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Quay County, New Mexico

County in NM, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

8,564
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

48.9
years ∙ half population younger than 48.9, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
56.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.6%
foreign-born population
99.4%Native
0.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Quay County is a county in New Mexico, United States.
Location
County in NM, US
Co-ordinates
DEC35.107018° N, 103.548071° W
DMS35° 06′ 25.26″ N, 103° 32′ 53.06″ W

Population Density & area

2.98/sq mi (1.15/km²)
Total Area
2,881 sq mi (7,463 km²)
Land Area
2,874 sq mi (7,444 km²) · 99.75%
Water Area
7 sq mi (19 km²) · 0.25%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.1% male
Male 49.1%
Female 50.9%
males per 100 females
Quay County 96.5
New Mexico 98.8
United States 98

Nativity

0.6%
foreign-born population
99.4%Native
0.6% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Quay County 0.6%
New Mexico 9.4%
United States 14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

48.9
years ∙ half population younger than 48.9, half older
Quay County
48.9
New Mexico
39.4
United States
38.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
85.2
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Quay County 85.2
New Mexico 69.5
United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Quay County New Mexico United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 19.6% 21.7% 22%
Working age (18-64) 54% 59% 60.8%
Senior (65+) 26.4% 19.3% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 85.2 69.5 64.4
Child dependency ratio 36.4 36.9 36.1
Old-age dependency ratio 48.9 32.6 28.3
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
47.9%
Black
0.1%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
44.9%
Other
7.1%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
56.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Quay County 56.5%
New Mexico 62.7%
United States 61.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Quay County population
Racial and ethnic composition — Quay County vs New Mexico vs United States. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Quay County New Mexico United States
Hispanic or Latino 44.9% 48.4% 19.3%
Mexican 24.2% 32.4% 11.3%
Puerto Rican 0.6% 0.5% 1.8%
Cuban 0.2% 0.3% 0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino 19.9% 15.2% 5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino 55.1% 51.6% 80.7%
One race 48.8% 48.5% 76.4%
White 47.9% 36% 57.4%
Black or African American 0.1% 1.8% 11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2% 8.5% 0.5%
Asian 0% 1.6% 5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.1% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0.6% 0.5% 0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 6.3% 3.1% 4.3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

55.7% family
Family 55.7%
Non family 44.3%
% family households
Quay County 55.7%
New Mexico 60.9%
United States 64.2%

Average household size

1.93
persons per household
Quay County
1.93
New Mexico
2.48
United States
2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Quay County population
Quay County New Mexico United States
Total households 4,389 837,414 129,227,496
Average houshold size 1.93 2.48 2.53
Family households 2,443 509,898 82,990,528
Average family size 2.5 3.18 3.14
Married couple family 1,699 342,845 60,637,388
Other families 744 167,053 22,353,140
Male householder 73 53,553 6,572,819
Female householder 671 113,500 15,780,321
Non-family households 1,946 327,516 46,236,968
One-person households 1,643 271,261 37,140,836
Male householder 833 129,393 16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone 316 44,216 5,225,110
Female householder 810 141,868 20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone 454 74,401 10,089,070
Other living arrangements 303 56,255 9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

5,536
housing units
Quay County 5,536
New Mexico 956,964
United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

79.3% occupied
Occupied 79.3%
Vacant 20.7%
vacancy rate
Quay County 20.7%
New Mexico 12.5%
United States 10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

71.6%
Single family houses
Single family houses
71.6%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
6.4%
Mobile homes
22.1%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1967
Half of houses were built before 1967, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
16%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
40.3%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
32.2%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
11.6%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Quay County New Mexico United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.4 5.3 5.5
1–3 rooms 10.6% 13.8% 15.1%
4–6 rooms 58.6% 58.5% 51.6%
7+ rooms 30.9% 27.6% 33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 3.9% 3.2% 2.9%
1 bedroom 7.1% 9% 10.9%
2 bedrooms 28.9% 23.7% 25%
3 bedrooms 48.3% 46.4% 38.7%
4+ bedrooms 11.8% 17.7% 22.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1967 1985 1981
Total housing units 5,536 956,964 143,775,355
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

71.6% owners
Renter-occupied 28.4%
Owner-occupied 71.6%
homeownership rate
Quay County 71.6%
New Mexico 70%
United States 65.2%

