Mexican Population in New Mexico by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Mexican population in New Mexico stands at 675,404. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Bernalillo County leading at 199,934, followed by Dona Ana County (131,497) and Lea County (40,324). The combined total across counties is slightly lower than the statewide figure - a gap that may reflect rounding, data lag, or unassigned residents in certain census tracts. This analysis ranks all counties in New Mexico by their Mexican population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Mexican population in New Mexico

View All
  • 1
    Bernalillo County
    Mexican population in Bernalillo County is 199,934
    29.65% of Bernalillo County population is Mexican
  • 2
    Dona Ana County
    Mexican population in Dona Ana County is 131,497
    59.32% of Dona Ana County population is Mexican
  • 3
    Lea County
    Mexican population in Lea County is 40,324
    55.12% of Lea County population is Mexican
  • 4
    Santa Fe County
    Mexican population in Santa Fe County is 39,400
    25.39% of Santa Fe County population is Mexican
  • 5
    Chaves County
    Mexican population in Chaves County is 31,501
    48.88% of Chaves County population is Mexican

Overview of Mexican population in New Mexico

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show New Mexico contains 675,404 Mexican residents (31.9% of 2.1 million total state population), positioning the state at the 85th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Mexican population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate New Mexico's Mexican population of 31.9% exceeds the national average of 11.3% by a factor of 2.8.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document New Mexico's 675,404 Mexican residents constitute 1.8% of the nation's total Mexican population of 37.4 million, providing the state with a measurable but modest share of the national demographic community.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document New Mexico contains 5.6 Mexican per square mile, below the national average of 10.6 per square mile, while maintaining moderate community presence relative to national concentration standards.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

32 Counties in New Mexico Ranked by Mexican Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Mexican populations across every county in New Mexico, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Bernalillo County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in New Mexico ranked by Mexican population count
Rank by Mexican Population
County
Mexican Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total New Mexico Mexican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Bernalillo County 199,934 29.65% 29.60%
2 Dona Ana County 131,497 59.32% 19.47%
3 Lea County 40,324 55.12% 5.97%
4 Santa Fe County 39,400 25.39% 5.83%
5 Chaves County 31,501 48.88% 4.66%
6 Sandoval County 31,171 20.57% 4.62%
7 Valencia County 27,248 35.21% 4.03%
8 27,167 44.45% 4.02%
9 21,013 30.80% 3.11%
10 16,893 35.24% 2.50%
11 16,069 63.21% 2.38%
12 13,441 11.09% 1.99%
13 11,324 40.65% 1.68%
14 9,326 23.22% 1.38%
15 7,494 27.72% 1.11%
16 7,192 37.85% 1.06%
17 6,807 9.56% 1.01%
18 6,524 18.90% 0.97%
19 5,847 28.91% 0.87%
20 3,528 23.07% 0.52%
21 3,374 12.47% 0.50%
22 2,797 17.15% 0.41%
23 2,656 21.53% 0.39%
24 2,335 20.28% 0.35%
25 2,198 25.51% 0.33%
26 2,194 53.55% 0.32%
27 1,820 41.56% 0.27%
28 856 21.19% 0.13%
29 760 18.20% 0.11%
30 351 22.22% 0.05%
31 227 6.16% 0.03%
32 146 19.52% 0.02%
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 county in New Mexico by their Mexican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Mexican 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 Mexican 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 Mexican alone, while others identify as Mexican along with another race (such as Mexican and German).
  • We’ve used the “Mexican alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Mexican population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Mexican alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Mexican .
  2. % of Total New Mexico Mexican Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Mexican 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 Mexican 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.
  • County that don’t have any reported Mexican 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 Mexican populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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