Torrance County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Torrance County
U.S. county
Torrance County Courthouse in Estancia
Flag 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	March 16, 1903
Seat	Estancia
Largest city	Moriarty
Area
• Total	3,346 sq mi (8,670 km2)
• Land	3,345 sq mi (8,660 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2 km2)  0.03%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,045
• Density	4.4964/sq mi (1.7361/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st

Torrance County is a county located in the center of the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,045. The county seat is Estancia.

The geographic center of New Mexico is located in Torrance County, southwest of the Village of Willard, and in 2010, the center of population of New Mexico was located in Torrance County, near Manzano. Torrance County is included in the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,346 square miles (8,670 km²), of which 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) (0.03%) is covered by water. Most of the county is gently rolling grassland ranging from 6000 to 6200 feet in elevation. The Manzano Mountains rising to 10,098 feet on the western edge of the county provide it with its only significant topographic relief. The Manzano Wilderness area includes the highest part of the mountains. The other notable geographic feature of the county is the series of playas and seasonal lakes centering on Laguna del Perro southeast of Estancia.

Adjacent counties

• Santa Fe County - north
• San Miguel County - north
• Guadalupe County - east
• Lincoln County - south
• Socorro County - south
• Valencia County - west
• Bernalillo County - northwest

National protected areas

• Cibola National Forest (part)
• Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 16,383 people, 6,264 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 4.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.9/km²). There were 7,798 housing units at an average density of 2.3 per square mile (0.89/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.05% white, 2.34% American Indian, 1.34% black or African American, 0.43% Asian, 15.47% from other races, and 4.32% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 39.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were German, 12.2% were Irish, 10.0% were English, and 2.3% were American.

Of the 6,264 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 41.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,117 and the median income for a family was $43,914. Males had a median income of $37,545 versus $28,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,278. About 13.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.7% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Moriarty

Towns

• Estancia (county seat)
• Mountainair

Villages

• Encino
• Willard

Census-designated places

• Deer Canyon
• Duran
• Indian Hills
• Manzano
• Manzano Springs (partial)
• McIntosh
• Punta de Agua
• Tajique
• Torreon

Unincorporated communities

• Abo
• Cedarvale
• Clines Corners
• Progresso
• Wagon Wheel

Education

School districts include:

• Corona Municipal Schools
• Estancia Municipal Schools
• Moriarty Municipal Schools
• Mountainair Public Schools
• Vaughn Municipal Schools

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Torrance para niños