McKinley County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McKinley County
U.S. county
McKinley County Courthouse in Gallup
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	January 1, 1901
Named for	William McKinley
Seat	Gallup
Largest city	Gallup
Area
• Total	5,455.5 sq mi (14,130 km2)
• Land	5,450 sq mi (14,100 km2)
• Water	5.5 sq mi (14 km2)  0.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	72,902
• Density	13.36303/sq mi (5.15949/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 3rd

McKinley County is a county in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 72,902. Its county seat is Gallup. The county was created in 1901 and named for President William McKinley.

McKinley County is Gallup's micropolitan statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,455 square miles (14,130 km²), of which 5.5 sq mi (14 km²) (0.1%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

• San Juan County - north
• Sandoval County - east
• Cibola County - south
• Apache County, Arizona - west

Major highways

• Interstate 40
• U.S. Route 491 (formerly )
• New Mexico Highway 264
• New Mexico Highway 371
• New Mexico Highway 602

National protected areas

• Chaco Culture National Historical Park (part)
• Cibola National Forest (part)

Demographics

Census-designated places

For purposes of census-data collection, organization and analysis, the United States Census Bureau has devised 44 census-designated places since 1980 within McKinley County.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 71,492 people, 21,968 households, and 16,219 families resided in the county. The population density was 13.1 inhabitants per square mile (5.1/km²). The 25,813 housing units had an average density of 4.7/sq mi (1.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.5% Native American, 15.2% White, 0.8% Asian, 0.5% Black or African American, 4.9% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 13.3% of the population.

Of the 21,968 households, 46.2% had children under 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 24.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.2% were not families, and 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.22, and the average family size was 3.82. The median age was 30.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,335 and for a family was $37,345. Males had a median income of $31,527 versus $26,236 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,932. About 26.6% of families and 33.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.0% of those under 18 and 31.3% of those 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Gallup (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Education

Locally controlled public schools in most of McKinley County are run by Gallup-McKinley County Schools, the local school district, and include Crownpoint High School, Gallup Central High School, Gallup High School, Hiroshi Miyamura High School, Navajo Pine High School, Ramah Middle / High School, Thoreau High School, Tohatchi High School, and Tse Yi Gai High School. Areas in and around the Zuni reservation are in the Zuni Public School District, which operates Zuni High School.

Two Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) boarding schools are in the Fort Wingate area: Wingate Elementary School, and Wingate High School. The BIE also operates a K-8 school, Pueblo Pintado Community School, in Pueblo Pintado, and a K-6 school, Baca /Dlo'Ay Azhi Community School. Additionally, a tribal school affiliated with the BIE, Ch'ooshgai Community School, is located in Tohatchi.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de McKinley para niños