Sierra County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sierra County
U.S. county
Sierra County Courthouse in Truth or Consequences
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	1884
Named for	the Black Range (Spanish: Sierra Diablo)
Seat	Truth or Consequences
Largest city	Truth or Consequences
Area
• Total	4,236 sq mi (10,970 km2)
• Land	4,179 sq mi (10,820 km2)
• Water	57 sq mi (150 km2)  1.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,576
• Density	2.9/sq mi (1.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Sierra County (Spanish: Condado de Sierra) is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 11,576. Its county seat is Truth or Consequences.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,236 square miles (10,970 km²), of which 4,179 square miles (10,820 km²) is land and 57 square miles (150 km²) (1.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Catron County - northwest
• Socorro County - north
• Lincoln County - northeast
• Otero County - east
• Doña Ana County - south
• Luna County - south
• Grant County - west

National protected areas

• Cibola National Forest (part)
• El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (part)
• Gila National Forest (part)

Major highways

• I-25
• US 85
• NM 152
• NM 181
• NM 179
• NM 187
• NM 195

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,988 people, 5,917 households, and 3,126 families living in the county. The population density was 2.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.1 inhabitants/km²). There were 8,356 housing units at an average density of 2.0 units per square mile (0.77 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 8.6% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 28.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.0% were German, 9.4% were American, 8.4% were English, and 8.0% were Irish.

Of the 5,917 households, 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 47.2% were non-families, and 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.64. The median age was 54.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,583, the lowest of any county in New Mexico. The median income for a family was $38,641. Males had a median income of $32,059 versus $26,213 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,667. About 15.6% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Spaceport America

Spaceport America is located in Sierra County, 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Las Cruces and 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Truth or Consequences. Sierra County voters approved the creation of a spaceport tax district in April 2008, freeing up funding for its construction. The first launch from Spaceport America occurred on September 25, 2006, since which over 300 launches have occurred. On May 22, 2021, Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity launched from the spaceport with three people aboard becoming the first crewed launch from both Spaceport America and New Mexico and making New Mexico the third U.S. state, after California and Florida, to send humans into space.

Communities

Cities

• Elephant Butte
• Truth or Consequences (county seat)

Village

• Williamsburg

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

• Alamocita
• Aleman
• Chise
• Elephant Butte
• Hermosa
• Lake Valley
• San Albino
• San José
• San Ygnacio de la Alamosa
• Zapata
• San Navarro (Est: 1836 Abandoned: 1952)

Education

Truth or Consequences Schools is the school district for all of the county.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Sierra (Nuevo México) para niños