IDENTIFIERS *New Mexico

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 082 871 RC 007 310 AUTHOR Johansen, Sigurd TITLE The People of New Mexico. INSTITUTION New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces. Agricultural Experiment Station. SPONS AGENCY Cooperative State Research Service (DOA), Washington, D.C. REPORT NO AES-Bull-606 PUB DATE 7:2 NOTE 97p.

EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS Demography; Education; Ethnic Groups; Income; Migration; *Population Distribution; *Population Trends; Racial Characteristics; *Rural Population; *Socioeconomic Background; *Statistical Data; Urbanization IDENTIFIERS *New Mexico

ABSTRACT The bulletin provides data on New Mexico's population. Information is given on population size, distribution, and composition; topography and climate; urban and rural population changes; racial and ethnic characteristics; age and sex composition; fertility and mortality; population mobility; nativity; income; marital status; and education. A brief historical background is also given. Population changes are examined for their effects on political representation and influence, economic and industrial activity, education, welfare, social life, and other spheres of activity in New Mexico. Data range from 1900 to 1970. (NQ) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEENREPRO DUCE° EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM fliE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATINO IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTEOF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY the people ofnew mexico

1 e,(I Co t.t% Ak

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 606 ows,".°41/VEFIS vow HIGHLIGHTS

Topography and climate stronglygrowth in any decade occurred be- influenced the early settlement oftween 1900 and 1910, due primarily New Mexico and the subsequent dis-to a large net in-migration of people tribution of the population withinattracted by an over-optimistic,,pro- the state. In recent decades, how-motion of dry farming. The rate of ever, extensive improvement in agri-population increase slowed during cultural technology and rapid urban-the second and third decades, but ization have tended to alter thein the 1930s, New Mexico again saw effect of these influences. a rapid proportional population in- Economic development in New.crease, an increase which continued Mexico, viewed historically, did notuntil the 1960s. proceed rapidly until railroad and During the1960s, the rate of communication facilities were com-population growth dropped sharply, pleted to join the territory with thesothatthe population increased rest of the nation. The validation ofonly 6.8 percent. This represents land titles and the increased availa-an increase of only 64,977 inhabit- bility of agricultural lands throughants compared with an increase of the extension of both irrigation and269,836 between 1950 and 1960. dry farming accelerated the eco-Even so, the population of the state nomic progress. More recently, thehad passed the million mark when development of potash, oil and gas,the federal census was taken April 1, and uranium resources has stimu- 1970. lated the state's economy, as have The low rate of population in- federal governmental programs andcrease during the 1960s was pri- the ever-growing tourist industry.marily due to a net out-migration As the economy expanded, thefrom the state. To some degree, it state's population has grown. was also due to smaller natural increasein the1960s than in the 1950s. During the 1950s, the net When the Population Grew in-migration amounted to slightly over 20,000 people, but during the This population growth has been1960s, approximately 130,000 more rapid most of the time since Newpeople left New Mexico than came Mexico became a part of the Unitedin. Without thisloss and with -a States. The greatest proportionalnatural increase as high as it was in

1 the 1950s, the population. of Newcounties in existence in 1930 gained Mexico would have increased 22.7population and 10 lost population. percent between 1960 and 1970The large differentials in population instead of 6.8 percent. changes in the counties during the 40-year period were the cumulative effect of differences in birth, death, Where New Mexicans Live andnetmigrationrates.These changes occurred as peoplel'adjuSied, Fifteen of New Mexico's .countiesto 'their environment and to each' gained population between1960other. The resulting distribution of and 1970. Seventeen counties had athe population in turn has created population loss. Practically all of thenew political, social, and economic counties which gained populationproblems which will require further had a relativelylownetout-readjustment. migration. The counties which lost population almost all had high net out-migrations. More Urban Than Rural New Mexicoissparsely populated in terms of land area. Within More than two-thirds of New thestate,the populationisun-Mexico's population live in places evenly distributed. The populationclassified as urban by the Bureau of density varies widely from countytheCensus. Thestate remained to county.In general, the morerural longer than did the United densely populated counties are con-States as a whole, but by 1970, the centrated in the southeastern andproportion of the total. population northern or northwestern portionsliving in urban areas in New Mexico of the state. The more sparselyhad increased to 69.8 percent, only populated counties form a contig-slightly below the national percent- uous area stretchingdiagonallyage of 73.5 percent. across the state from the south- Urbanization in New Mexico was western corner to the northeasternparticularlyrapidinthe1950s. corner. During that decade, the proportion of urban people in the total population increased 15.7 percent, nearly Changes Call for Adjustments three times as high a rate of increase as that for the United States. In the Major changes occurred in the1960s, the population movement distribution of the population ininto urban areas took place at a New Mexico between 1960 andmuch slower rate, only 3.9 percent. 1970 because of population gains The urban-rural distribution of in some counties and losses in otherthe population of New Mexico in counties. Changes in the distribution 1970variedconsiderablyfrom of the state's population during thecounty to county. Nine counties last 40 years have been even morehad no urban population; insix extensive. Twenty-one of the 31counties, less than half of the popu-

