San Miguel County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Miguel County
U.S. county
San Miguel County Courthouse in Las Vegas
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 9, 1852
Named for	San Miguel del Vado
Seat	Las Vegas
Largest city	Las Vegas
Area
• Total	4,736 sq mi (12,270 km2)
• Land	4,716 sq mi (12,210 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2)  0.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,201
• Density	5.7435/sq mi (2.21756/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd

San Miguel County (Spanish: Condado de San Miguel) is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,201. Its county seat is Las Vegas.

San Miguel County comprises the Las Vegas Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,736 square miles (12,270 km²), of which 4,716 square miles (12,210 km²) is land and 20 square miles (52 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Mora County – north
• Harding County – east
• Quay County – southeast
• Guadalupe County – south
• Torrance County – southwest
• Santa Fe County – west

National protected areas

• Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge
• Pecos National Historical Park (part)
• Santa Fe National Forest (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 29,393 people, 11,978 households, and 7,275 families living in the county. The population density was 6.2 inhabitants per square mile (2.4/km²). There were 15,595 housing units at an average density of 3.3 units per square mile (1.3 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.6% white, 1.7% American Indian, 1.4% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 25.4% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 76.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 6.3% were German, 5.3% were English, and 1.6% were American.

Of the 11,978 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.3% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 40.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,213 and the median income for a family was $42,888. Males had a median income of $35,176 versus $28,351 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,508. About 15.7% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Las Vegas (county seat)

Villages

• Mosquero (part)
• Pecos

Census-designated places

Other communities

Ghost town

• Las Ruedas

Education

Montezuma Castle is on the campus of the United World College of the American West

Public school districts include:

• Las Vegas City Public Schools
• Pecos Independent Schools
• Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools
• West Las Vegas Public Schools

Tertiary education institutions in San Miguel County include:

• Armand Hammer United World College of the American West
• Luna Community College
• New Mexico Highlands University

Native American Preparatory School, a private school, was in operation in the county until 2002.

Notable people

• Antonia Apodaca (1923–2020) born in Rociada, folk musician and composer
• Margaret Larkin (1899–1967), born in Las Vegas, writer and musician
• María Dolores Gonzáles (1917–1975), leader in bilingual education in New Mexico

See also

In Spanish: Condado de San Miguel (Nuevo México) para niños