child poverty, 19.2% (±1.4 percentage points), was down from 21.8% in 2024, a statistically significant fall. Older residents are poorer than elsewhere too: 13.5% of people 65 and older were below the poverty line, 2.3 percentage points above the US figure (11.2%)⁵.

The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure gives a different answer. It counts SNAP, tax credits and other benefits as income and adjusts the poverty line for local housing costs. On that measure New Mexico's rate averaged 13.2% over 2023 to 2025 (±1.5 percentage points), not statistically different from the US figure (13.0%), against 16.0% on the official measure from the same survey. Nationally the supplemental rate is the higher of the two (13.0% against 10.7%²⁴); in New Mexico the supplemental estimate is the lower one.

Half of households had income above $70,342 in 2025 (±$1,508), $14,438 (17%) below the US figure ($84,780) and higher than Oklahoma; lower than Arizona, Colorado and Texas⁴. 18.0% of households had income under $25,000, 4.0 percentage points above the US figure (14.0%)²⁸.

New MexicoUnited States

Under $25,00018.0% 14.0%

$25,000–$49,99918.6% 15.4%

$50,000–$99,99928.9% 27.8%

$100,000–$199,99924.2% 28.0%

$200,000 or more10.2% 14.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001. Share of households in each band of income in the past 12 months, in 2025 dollars.

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Household income	New Mexico	MOE	United States
Under $25,000	18.0%	±0.9	14.0%
$25,000–$49,999	18.6%	±0.9	15.4%
$50,000–$99,999	28.9%	±1.3	27.8%
$100,000–$199,999	24.2%	±1.0	28.0%
$200,000 or more	10.2%	±0.6	14.8%

Prices are lower than nationally, by less than incomes are. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts New Mexico's overall price level at 92.2 for 2024 (US = 100), 8% below the US figure (100.0), with housing at 73.6. Adjusted for those prices, personal income per person was $51,121, 3rd lowest in the nation and $8,074 (14%) below the US figure ($59,195)²⁵. Very high incomes are rare: tax returns reporting $1 million or more accounted for 7.9% of all income reported in 2023, the 2nd lowest²⁹ share.

A population that has stopped growing

New Mexico grew at every census from its first, in 1850³⁰, but the pace has slowed sharply. The 2020 count of 2,117,522 was only 2.8% above 2010, 4.6 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶. Since the April 2020 base the state has added 8,006 people, 0.38%, the 9th lowest growth rate and lower than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas)¹.

New MexicoArizonaColoradoTexasOklahomaUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2000-2010; Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2010-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. July 1 estimates: intercensal series for 2000–2019, Vintage 2025 for 2020–2025.

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Year	New Mexico	Arizona	Colorado	Texas	Oklahoma	United States
2000	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
2001	100.6	102.2	102.3	101.8	100.4	101.0
2002	101.9	104.6	103.8	103.6	101.0	101.9
2003	103.1	106.8	104.7	105.2	101.5	102.8
2004	104.5	109.5	105.7	106.9	102.1	103.8
2005	106.1	113.1	107.0	108.8	102.7	104.7
2006	107.7	116.8	109.1	111.5	104.0	105.7
2007	109.3	119.5	111.0	113.8	105.2	106.8
2008	110.4	121.7	113.0	116.1	106.2	107.8
2009	111.8	122.9	114.9	118.4	107.6	108.7
2010	113.4	124.0	116.6	120.5	108.8	109.6
2011	114.3	124.9	118.3	122.4	109.6	110.5
2012	114.8	126.0	119.9	124.4	110.4	111.4
2013	115.1	127.0	121.6	126.2	111.4	112.2
2014	115.0	128.5	123.5	128.4	112.1	113.1
2015	115.1	129.9	125.8	130.8	112.9	114.1
2016	115.3	131.6	127.8	132.9	113.4	115.0
2017	115.4	133.2	129.4	134.6	113.5	115.8
2018	115.5	135.0	131.2	136.1	113.7	116.4
2019	115.9	137.0	132.6	137.8	114.2	117.0
2020	116.3	139.3	133.7	139.6	114.8	117.5
2021	116.3	141.0	134.4	141.2	115.6	117.7
2022	116.0	142.8	135.3	143.8	116.5	118.4
2023	116.4	144.4	136.6	146.7	117.6	119.3
2024	116.8	146.4	138.4	149.5	118.6	120.5
2025	116.7	147.7	139.0	151.4	119.4	121.1

The components explain the stall. Deaths have outnumbered births in every year since 2020: in the year to June 2025 the state recorded 20,235 births and 22,120 deaths, a natural change of −1,885. New Mexico was one of 17 states that recorded more deaths than births in the year to June 2025. The birth rate, 9.5 per 1,000 residents, was 10% below the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents); the death rate, 10.4 per 1,000 residents, was 14% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Births+110,934

Deaths−122,407

Net domestic migration−10,540

Net international migration+29,745

Residual (estimation adjustment)+274

Total change+8,006

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	110,934
Deaths	−122,407
Net domestic migration	−10,540
Net international migration	29,745
Residual (estimation adjustment)	274
Total change	8,006

Migration has not filled the gap. More people moved from New Mexico to other states than came the other way in each year since 2020, for a net domestic migration of −10,540 from April 2020 to June 2025. Net international migration added 29,745 over the same period, but it fell from 10,577 in the year to June 2024 to 2,879 in the year to June 2025. Net migration from both sources was 612¹ that year, too little to offset the natural decrease.