2 lation was urban; of the 17 counties Of the Indians in the state, 61.7 with over half of the populationpercent livein McKinley and San urban,10 had urban populationJuan counties, and nearly all of the percentages above the state average.remainderlive in sevenother In 1950, the federal census forcounties. Indians constitute a large the first time showed a numericalproportion of the populations in as well as a percentage decline inSandoval. McKinley, and San Juan the rural population. The numericalcounties. decline has continued since. The The majority .of Negroes also live rural population loss, however, wasin a few counties. Seven counties not uniform throughoutNew have 88.5 percent bf the total, but Mexico. Twenty-three counties lostin none of these does the Negro rural population in the 1960s, butpopulation form a large percentage the other nine counties hadin-of the total population. creases, some of which were quite Spanish-Americans constitutea substantial. In some of those coun-large segment of New Mexico's pop- ties, the increase no doubt was duelation and live in all of the state's topeoplemoving from urbancounties, although most of them are centers. concentratedina few counties. Therural-nonfarmpopulationBernalillo, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and doubled to 267,808 between 1920Valencia counties in the north and and 1970, but the rural-farm popu-Dona Ana Comity in the south have lation decreased sharply to 37,48758.4 percent of this ethnic group. in1970, less than one-fourth ofIn18 counties they constitute a what it was in 1920. The proportionmajority of the population. of both rural-nonfarm and rural- farm populations in New Mexico's total population declined betweenAge and Sex 1920 and 1970. The decline for the rural-nonfarm population was from New Mexicohasarelatively 37.4 to 26.4 percent and for theyoung population. The median age rural-farm population from 33.3 tois much lower than that for the 3.7 percent. United States as a whole. The differential increased between 1890 and 1970, but due to the sharp de- Racial and Ethnic Groups cline in New Mexico's birth rate in the 1960s, the difference has be- Whites constitute the major racialcome smaller. The median age of group in New MeXico (90.1 peicent).males has not varied greatly over Indians arethelargest nonwhitethe years.. Historically, the median racial group (7.2 perbent). In addi-age of females has been considerably tion, thereis a small proportionlower than that of males in New of Negroes (1.9 percent), and a veryMexico, but beginning with 1930 small proportion of people of otherthe difference gradually decreased races (0.8 percent). and in 1960, for the first time, the

3 median age of females was higherconsiderably in the 1960s, a drop than that of males. no doubt due to the sharp The number of males per 100in the crude birth rate in thatthat dec- females in New Mexico in the pastade. Nevertheless, the state's fertility has been much greater than for theratio isstill high with a resulting United States, but the differencehigh potential for future population has gradually decreased. In bothgrowth. instances, the number of males per New Mexico has made great pro- 100 females consistently decreasedgressinreducing mortality. The so that in 1950 it fell below 100 incrude dead. rate in the state has the United States, a point reachedbeen declining more rapidly than the in NeW Mexico in 1970. national rate and in 1940: dropped The age and sex composition ofbelow the national rate, with an the urban population closely resem-increasing differential taking place bles that of the total state. popula-sincethen. Tremendous progress tion, which is to be expected- sincehas also been made in the reduction the state is predominantly urban.of the infant mortality rate. The rate The urban and rural populations,differential between New Mexico however, differ in age and sex com-and the United States has steadily position. Differences also exist be-decreased so that the rate in New tween the rural-nonfarm and rural-Mexico now is almost as low as that farm 'populations. Between 1960for the United States. and 1970, New Mexico showed a trend toward an older population. Compared with the United States.On the Move in 1970, New Mexico had a much younger population, and the dif- Population mobility, now an ac- ference applied to both sexes. cepted fact in the American way of life,is even more characteristic of New Mexico's population than of Population. Vitality. Changing the nation's population as a whole. The state'surbanpopulationis The vitality of New Mexico's pop-more me' le than its rural popula- ulation, measured by indexes oftion. Between different economic fertility and mortality, has changed.areas, mobility varies considerably. Until 1947, the crude birth rate was New Mexico's population is pre- much higher in New Mexico thanponderantly native born, the per- in the United States as a whole, butcentage of foreign horn being only then the differential began to de-2.2 percent of the total population. crease as the rate in New MexicoComparatively speaking, a large pro- started a continuous decline, whichportion of New Mexicans are relative was especially sharp in the 1960s..newcomers to the state. Two out of New Mexico's fertilityratio wasevery five native-born persons living also high compared with that of thein New Mexico in 1970 were born 'United States, but it too droppedin some other state; for the United

4 States as a whole, only one out ofable position than the urban popu- every four were. In general, countieslation,and minority groupsfell with a high percentage of peoplemuch below the rest of the state's born in New Mexico are those withpopulation. There was a wide varia- a large proportion of Indians andtion between counties for all three those in the northern part of thecategories. statewithalarge proportion of Spanish - Americans,. although_ there are 'eiceptiOns. Marital Status Not Unusual

On the whole, (he marital status Family Incomes Need Improving .9f the population of New Mexico does not differ greatly from that of New Mexico income dataforthe national population. And dif- 1969 on median family ,income,ferences between the urban and thepercentageoffamilieswithrural segments of the population incomes below the poverty level,are small: and the percentage of families with income of $15,000 or more show that New Mexicans as a group do Educational Status Rising not occupy a very favorable position. The state ranked thirty-eighth A comparison of 1960 and 1970 among the 50 states in terms ofdata on the years of school com- median family income; 18.5 percentpleted by persons 25 years old and of New Mexico families were belowover and on the median years of the poverty level, compared withschool completed shows that New 10.7 percent for the nation; andMexico is. making some progress. asforfamilies with income ofSuch progress applies to both whites $15,000 or more, the state is con-and nonwhites, but much still re- siderably below the national average.mains to be done to raise the educa- For all three income categories, thetionalstatus of nonwhites to a rural population was in a less favor-satisfactory level.