Average household size

1.88
Owner-occupied
2.06
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Quay County 1.88
New Mexico 2.58
United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Quay County New Mexico United States
Total occupied units 4,389 837,414 129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later 15.5% 23.8% 24.8%
2010 to 2019 40.8% 36.7% 39.6%
2000 to 2009 17.8% 17.7% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 25.9% 21.8% 19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.8% 96.7% 96.6%
1.01 to 1.50 0.2% 2.2% 2.2%
1.51 or more 0% 1.1% 1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 11.7% 5.6% 8.4%
1 vehicle 28.9% 33.2% 33.1%
2 vehicles 32.7% 36% 36.6%
3 or more vehicles 26.7% 25.2% 21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas 55.3% 68.5% 51.4%
Electricity 39.2% 23.3% 41.3%
Solar 0.7% 0.7% 0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0.1% 0.1% 3.9%
All other fuels 4% 6.8% 2%
No fuel used 0.7% 0.5% 1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 1.5% 1.1% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 1.7% 1.1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 2.6% 1.3% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$87,200
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Quay County
$87,200
New Mexico
$248,100
United States
$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

40.7%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
40.7%
Owners without a mortgage
16%
Renters
56%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Quay County New Mexico United States
Property value
Median Value $87,200 $248,100 $332,700
Under $100,000 53.9% 17.2% 11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000 22.7% 20.2% 15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000 13.4% 23.6% 17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 9.7% 25.5% 26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0.2% 11.2% 20.9%
$1,000,000 and more 0.1% 2.4% 7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 36.8% 51.5% 60.6%
Without a mortgage 63.2% 48.5% 39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $943 $1,564 $1,963
Without a mortgage $421 $451 $638
Gross rent
Median rent $712 $1,067 $1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

19.6%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Quay County 19.6%
New Mexico 31%
United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Quay County 7.9%
New Mexico 11.9%
United States 10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,880
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
0.4%
K–12
81.7%
College / Undergraduate
12.7%
Graduate / Professional
5.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

8.7%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Quay County
8.7%
New Mexico
32.3%
United States
40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Quay County New Mexico United States
Total enrolled (age 3+) 1,880 504,092 80,089,790
Nursery / preschool 0.4% 4.7% 5.7%
K–12 81.7% 68.9% 67.6%
Kindergarten 0.4% 4.8% 5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 33.1% 19.5% 19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 36.2% 22% 21%
High School: Grades 9–12 11.9% 22.5% 21.7%
College or graduate school 17.9% 26.4% 26.7%
College, undergraduate 12.7% 20.4% 21%
Graduate, professional school 5.2% 5.9% 5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 8.7% 32.3% 40.9%
School type
Public school 93.8% 88.2% 82%
Private school 6.2% 11.8% 18%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

6,274
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
1.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
6.2%
HS graduate
39.4%
Some college no degree
26.8%
Associates degree
6.3%
Bachelors degree
10.8%
Graduate or professional degree
8.8%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
64.8% · 35.2%
9th-12th, no diploma
49% · 51%
HS graduate
47.3% · 52.7%
Some college no degree
46.6% · 53.4%
Associates degree
37.7% · 62.3%
Bachelors degree
38.5% · 61.5%
Graduate or professional degree
43.9% · 56.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Quay County New Mexico United States
Population (25+) 6,274 1,461,438 230,807,303
Less than 9th grade 1.7% 5.1% 4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 6.2% 6.8% 5.7%
High school diploma or GED 39.4% 25.7% 26%
Some college, no degree 26.8% 22.2% 19.1%
Associate's degree 6.3% 9.2% 8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 19.6% 31% 35.7%
Bachelor's degree 10.8% 17.1% 21.6%
Graduate or professional 8.8% 13.9% 14.1%
High School or higher 92.1% 88% 89.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$42,217
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$48,454
HS graduate
$35,396
Some college or associates
$38,611
Bachelors degree
$44,637
Graduate or professional degree
$82,881

Poverty Rate

11.1%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
44%
HS graduate
24.5%
Some college or associates
18.6%
Bachelors degree or higher
11.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Quay County New Mexico United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $42,217 $44,666 $52,696
Less than high school graduate $48,454 $28,539 $32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $35,396 $35,325 $40,153
Some college or associate's degree $38,611 $41,339 $47,260
Bachelor's degree $44,637 $56,443 $70,044
Graduate or professional degree $82,881 $78,282 $90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 44% 31.4% 24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 24.5% 19.1% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 18.6% 15.2% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 11.1% 6.3% 4.5%

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