The Census Bureau's 2024 survey of movers, whose state-to-state estimates carry wide margins of error, shows how much of the exchange is with neighboring states. Texas was the largest source of people moving in (13,543) and the largest destination of people leaving (12,504). Arizona (7,401) and Colorado (5,593) were the next destinations, and California (8,699³³) the second source.

The population is spread thin. New Mexico is the 5th largest state by land area, at 121,313 square miles, and has 17.5 people per square mile, 6th least densely populated³⁵. Water covers 0.2% of its total area, the lowest in the nation³⁴. At the 2020 Census, 74.5% of residents lived in urban areas, 5.5 percentage points below the US figure (80.0%)³⁶. This site covers states only, so city and county figures are not published here.

New Mexico population by age: more residents over 65 than children

On July 1, 2025, New Mexico had 448,253 residents aged 65 and older and 439,452 under 18. The number of children was down from 479,678 in 2020, a drop of 40,226 (8.4%), while the number of people 65 and older was up from 393,073 in 2020⁹. The older group is now the larger of the two.

New MexicoUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	New Mexico	United States
2005	36.2 ±0.2	36.4 ±0.2
2006	35.2 ±0.2	36.4 ±0.2
2007	36.0 ±0.2	36.7 ±0.1
2008	36.0 ±0.2	36.9 ±0.1
2009	35.5 ±0.2	36.8 ±0.1
2010	36.7 ±0.2	37.2 ±0.1
2011	36.6 ±0.2	37.3 ±0.1
2012	36.8 ±0.2	37.4 ±0.1
2013	36.9 ±0.2	37.5 ±0.1
2014	37.2 ±0.2	37.7 ±0.1
2015	37.4 ±0.2	37.8 ±0.1
2016	37.7 ±0.2	37.9 ±0.1
2017	37.7 ±0.3	38.1 ±0.1
2018	38.1 ±0.3	38.2 ±0.2
2019	38.6 ±0.2	38.5 ±0.1
2021	39.1 ±0.3	38.8 ±0.1
2022	39.4 ±0.3	39.0 ±0.1
2023	39.9 ±0.3	39.2 ±0.1
2024	39.9 ±0.3	39.2 ±0.1
2025	40.6 ±0.3	39.5 ±0.1

The median age was 40.6 years in 2025 (±0.3 years), 1.1 years above the US figure (39.5 years) and older than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas)³. In 2005 it was 36.2 years³⁷. Residents 65 and older made up 21.1% of the population, tied for 10th highest; children under 5 made up 5.0%, lower than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas). For every 100 people aged 18 to 64 there were 36.2 aged 65 and older, 15% above the US figure (31.5)⁹.

In 2025 women outnumbered men by 35,756 (±7,427³⁸), and their median age was 42.1 years, against 39.2 years³ for men.

Most of New Mexico's adherents are Catholic

The Catholic Church is New Mexico's largest religious body by a wide margin. In the 2020 U.S. Religion Census its parishes counted 633,259 people, 29.9% of residents, highest in the West and 56.9% of all adherents in the state. Evangelical Protestant churches came next (12.9%), and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints counted 3.3%³⁹.

Congregations counted 52.5%³⁹ of New Mexicans in all. The figures are congregational records; the study calls its Catholic estimate conservative, particularly where the Catholic population has grown through migration, so the share is best read as a floor (about the source).

Shorter lives and more disability

Life expectancy at birth was 74.5 years in 2022, 3.0 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and the 9th shortest of any state. The gap is largest for men, whose life expectancy of 71.2 years was 3.6 years below the US figure (74.8 years) and shorter than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas). For women it was 78.1 years⁴⁰. In 2024 the leading causes of death were Heart disease, Cancer and Accidents; Chronic liver disease/cirrhosis⁴¹ ranked sixth.

17.6% of residents (±0.5 percentage points) reported a disability in 2025, 3.9 percentage points above the US figure (13.7%); New Mexico ranks between 3rd and 7th and higher than Arizona, Colorado and Texas; not statistically different from Oklahoma⁴².

Few married couples, many divorced adults

Married couples headed 41.6% of New Mexico's 863,010 households in 2025, 5.0 percentage points below the US figure (46.6%) and lower than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas). Allowing for the margins of error, the state ranks between 47th and 50th⁴³. Divorced people made up 13.1% of residents 15 and older (±0.5 percentage points), the highest point estimate of any state, ahead of West Virginia (12.8%); the survey ranks it between 1st and 5th⁴⁴.

Homeownership is higher than average: 69.8% of households owned their home in 2025, 4.5 percentage points above the US figure (65.3%) and higher than every bordering state (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas), though down from 71.1% in 2024⁴⁵. The median home was worth $293,400, $77,700 (21%) below the US figure ($371,100)²⁶, and median gross rent was $1,145, $412 (26%) below the US figure ($1,557)²⁷.

School, work and military service

Among adults 25 and older, 88.6% (±1.6 percentage points) had at least a high school diploma in 2025, 2.0 percentage points below the US figure (90.6%); the survey ranks the state between 41st and 50th. A bachelor's degree or higher was held by 31.4% (±0.9 percentage points), 6.0 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%) and higher than Oklahoma; lower than Arizona, Colorado and Texas⁴⁶.

The share of adults in the labor force, working or looking for work, averaged 57.7% in 2025, 4th lowest among the states and 4.7 percentage points below the US figure (62.4%)⁴⁷.

Veterans are 7.8% of civilian adults (±0.4 percentage points), 1.9 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%), which places New Mexico between 4th and 16th⁴⁸.