5 CONTENTS

'Introduction 7

Topography and climate 8

Historical background 10

Growth of the population

Distribution of the population 23

Urban and rural population changes 33

Racial and ethnic characteristics 49

Age and sex composition 59

Vitality of thepopulatiL 69

Fertility 69

Mortality 73

Mobility of the population 78

Nativity of the population 81

Income 85

Marital status 89

. Educational status 91

Literature cited 95

6 the people of new mexico

Sigurd Johansen Professor of Sociology*

Social, economic, and politicalmany other spheres of activity. problems are "people" problems,Withoutsufficientknowledge of and understanding them requires asuch changes, it is difficult to plan factual knowledge of the popula-adequately at the state level and at tion, its trends and characteristics.county and municipal levels as well. Thesearevitallyrelatedtothe The general .purposeofthis stability of social life and the effi-bulletin is to make readily available ciency of social institutions. a useful body of data relating to the This is true in any state, but espe-size, distribution, .and composition cially in a tri-cultUral state like Newof New Mexico's population.It Mexico, with its Anglo-American,should provide information to the Spanish-American, and Indian pop-general public interested in current ulations. California and Texas eachpopulation data and. to individuals have many more Spanish Americansand groups concerned with political, than does New Mexico, but the per-economic, and social aspects of life centage of New Mexico's total pop-in the state. ulation in that ethnic group is more Most of the numerical data and than twice as large as that in anysome of the percentages have been state. Similarly, Arizona, California,obtained from published reports of and Oklahoma each have morethe Bureau of the Census. The great-, Indians, but New Mexico has theest portion of the percentages shown largest percentage of Indians in thehave been computed by the author. total population of any state. Sources other than reports of the Changes in the size, distribution,Bureau of the Census are footnoted. and composition of a population affect political representation and influence, economic and industrial activity,education,welfare, and *llr. Johansen died June 18, 1973.

7 Topography and Climate a normalseasonalprecipitation varying from approximately 9 to The land area of New Mexico is 16 inches in the state's eight climatic 121,412squaremiles,thestate divisions (see figureI ).Generally being approximately square in M- speaking,thegrowing seasonis ilne. It is traversed near the middle, longer in the lower altitudes than at from north to south, by the Rio higher elevations. Only a few crops Grande. The topography has been are adapted to the nonirrigated areas described briefly as follows: because of insufficient moisture. In thesurface-watervalleys andin The State presents a wide varia- other areas where water is obtained tion in surf"ce relief, such as stream .primarily from wells, many more valleys, flat-bottomed drainless crops, more varied in type, can be basins, comparatively level plains, gro vtin . I. undulatingtorollingplateaus, The topography and climate of mesas, detached high ridges, and New Mexico determined her agricul- mountain ranges -aid mountainous ture in the early days of settlement areas, together with their associated and so influenced the distribution foothills and intermountain valleys. 1 of her \population. Only a limited number of crops could be grown, Elevations range from 2,850 feetand theearlycolonists were re- in the southeastern corner to 13,300 stricted in their agricultural pursuits feet in the north-central part. Thislargely to areas where some form range in altitude, as well as the sur-of irrigation was possible. This ex- face relief, is closely associated withplains why early Spanish coloniza- the climate of the state. Outstand-tion was limited to narrow ribbons ing climatic features are an abun-of settlements in the river valleys. dance of sunshine, very little cloudySubsequent settlement anddistri- weather,widevariationsinthe bution of the population similarly length of the growing seasons, lowwere influenced by the topographi- humidity, and scant precipitation. 22 cal and climatic features. The climate of New Mexico has Developments in recent decades strongly influenced the developmenthave tended to alter the effect of of its agriculture. Ranching has been topography and climate on the dis- dependent upon sufficient annualtribution of the population in New precipitation to maintain satisfac-Mexico. For example, the tremen- tory range conditions. Farming notdous improvement in agricultural carried on under irrigation has beentechnology has greatly reduced the done by dry-farming methods undermanpower necessary to -carry on agriculture. At the same time, rapid urbanization has taken place. The 'Byron Hunter, 13.,W. Cockerill, and Hazen two are closely related, but together B. Pingrey,Types of Farming and Ranching Areas in NewMexico, New Mexico Agricultural or separately they have been power- Experiment Station Bulletin 261, 1939, p. 18. ful forces in the redistribution of the 2/bid., pp. 18-19. population in New Mexico.

8 Fig.1. Annual precipitation averages (in inches) for New Mexico's eight climatic divisions, 1931 to 1960*

R ARIBA TARS CO AX UNION SAN JUAN

Northern Northwestern Mountains Plateau MORA 16.07 HARDING 10.84

MC KINLE ANDOVAL SANTA Northeastern FE SAN M UEL Plains/ 15.47 QUAY

VALENCIA GUADALUPE Central

Highlands CURRY Southwestern 16.29 DE BACA Mountains ROOSEVELT 12.59 SOCORRO CATRON Central LI COLN

Valley CHAVES 8.91 Southeastern SIE RA Plains OR NT 13.30 LEA

OT RO EDDY Southern Desert LUNA DONA ANA 9.91

HIDALGO

*The averages are from Decennial Census of United States Climate-Monthly Averages for State Climatic Divisions: New Mexico, 1.930-1960, Climatography of the United States No. 85-25, U.S. Department of Commerce. 1963. The divisional delineations on the map were copied from a map furnished the author by Frank E. Houghton, New Mexico State Climatologist.

