Torrance County, New Mexico

Torrance County
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.
Coordinates: 34°38′N105°51′W / 34.64°N 105.85°W / 34.64; -105.85
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	4.5/sq mi (1.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.torrancecountynm.org

This article is about the county in New Mexico. For the city in California, see Torrance, California.

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. ^[1] The county seat is Estancia. ^[2]

The geographic center of New Mexico is located in Torrance County, southwest of the Village of Willard, ^{[3] [ circular reference ]} and in 2010, the center of population of New Mexico was located in Torrance County, near Manzano. ^[4] 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. ^[5] 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)

Government

County Commissioners ^[6]

• District 1: Kevin McCall (2019 - 2022)
• District 2: Ryan Schwebach (2019 - 2022)
• District 3: LeRoy M. Candelaria (2021 - 2024) (replaced by Samuel Schropp in 2023 upon Candelaria’s death)
• County Manager - Janice Y. Barela 
• County Clerk - Yvonne Otero (2021 - 2024) (replaced by Linda Jaramillo in 2023 after Otero abandoned the post due to criminal troubles)
• County Treasurer - Tracy L. Sedillo (2021 - 2024)
• County Assessor - Jesse Lucero (2019 - 2022) 
• County Sheriff - David Frazee (2023-2026) 
• County Probate Judge - Josie Chavez (2019 - 2022)

United States presidential election results for Torrance County, New Mexico ^[7]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,772	65.54%	2,344	32.19%	165	2.27%
2016	3,714	58.73%	1,785	28.23%	825	13.05%
2012	3,529	55.12%	2,428	37.93%	445	6.95%
2008	3,735	53.81%	3,087	44.47%	119	1.71%
2004	4,026	61.87%	2,386	36.67%	95	1.46%
2000	2,891	58.29%	1,868	37.66%	201	4.05%
1996	2,154	46.27%	2,072	44.51%	429	9.22%
1992	1,667	40.00%	1,662	39.88%	838	20.11%
1988	2,252	57.19%	1,618	41.09%	68	1.73%
1984	2,326	64.02%	1,274	35.07%	33	0.91%
1980	1,907	57.42%	1,261	37.97%	153	4.61%
1976	1,462	48.54%	1,526	50.66%	24	0.80%
1972	1,758	64.54%	908	33.33%	58	2.13%
1968	1,316	52.98%	974	39.21%	194	7.81%
1964	1,183	44.90%	1,446	54.88%	6	0.23%
1960	1,554	53.88%	1,308	45.35%	22	0.76%
1956	1,567	56.23%	1,201	43.09%	19	0.68%
1952	1,747	54.99%	1,422	44.76%	8	0.25%
1948	1,709	50.09%	1,696	49.71%	7	0.21%
1944	2,014	58.28%	1,438	41.61%	4	0.12%
1940	2,509	56.52%	1,921	43.28%	9	0.20%
1936	1,843	43.60%	2,346	55.50%	38	0.90%
1932	1,803	44.29%	2,202	54.09%	66	1.62%
1928	1,958	64.54%	1,070	35.27%	6	0.20%
1924	1,666	51.18%	1,269	38.99%	320	9.83%
1920	1,751	60.28%	1,125	38.73%	29	1.00%
1916	948	55.83%	679	39.99%	71	4.18%
1912	520	39.54%	390	29.66%	405	30.80%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	10,119		—
1920	9,731		−3.8%
1930	9,269		−4.7%
1940	11,026		19.0%
1950	8,012		−27.3%
1960	6,497		−18.9%
1970	5,290		−18.6%
1980	7,491		41.6%
1990	10,285		37.3%
2000	16,911		64.4%
2010	16,383		−3.1%
2020	15,045		−8.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010 [12]

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, ^[13] there were 16,911 people, 6,024 households, and 4,391 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (1.9 people/km²). There were 7,257 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 43.89% White, 31.66% Black or African American, 2.09% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 17.95% from other races, and 3.97% from two or more races. 37.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,024 households, out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,446, and the median income for a family was $34,461. Males had a median income of $29,403 versus $21,833 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,134. About 15.20% of families and 19.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.50% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 16,383 people, 6,264 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county. ^[14] 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). ^[15] The racial makeup of the county was 36.1% white, 2.3% American Indian, 41.3% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 15.5% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 39.1% of the population. ^[14] In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were German, 12.2% were Irish, 10.0% were English, and 2.3% were American. ^[16]

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. ^[14]

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. ^[17]

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: ^[18]

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

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Torrance County, New Mexico
• USS Torrance (AKA-76), a U.S. Navy ship named after the county

References

1. "Torrance County, New Mexico". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 3, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. List of geographic centers of the United States
4. "Centers of Population by State: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
6. "Torrance County, New Mexico - County Commission". www.torrancecountynm.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
7. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
12. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
15. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
16. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
17. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
18. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Torrance County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022. - Text list

34°38′N105°51′W / 34.64°N 105.85°W / 34.64; -105.85