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Bernalillo County, New Mexico facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Bernalillo, New Mexico.
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Bernalillo County
U.S. county
Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque
Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque
Flag of Bernalillo County
Flag
 Official seal of Bernalillo County
Seal
Map of New Mexico highlighting Bernalillo County
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
Map of the United States highlighting New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  New Mexico
Founded 1852
Seat Albuquerque
Largest city Albuquerque
Area
 • Total 1,167 sq mi (3,020 km2)
 • Land 1,161 sq mi (3,010 km2)
 • Water 6.4 sq mi (17 km2)  0.5%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 676,444
 • Density 580/sq mi (220/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts 1st, 2nd

Bernalillo County (/ˌbɜːrnəˈliːjoʊ/; Spanish: Condado de Bernalillo) is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 676,444. The county seat, Albuquerque, is the most populous city in New Mexico.

Bernalillo County is the central county of the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Bernalillo County was one of seven partidos established during Mexican rule; in 1852, within two years of the creation of the New Mexico Territory, Bernalillo became one of that territory's nine original counties. Bernalillo County was named for the town of Bernalillo, which is currently no longer part of the county. The towns of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Bernalillo were previously the county seats, but the capital was finally established in Albuquerque in 1883. In 1876, it absorbed Santa Ana County.

In 1906, years after the Land Revision Act of 1891 provided for the setting aside of forest reserves, the parts of Bernalillo County currently known as Cibola National Forest were established as reserves.

USS LST-306, a World War II tank landing ship that participated in the Allied invasion of Italy, was renamed as USS Bernalillo County in 1955. Sandia Mountain Wilderness was created in 1978 and the Petroglyph National Monument was established in June 1990.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,167 square miles (3,020 km2), of which 1,161 square miles (3,010 km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km2) (0.5%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in New Mexico by area.

Bernalillo County is in central New Mexico, and "stretches from the East Mountain area (just east of the Sandia Mountains) to the Volcano Cliffs on the west mesa."

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1850 7,751 —
1860 8,769 13.1%
1870 7,591 −13.4%
1880 17,225 126.9%
1890 20,913 21.4%
1900 28,630 36.9%
1910 23,606 −17.5%
1920 29,855 26.5%
1930 45,430 52.2%
1940 69,391 52.7%
1950 145,673 109.9%
1960 262,199 80.0%
1970 315,774 20.4%
1980 419,700 32.9%
1990 480,577 14.5%
2000 556,678 15.8%
2010 662,564 19.0%
2020 676,444 2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2019
Albuquerque Income
Median Household Income by Census Tract Block Group across Albuquerque metro.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 662,564 people, 266,000 households, and 164,104 families living in the county. The population density was 570.8 inhabitants per square mile (220.4 inhabitants/km2). There were 284,234 housing units at an average density of 244.9 units per square mile (94.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.4% white, 4.8% American Indian, 3.0% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 16.0% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 47.9% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:

  • 27.6% Mexican
  • 18.5% Spanish
  • 11.6% German
  • 8.5% Irish
  • 7.6% English
  • 3.4% Italian
  • 2.6% American
  • 2.3% French
  • 1.9% Scottish
  • 1.7% Scotch-Irish
  • 1.7% Polish
  • 1.3% Norwegian
  • 1.2% Swedish
  • 1.1% Dutch

Of the 266,000 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.3% were non-families, and 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 35.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,481 and the median income for a family was $59,809. Males had a median income of $42,189 versus $34,432 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,143. About 11.8% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Bernalillo County New Mexico.svg

A local toponymic oddity is that the town of Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque, is not actually in Bernalillo County. When established in 1852, the county was named for the town of Bernalillo, which was incorporated into Sandoval County in 1903.

Bracketed number refers to location on map, right

Cities

Town

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Education

There are three school districts in the county:

  • Albuquerque Public Schools
  • Moriarty Municipal Schools
  • Rio Rancho Public Schools

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools:

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), a BIE community college, is in an unincorporated area in the county.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Bernalillo para niños

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