9 Historical Background from Spain in 1821, except for a period of 12 years from 1680 to Discovery and Settlement.New 1692, when a Pueblo Indian up-. Mexico has a long and varied historyrising drove out virtually all of the which has left its mark on her popu-Spaniards. lation. For a quarter of a century after When the Spaniards first came toMexico achieved her independence what is now New Mexico over 400from Spain, New Mexico was a part" years ago, they found people whoseof Mexico. Under the Treaty of ancestors probably had been livingGuadalupe Hidalgo, ratified on May in the area for over 600 years. Arch-30, 1848, New Mexico became a aeologicalresearchindicatesthatpart of the United States and two over a thousand years ago the Puebloyears later became a territory of the culture was well developed in theUnited States under the provisions Southwest.Large and impressiveof the Compromise Bill of 1850.6 ruins of many of these communitiesStatehood was achieved :n 1912. still remain.3 Reports of the existence of peo- Economic Development. The ple to the north and their wealthperiod spent under Spanish rule was led to the expedition of Franciscocharacterizedbylittleeconomic Vasquez de Coronado in 1540. Forprogress. Pastoralism and subsistence 40 years after that expedition, theagriculture were the predominant Spaniards showed no interest in theforms of economic activity. With Pueblo country. Then, toward thethe coming of Mexican indepen- end of the sixteenth century, theydence, however, significant develop- renewed their interest.In1598,ment took place. Avenues of trade Juan de Onate took a group ofwith the United States were opened, colonists to northern New Mexicoand the trade facilities across the where, after a temporary sojourn atplains freed the citizens of New San Juan, they eventually settledMexico from the oppressive monop- at San Gabriel.Onate's entranceoly which the merchants of Chi- into N ,w Mexico marked the firsthuahua had exercised. This trade permanent establishment of Euro-developed rapidly and increased still pean culture with a new languagefurther after the American occupa- and new institutional forms. tion in 18467The opening and development of trade routes brought PoliticalHis. toq.New Mexicoa westward movement of settlers stayed under Spanishruleuntilinto N-w Mexico and they changed Mexico received her independence

3Lansing B. Bloom and Thomas C. Donnelly, 6Ralph E. Twitchell, Leading Facts of New New Mexico History and Civics, The University Mexico History, Vol, II. The Torch Press, Cedar Press, Albuquerque, N.M., 1933, p. 43. Rapids, Iowa, 1911, pp. 265-277. 4/bid., pp. 20-31. 7L. Bradford Prince, ,4 Concise History of New Mexico, The Torch Press, Cedar Rapids, 5 /bid, pp. 91-96. Iowa, 1914, pp. 167-168.

10 the racial and ethnic compositionby Congress and continued in exist- of the population. enceuntilJune. 30,1904. Until Economic development pro-recently, it was assumed that this ceeded fairly rapidly in some local court settled all land-grant titles in ities but for the state as a whole wasthe Southwest. I° This assumption relatively slow until railroads werehas been questioned in recent years, built.In 1878, the Santa Fe Rail-at least in New Mexico. Neverthe- road reached the northern borderless, the work of the court at the of New Mexico. During the nextturn of the century inc :eased immi- two years, this line advanced southgration and improved economic op- into the Rio Grande Valley, and inportunities. 1881 connections were made with Agricultural expansionin New theSouthernPacificat Deming.Mexico was stimulated by improved Approximately a decade later, rail-transportation and water develop- roads were extended into the easternment, expansiontaking placein part of New Mexico.8 both irrigation and dry-land agricul- Communication facilities with theture, but particularly in areas where outside were improved in1875,irrigation water was most readily when themilitary telegraph line available. This development has been which had been completed fromreferred to as follows: Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe in 1869 was extended south to Mesilla, The land area irrigated increased then west to Tucson in 1876, and on from approximately 204,000 acres to San Diego in1,877. This meant in 1900 to over 500,000 acres in that New Mexico had telegraphic 1930. Duringthatperiod,the facilitiesfor communication with Carlsbad Reclamation project and both sides of the continent.9 much of the Roswell-Artesia district Important to the economic pro- were developed. The Elephant 'Butte gress of New Mexico after it became Dam was completed in 1915, and a part of the United States was the during the years which immediately validating of land titles and making followed,theagriculture of the availableagricultural lands which Mesilla and Rincon Valleys was were unoccupied. Almost immedi- greatly extended and stabilized. The ately after occupation by the United development of the Middle Rio States, land began to be surveyed. Grande Conservancy District is the Land offices were opened and the most important extension of irriga- sale of public lands was begun after tion farming that has taken place the Civil War. In 1891 a Court of within the State during recent years. Private Land Claims' was established The construction work on that prck ject started in 1928. Nonirrigation farming began about 1900 in the 8Lansing B. Bloom and Thomas C. Dmnelly, north-central part of the State at op. cit., p. 213. . elevations above 6000 feet and in 9J ohn H. Vaughan,History and Government ofNew Mexico,published by the author, State College, N.M., 1926, p. 186. '°L. Brad ford Prince, op.cit.,pp. 208-209.

11 the cast-central and the northeastern acreage under irrigationincreased portions just prior to and following rapidly, as did the acreage devoted the passage of the 320-acre home- to dry -land farming. By 1970, the stead act of I 909.11 irrigatedcroplandin thestate amounted to over 1.25 million acres, As a result of the extension ofand the dry cropland was nearly trade to and from theEast, the1.5 million acres) 2 construction of transportation and Increased development of other communication facilities, the valida-natural resources also took place -in tion of land titles, and the increasedthe potash, oil and gas. and uranium development of agriculture, condi-industries. The tourist industry has tionsbecame more favorabletohad its favorable economic impact. population growth. The beginningFederal governmental programs clu- of the twentieth century saw a rapiding and after World War II, however, increase in population numbers. have been the major stimuli to the Liter developments contributedeconomy. These and many other to an expanding economy which ineconomic factors have made possi- turn supported continued popula-ble continued, although erratic, pop- tion growth in New Mexico. Theulation growth in New Mexico.

