Italian Population in New Mexico by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Italian population in New Mexico totals 50,310, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Albuquerque (19,383), followed by Rio Rancho (5,015) and Santa Fe (3,017), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Italian residents are distributed across New Mexico''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Italian population in New Mexico

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  • 1
    Albuquerque
    Italian population in Albuquerque is 19,383
    3.45% of Albuquerque population is Italian
  • 2
    Rio Rancho
    Italian population in Rio Rancho is 5,015
    4.71% of Rio Rancho population is Italian
  • 3
    Santa Fe
    Italian population in Santa Fe is 3,017
    3.42% of Santa Fe population is Italian
  • 4
    Las Cruces
    Italian population in Las Cruces is 1,758
    1.56% of Las Cruces population is Italian
  • 5
    Alamogordo
    Italian population in Alamogordo is 1,134
    3.65% of Alamogordo population is Italian

Overview of Italian population in New Mexico

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents New Mexico with 50,310 Italian residents (2.4% of 2.1 million total state population), ranking the state at the 20th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Italian demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show New Mexico's Italian demographic representation of 2.4% remains below the national average of 4.9%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates New Mexico contains 50,310 Italian residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Italian population of 16.2 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicate New Mexico maintains fewer than 1 Italian per square mile, compared to the national average of 4.6 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with minimal demographic representation nationally.
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74 Cities in New Mexico Ranked by Italian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Italian population in New Mexico present in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in New Mexico ranked by Italian population count
Rank by Italian Population
City
Italian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total New Mexico Italian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Albuquerque 19,383 3.45% 38.53%
2 Rio Rancho 5,015 4.71% 9.97%
3 Santa Fe 3,017 3.42% 6.00%
4 Las Cruces 1,758 1.56% 3.49%
5 Alamogordo 1,134 3.65% 2.25%
6 Clovis 819 2.15% 1.63%
7 Portales 689 5.73% 1.37%
8 573 6.70% 1.14%
9 565 1.22% 1.12%
10 518 8.60% 1.03%
11 347 0.87% 0.69%
12 344 0.72% 0.68%
13 329 1.03% 0.65%
14 326 5.42% 0.65%
15 295 5.03% 0.59%
16 283 2.25% 0.56%
17 282 1.32% 0.56%
18 261 2.73% 0.52%
19 258 3.99% 0.51%
20 241 1.34% 0.48%
21 208 2.44% 0.41%
22 190 1.29% 0.38%
23 181 2.96% 0.36%
24 172 1.90% 0.34%
25 156 3.00% 0.31%
26 139 1.81% 0.28%
27 126 1.70% 0.25%
28 112 1.23% 0.22%
29 110 0.96% 0.22%
30 91 0.69% 0.18%
31 76 3.66% 0.15%
32 72 2.79% 0.14%
33 71 2.65% 0.14%
34 70 0.67% 0.14%
35 60 5.46% 0.12%
36 59 1.74% 0.12%
37 56 1.39% 0.11%
38 43 0.70% 0.09%
39 35 3.21% 0.07%
40 34 1.84% 0.07%
41 30 3.50% 0.06%
42 29 1.66% 0.06%
43 26 1.86% 0.05%
44 23 1.11% 0.05%
45 19 0.26% 0.04%
45 19 0.64% 0.04%
46 17 1.35% 0.03%
47 14 0.84% 0.03%
47 14 3.07% 0.03%
48 13 0.08% 0.03%
49 11 0.97% 0.02%
50 5 0.23% 0.01%
50 5 0.38% 0.01%
51 3 0.12% 0.01%
52 2 0.21% 0.00%
52 2 0.21% 0.00%
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in New Mexico by their Italian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Italian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Italian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Italian alone, while others identify as Italian along with another race (such as Italian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Italian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Italian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Italian alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Italian .
  2. % of Total New Mexico Italian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Italian population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Italian populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Italian population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Italian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.