Otero County, New Mexico

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Otero County, New Mexico
Otero County courthouse in Alamogordo
Location in the state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 30, 1899
Named for	Miguel Antonio Otero
Seat	Alamogordo
Largest city	Alamogordo
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	6,628 sq mi (17,166 km²) 6,613 sq mi (17,128 km²) 14 sq mi (36 km²), 0.2%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	67,839 9.6/sq mi (4/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	co.otero.nm.us

Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,839. Its county seat is Alamogordo. Its southern boundary is the Texas state line. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor when the county was created.

Otero County includes the Alamogordo Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county declared a state of emergency in April 2019 when the federal inspection stations on U.S. Route 70 and U.S. Route 54 were left unstaffed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as part of the temporary closure of all six checkpoints in the El Paso Sector, which covers West Texas and New Mexico. The county was concerned about the possibility of illegal narcotics flowing north unchecked since the checkpoint agents had been shifted to the border to help process migrant asylum-seekers. The inspection stations reopened August 5, 2019.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,628 square miles (17,170 km²), of which 6,613 square miles (17,130 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (0.2%) is water. It is the third-largest county in New Mexico by area.

Adjacent counties

• Doña Ana County – west
• Sierra County – northwest
• Lincoln County – north
• Chaves County – east
• Eddy County – east
• Culberson County, Texas – southeast
• Hudspeth County, Texas – south
• El Paso County, Texas – southwest

National protected areas

• Lincoln National Forest (part)
• White Sands National Park (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	7,069		—
1920	7,902		11.8%
1930	9,779		23.8%
1940	10,522		7.6%
1950	14,909		41.7%
1960	36,976		148.0%
1970	41,097		11.1%
1980	44,665		8.7%
1990	51,928		16.3%
2000	62,298		20.0%
2010	63,797		2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 62,298 people, 22,984 households, and 16,801 families living in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 29,272 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 73.71% White, 3.92% Black or African American, 5.80% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 11.67% from other races, and 3.60% from two or more races. 32.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22,984 households, out of which 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.50% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,861, and the median income for a family was $34,781. Males had a median income of $27,657 versus $18,470 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,345. About 15.60% of families and 19.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.90% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 63,797 people, 24,464 households, and 16,641 families living in the county. The population density was 9.6 inhabitants per square mile (3.7 /km²). There were 30,992 housing units at an average density of 4.7 per square mile (1.8 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.7% white, 6.7% American Indian, 3.5% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 11.5% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 34.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.4% were German, 8.1% were English, 8.0% were Irish, and 4.4% were American.

Of the 24,464 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 36.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,615 and the median income for a family was $46,210. Males had a median income of $32,939 versus $25,965 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,255. About 15.2% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.0% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School districts in the county include:

• Alamogordo Public Schools
• Cloudcroft Municipal Schools
• Gadsden Independent Schools
• Tularosa Municipal Schools

While the southeast portion of the county is in the Alamogordo district, that district contracts education of residents there to the Dell City Independent School District of Dell City, Texas, due to the distances involved, as the mileage to Alamogordo from the former Cienega School was 100 miles (160 km) while the distance to Dell City is 20 miles (32 km).

Tribal schools affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE):

• Mescalero Apache Schools

State-operated schools:

• New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Schools operated by foreign governments:

• Deutsche Schule Alamogordo (closed)

Tertiary:

• New Mexico State University Alamogordo

Public libraries:

• Alamogordo Public Library

Communities

City

• Alamogordo (county seat)

Villages

• Cloudcroft
• Tularosa

Census-designated places

• Bent
• Boles Acres
• Chaparral
• High Rolls
• Holloman AFB
• La Luz
• Mayhill
• Mescalero
• Orogrande
• Piñon
• Sacramento
• Timberon
• Twin Forks
• Weed

Other communities

• Hortonville
• Mountain Park
• Newman
• Sunspot
• Three Rivers

Other places

• Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation
• White Sands National Park
• National Solar Observatory
• Otero County Prison Facility

Politics and government

Governance of the county is under a three-member county commission.

In early 2021 Commissioner Couy Griffin, a former street preacher with a record of extreme political statements, was banned from entering the sizable Mescalero Apache Reservation in his own jurisdiction, participated in the storming of the United States Capitol on January 6th. Griffin was charged with two federal crimes for his involvement. On January 19th the other two commissioners called for his resignation. They joined New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, who had also called on Griffin to resign for neglecting his duties, for using his office for personal gain, and for his role in the attack.

United States presidential election results for Otero County, New Mexico

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	14,521	61.61%	8,485	36.00%	565	2.40%
2016	11,887	59.26%	6,124	30.53%	2,049	10.21%
2012	12,451	62.22%	6,829	34.12%	732	3.66%
2008	12,806	58.83%	8,610	39.56%	350	1.61%
2004	14,066	67.74%	6,433	30.98%	265	1.28%
2000	10,258	63.31%	5,465	33.73%	481	2.97%
1996	9,065	55.49%	5,938	36.35%	1,334	8.17%
1992	7,481	46.17%	5,377	33.19%	3,345	20.64%
1988	9,984	64.50%	5,284	34.14%	210	1.36%
1984	9,751	69.22%	4,167	29.58%	169	1.20%
1980	7,210	60.26%	4,111	34.36%	644	5.38%
1976	5,914	52.10%	5,333	46.98%	105	0.92%
1972	7,033	65.91%	2,981	27.94%	656	6.15%
1968	4,475	43.77%	3,978	38.91%	1,771	17.32%
1964	3,498	36.59%	6,035	63.13%	27	0.28%
1960	4,507	47.81%	4,916	52.15%	3	0.03%
1956	3,919	60.45%	2,558	39.46%	6	0.09%
1952	2,456	53.16%	2,162	46.80%	2	0.04%
1948	1,354	36.27%	2,361	63.25%	18	0.48%
1944	1,467	43.63%	1,892	56.28%	3	0.09%
1940	1,596	47.09%	1,788	52.76%	5	0.15%
1936	1,333	39.73%	1,989	59.28%	33	0.98%
1932	969	30.99%	2,091	66.87%	67	2.14%
1928	1,250	51.91%	1,148	47.67%	10	0.42%
1924	832	41.17%	886	43.84%	303	14.99%
1920	1,229	51.36%	1,095	45.76%	69	2.88%
1916	561	37.03%	824	54.39%	130	8.58%
1912	220	21.87%	420	41.75%	366	36.38%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Otero County, New Mexico

Further reading

• Sites Southwest LLC & Bohannan Huston Inc. (October 2005). Otero County Comprehensive Plan (Report). County of Otero. http://www.co.otero.nm.us/Oterococomplan-final-10-05%20small%20-%20Searchable.pdf. Retrieved August 31, 2009.