GROWTH OF THE POPULATION

Early Gmwth. Population growthcaries after the Spanish rulehad was rather slow in New Mexico upended.13 to the time of Mexican independence. No reliable estimates con- Population Growth Since 1850. cerning early population numbers NewMexico'srapidpopulation and growth are available. Historicalgrowth while it was under Mexican sources indicatethatthe Pueblorule continued during most of the Indians increasedbutslightlyin decades after it became a part of the number. The Spanish population,UnitedStates.Therehave been on the other hand, nearly doubledonly three decades when the growth during the last years under Spanish wasrelativelylow comparedto rule. Figures for the period underthe growth in the other decades. The Mexican rule are not available, butthree decades were 1860 to 1870, population growth must have been1910 to 1920, and 1960 to 1970 rapid for most of the period, since (see table 1). the total population in New Mexico had increased by 60,000 by the I2Robert R. Lansford, "Planted Cropland Acreage in New Mexico in I970 and 1971," middle of the century, three de- New Mexico. Agriculture -1971,' Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report 235, New Mexico State University, 1972, pp. 34-37.

11Byron Hunter, P.W. Cockerill, and Hazen I3Ralph E.Twitchell, op.,cit.,Vol.I, B. Pingrey, op. cit., p. 11. pp. 473-474.

12 Table 1. New Mexico's population growth, 1850 to 1970*

Increase. Over Census Preceding Census Year Population Number Percent

1850 61,547** 1860 87,034** 25,487 41.4 1870 91,874 4,840 5.6 1880 119,565 27,691 30.1 1890 160,282 40,717 34.1 1900 195,310 35,028 21.9 1910 327,301 131,991 67.6 1920 360,350 33,049 10.1 1930 423,317 62,967 17.5 1940 531,818 108,501 25.6 1950 681,187 149,369 28.1 1960 951,023 269,836 39.6 1970 1,016,000 64,977 6.8

*Data for 1850-1960 are from Final Report PCI11-33A,Numberof Inhabitants: :Vete Mexico, U.S.Census of Population:1960, p.5: data for 1970 are from Advance Report PC(V11 -33 Revised, Final Population Counts.: New Mexico,U.S. Census of Population: 1970, p. 3. **Total for 1860 is exclusive of the population of the area taken to form a part of Colorado **Total for 1860 9 **Total for 1860 is exclusive of the population of the area taken to form a part of Colorado Territory in 1861 and of the population of the area organized as a part of the Territory of Arizona in 1863. No estimate of the population in 1850 is available for the territory acquired from Mexico through the Gadsden Purchase (18531 and annexed to New Mexico in 1854.

New Mexico's population growthcade than had come during the since 1912 has been much more1890s, while the migration from rapid than that of the United StatesNew Mexico to other states did not as a whole (figure 2).14 increa.z. in the same proportion. The greatest percentage increase The origin and destination of in New Mexico's population in anyinterstate native-white migrants decade occurred between 1900 andentering and leaving New Mexico 1910. The numerical increase infrom 1890 to 1900 and from 1900 that decade was also greater thanto 1910 are shown on the maps in any decade of the state's history infigure3.15These native-white untilthe1940s and the1950s. More people came to New Mexico 15A11persons born in continental United States or in any of its outlying territories or from other states during that de- possessions and to' American citizens abroad and at seas have consistently been classified 14Decennial rates of change arc percentages as "native born" by the Bureau of the Census. computed on the basis of changes in population See footnote 28 for the definition of "white" growth since the preceding census. used by the Bureau of the Census.

13 Fig.2. Decennial percentage increase in population, New Mexico and the United States, 1850 to 1970

Percentage Increase 80

New Mexico

40 /

20 ...... 4.___ United States .. -

Y :81,"

0 I I I 1 I I i I I I I 18501860 1870 1880 18901900 1910 1920 1930 1940 19501960 1970 Year migrantsconstituted byfar theAnother factor was that the pre- greatest portion of the total nativecipitation over most of the territory interstate migrants. However, changefrom 1904 to 19+17 averaged consid- from one decade to the next shoulderably higher than normal. There be interpreted in the light of earlierwas a keen interest in dry farming trends in order that the cumulativeat that time, and ignorance of the effect may be taken into account. cyclical nature of climatic fluctua- A number Of.factors seem to havetions encouraged many people to contributed to the large increase intake up farming in areas that were migrationto New Mexico frommarginal from the standpoint of other states during the first decadeclimate. Several years of drought of this century. Besides the validaensued, and many of those who had tion of land titles and the develop-recently settled in New Mexico left ment of transportationfacilities,about 1911 or 1912. onefactor undoubtedly was in- During the second and third decreased stabilityin the economiccades of the century, the population life of theterritoryinthelastof New Mexico did not increase as remaining years before statehood.rapidly as it had in previous decades.

14 Fig. 3 Migration of nativeborn whites to and from New Mexico, 1890 to 1900 and 1900 to 1910*

Migrants into New Mexico from state of birth

Migrants born in New Mexico living elsewhere

*G.J. Galpin and T.B. Manny,Interstate Migration among the Native White Population as Indicated by Differences between State of Birth and State of Residence. Division ofFarm Popu- lation and Rural Life, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1934, pp. 92-93. With the 1930s, the state again saw1950 and from 1950 to 1960, the a rapid percentage increase, whichincrease was almost twice as rapid. continueduntilthe1960s. TheNow the situation has been reversed. total population and decennial pop- Between 1960 and 1970, the popu- ulation increases for each decadelation of the United States increased since 1850 are shown in figure 4. 13.3 percent, but the population of New Mexico increased only 6.8 per- Population Growth Between /960cent, approximately half the rate of and 1970.After 30 years of rapidincrease for the nation. population growth in New Mexico, New Mexico's relatively low rate the rate of growth declined drasti-of population growth during the cally during the 1960s. From 19301960s was not typical ofother to 1940, New Mexico's population western states (see table 2). Arizona, increased more than three times asColorado, Nevada, and Utah in the rapidly as did the population of theMountain Division all had substan- country as a whole; from 1940 totiallylargerpercentageincreases

Fig. 4. Total population and decennial population increases, New Mexico, 1850 to 1970

Thousands of Persons 1250

1000 Total population

Population increase over previous decade

750

500

250

..>il i 0.1 18501860 1870 188018901900 19101920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

16 Table 2. New Mexico's relative rate of population growth, 1960 to 1970*

Number Increase Area 1970 1960 Number Percent

United States 203,211,926 179,323,175 23,888,751 13.3 Western Region 34,804,193 28,053,104 6,751,089 24.1 Mountain Division 8,281,562 6,855,060 1,426,502 20.8 Montana 694,409 674,767 19,642 2.9 Idaho 712,567 667,191 45,376 6.8 Wyoming 332,416 330,066 2,350 0.7 Colorado 2,207,259 1,753,947 453,312 25.8 NEW MEXICO 1,016,000 951,023 64,977 6.8 Arizona 1,770,000 1,302,161 468,739 36.0 Utah 1,059,273 390,627 168,646 18.9 Nevada 488,738 285,278 203,460 71.3

*Final Report PC(11-1A,Number of Inhabitants: United States Summary,U.S. Census of Population: 1970, pp. 48-50. than did New Mexico. Texas alsobirths over deaths per 1,000 popu- had a higher rate of increase (16.9lation). It dropped from 31.9 during percent). The only adjoining statethe 1950s to 20.4 during the 1960s. with a growth somewhat similar toIf the rate for the 1950s had pre- New Mexico is Oklahoma, with anvailed, the natural increase in the increase of 9.9 percent. 1960s would have amounted to The differential rate of growth.over 300,000 persons. Instead, it between New Mexico and its adjoin-was only anestimated194,668 ingstatesraisesthe question ofpersons-262,808 births less 68,140 reasons for the relatively low ratedeaths. This was about 22,000 beloW of growth in the state. the natural increase in the 1950s.16 The population of a political unit can increase only by 1) the addition 16The decline in the natural increase and of new territory, 2) natural increase the net out-migration reported in this bulletin (surplus of births over deaths), and are greater than those reported in New Mexico 3) net in-migration. Since the bound- Agricultural Experiment Station Research Re- aries of New Mexico did not change, port 191. The variance is due to a greater number of births in the 1960s as reported in a more any explanationforthedrastic recent source than the sources used for the declinein New Mexico's rate of above-mentioned report.The morerecent population growth in the 1960s has source, and the one used for this bulletin in tobe found in natural increase, determining the natural increase and net migra- interstate migration, or both. tion in New Mexico in the 1960s, is Current PopulationReports,Preliminary Intercensal Part of the decline can be attrib- Estimates of States and Components of Popu- uted to a decline inthe rate of lation Change;1960 to 1970, Series P-25, No. naturalincrease(thesurplus of 460, Bureau of the Census, June 7, 1971, p. 10.

17 The decrease was primarily due toage increasein population in the a sharp drop in the crude birth rate1950s due to a net in-migration. (number of births per 1,000 popula- It is not possible to iinpoint the tion), because the crude death ratecausesforthelargepopulation (number of deaths per 1,000 popula-movement away from New Mexico tion) remained relatively constant." inthe1960s, but the economic Even if the natural increase in thesituation was probably a major in- 1960s had been as high as in thefluence. It can be assumed that the 1950s, the additional 22,000 per-economic setbacks resulting from sons would have added only2.3declines in the potash and oilin- percent to the population growthdustries in the state led to move- rate of 6.8 percent reported by thement away from the areas of con- Bureau of the Census. This percent-centration of these industries. The age increase would not have broughtcurtailment of military installations, the rate of growth for the state upespecially the closing of the Walker to what could have been expectedAir Force Base, had the same result. in the light of the rates for the pre-Some of the people leaving the areas vious two decades and the growthof former booming economic activ- in other states in the Southwest. ity no doubt settled elsewhere in The natural increase in the 1960s,New Mexico. However, the general however, was much larger than theeconomic picture in the state in the total population increase, and thelatter part of the decade validates difference between the two is thethe assumption that the population net out-migration, 129,691 persons.movement resulting from economic This is the equivalent of 13.6 per-setbacks in specific areas would have cent of the total population in 1960.been out of the state. The same This net loss from out-migration iseconomicfactorsprobablyalso in startling contrast to the situationslowed down normal migration into. in the 1950s, when 7.7 percent ofNew Mexico so that the net out- the total population increase- wasmigration was probably larger than due to net in-migration.18 In otherit would have been otherwise. words, the percentage loss of popu- Whatever the reasons for the large lation in New Mexico in the 1960snet out-migration, the decline of due toa net out-migration was13.6 percent in the rate of popula- nearly twice as large as the percent-tion growth due to that movement and the 2.3 percent decline attributed to a lower natural increase together constitute15.9 percent. 17The crude birth rate in the 1950s varied Thus., if this decline had not taken from a low of 34.1 to a high of 35.9. In the 1960s it declined from 35.8 in 1959 to a pro- place, the percentage increase in the visional rate of 21.5 in 1970. 1960s would have been 15.9 percent 18Current Population Reports, Preliminary greater than the 6.8percent reported Estimates of the Components of Population by the Bureau of the Census. This Change, by State, 1950 to 1960, Series P-25, No. 227, Bureau of the Census, April 26, 1962, would have made the increase for p. 6. the state a total of 22.7 percent,

18 which would have been more likepopulation and 17 lost population the growth in the other adjoiningbetween 1960 and 1970 (table 3). states. The gains ranged from 1.7 percent in Roosevelt County to 23.2 percent County Population Changes. OfinSandoval County. The losses New Mexico's counties, 15 gainedranged from 1.5 percent in San Juan

Table 3. Population change, by county, New Mexico, 1960 to 1970*

1970 Change, 1960 to 1970 County Population Number Percent

The State 1,016,000 64,977 6.8 Bernalillo 315,774 53,575 20.4 Catron 2,198 -575 -20.7 Chaves 43,335 -14,314 -24.8 Colfax 12,170 -1,636 -11.8 Curry 39,517 6,826 20.9 De Baca 2,547 -444 -14.8 Dona Ana 69,773 9,825 16.4 Eddy 41,119 -9,664 -19.0 Grant 22,030 3,330 17.8 Guadalupe 4,969 -641 -11.4 Harding 1,348 -526 -28.1 Hidalgo 4,734 -227 -4.6 Lea 49,554 -3,875 -7.3 Lincoln 7,560 -184 -2.4 Los Alamos 15,198 2,161 16.6 Luna 11,706 1,867 19.0 McKinley 43,208 5,999 16.1 Mora 4,673 -1,355 -22.5 Otero 41,097 4,121 11.1 Quay 10,903 -1,376 -11.2 Rio Arriba 25,170 977 4.0 Roosevelt 16,479 281 1.7 Sandoval 17,492 3,291 23.2 San Juan 52,517 -789 -1.5 San Miguel 21,951 -1,517 -6.5 Santa Fe 53,756 8,786 19.5 Sierra 7,189 780 12.2 Socorro 9,763 -405 -4.0 Taos 17,516 1,582 9.9 Torrance 5,290 -1,207 -18.6 Union 4,925 -1,143 -18.8 Valencia 40,539 1,454 3.7

*Advance Report PC(VI)-33. (Revised)Final Population Counts: New Mexico,U.S. Census of Population: 1970, p. 3.

. 19 County to 28.1 percent in Hardingranee, and Union counties. Quay County. The percentage change forCountylostpopulationforthe each county in the state is shown insecondconsecutivedecade.San table 3. Miguel did not lose population be- The counties which gained popu-tween1950and1960 butdid lation between 1960 and 1970 lie inbetween 1940 and 1950. three areas. These are Curry and Outside the northeastern portion Roosevelt counties, eight countiesof the state, Catron County lost in the northwestern portion of thepopulation for the third consecu- state, and five counties in the south-tive decade. Hidalgo County lost for western portion. Of those 15 coun-the second decade, and Lincoln and ties, eight continued an establishedSocorro lost population in the de- trend, since they all showed sub-cade of the 1960s after gaining in stantial rates of increase in the pre-the 1950s but losing in the 1940s. vious three decades. These counties The curtailment of military instal- areBernalillo, Curry, Dona Ana,lations and the decline of the potash Luna, McKinley, Otero, Santa Fe,and oil industries certainly affected and Valencia. In Sandoval County,the populations in Chaves, Eddy, the increase which began betweenand Lea counties, all of which suf- 1950 and 1960 continued, after thefered a substantial loss during the county had lost population between1960s. San Juan County also lost 1940 and 1950. Five counties in-population in the 1960s, but the creased after a loss in the 1950s losswas only1.5percent, and Grant, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, Sierra,between 1950 and 1960 the popula- and Taos. Los Alamos County con-tion there increased 191.4 percent. tinued to increase as it has since itThe tremendous upsurge in oil and was established in the 1940s. gas drilling activities in the 1950s Much of the loss between 1960and the leveling off of these activi- and 1970 occurred in eastern Newties in the 1960s are. no doubt the Mexico, although three counties onmost logical single explanation for the western border also lost popula-the fact that the county showed no tion (figure 5). Curry and Rooseveltpopulation growth in the 1960s. are the only eastern counties which Population changes in New gained population,and the RooseveltMexico counties between 1960 and County gain was minimal. 1970, like the change for the state The population loss in the north-as a whole, were due to natural eastern portion of New Mexico is aincrease and net migration(table continuation of a trend that has4).Practicallyallcounties which been evident over several decades.gained population had a relatively Colfax and Harding counties lostlow net out-migration. Sierra, Grant, population for the fourth consecu-and Bernalillo counties even had net tive decade. Losing population forin-migrations. Counties which lost the third consecutive decade werepopulation almost without excep- De Baca, Guadalupe, Mora, Tor-tion had high net out-migrations.

20 Fig. 5. Gains and losses in population, bycounty, 1960 to 1970

Loss

21 Table 4. Components of population change, by county, New Mexico, 1960 to 1970*

Percentage Change. 1960 to 1970* Change in Change due to the total Natural Net County population increase migration The State 6.8 20.4 -13.6 Barna lillo 20.4 20.4 ** Catron -20.7 10.6 -31.3 Chaves -24.8 20. 1 -44. 9 Colfax -11.8 11.6 -23.4 Curry 20.9 23.3 -2.4 De Baca -14.8 6.3 -21. 1 Dona Ana 16.4 24.6 -8. 2 Eddy -19.0 16.3 -35.3 Grant 17.8 16.5 1.3 Guadalupe -11.4 18.0 -29.4 Harding -28.1 7.9 -36.0 Hidalgo -4.6 19.1 -23.7 Lea -7.3 15. 3 -22. 6 Lincoln -2.4 12.7 -15.1 Los Alamos 16.6 18.1 -1.5 Luna 19.0 21.6 -2.6 McKinley 16. 1 36. 1 -20.0 Mora -22. 5 15.8 -38.3 Otero 11.1 22.1 -11.0 Quay -11.2 12. 1 -23.3 Rio Arriba 4..0 25.7 -21.7 Roosevelt 1.7 12.9 -11.2. Sandoval 23.2 25. 1 -1.9 San Juan -1.5 24.9 -26.4 San Miguel -6.5 17.4 -23. 9 Santa Fe 19.5 22.2 -2.7 Sierra 12.2 -3.2 15.4 Socorro -4.0 21.9 -25. 9 Taos 9.9 20.8 -10.9 Torrance -18.6 14. 1 -32.7 Union -18.8 8. 1 -26.9 Valencia 3.7 20.3 -16.6

*Current Population Reports,Components of Population Change by County: 1960 to 1970, Series P-25, No. 460, Bureau of the Census, June 28. 1971, pp. 44-45. **Less than 0.05 percent. DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION

For a long period of New Mexicopeopleinthecommunity large history, the distribution of her pop-enough for the proper support of ulation was primarily determined religiousinstitutions?Isefficient by the location of potential agricul-lOcal government possibleinthe tural resources. With the improve-light of the density and distr.bu. ment of agricultural technology andof the population? Can an adennote theincreasing emphasis on non-recreational program be carried out? agricultural economic activities, far-Thesearequestions of environ- reaching changes have taken place.mentalquality.They can be People have tended to move fromanswered best with the aid of know- already sparsely populated areas toledge concerning the distribution the major urban centers. of the population. These changes raise questions as to whether the population is large PopulationDensity inNew enoughinsomeareasto makeMexico. New Mexico iscertainly possible a satisfactory functioningsparsely populated compared with of the community life. Is the popu-many other states and with the lation of a given area great enoughUnited States as a whole.19 In 1970 to justify schools which v illbe 19In the United States, population density adequate to meet desired educa- is measured in terms of the number of persons tionalneeds'?Isthe number of per square mile.

Table 5. New Mexico's relative population density, 1970*

Land Area in Square Miles, Persons per Area 1970 Population Square Mile

United States 3,536,855 203,211,926 57.5 Western Region 1,748,019 34,804,193 19.9 Mountain Division 856,047 8,281,562 9.7 Montana 145,587 694,409 4.8 Idaho 82,677 712,567 8.6 Wyoming 97,203 332,416 3.4 Colorado 103,766 2,207,259 21.3 NEW MEXICO 121,412 1,016,000 8.4 Arizona 113,417 1,770,900 15.6 Utah . 82,096 1,059,273 12.9 Nevada 109,889 488,738 4.4

*Final Report PC(1)- I A. Number of Inhabitants: United States Summary, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, p. 52.

23 the population density for the stateand Union together had only 2.5 was 8.4 as compared to a density ofpercent of the total population. In 57.5 for the United States. Tableterms of land area, Bernalillo and 5 shows New Mexico's density com-Dona Ana had only 4.1 percent of pared to that of the Western Region the total, and the seven counties and the Mountain Division, of whicheach with less than 5,000 persons New Mexico is a part. covered 19.4 percent of the state's Populat;.)li density figures have toland area. Similar comparison can be used with care; the population in be made for other counties. one county may be clustered, and in another, more or less evenly distrib- Changes inthe Distribution of uted. Nevertheless, density figuresNew Mexico's Population. Popula- indicate the distribution of the pop-firm distribution is changed by the ulation of a state, even if only on acumulative effect of differences in county basis. birth, death and net migration rates. The data in table 6. show thatThese changes occur as people ad- New Mexico counties varied widelyjust to their environment and to in population density in 1970. Fig-each other. Such adjustment brings ure 6 shows that, in general, the about a redistribution of the popula- more densely populated countiestion and establishes the pattern of are concentrated in two areas of thedistribution at a given time. state, and that the most sparsely Major changes in the distribution populated counties form a contigu-of the population occurred in New ous area stretching diagonally acrossMexico between 1960 and 1970 thestate from the southwestern(table 3). but many of these changes corner to the northeastern corner. represent a continuation, more or less, of population shifts that began Percentage Distribution of themuch earlier. Table 7 shows county Total Population. Another way ofchanges from 1930 to 1970.20 looking at the distribution of New For those 40 years, the numerical Mexico's population within the state increase for the state was 592,683, is to see what proportion of the totalwhich amounted to an increase of population is located in each county. 140 percent. Without the population Figure 7 shows such a proportional distribution. The advantage of this approach is that it emphasizes the size of a 20No analysis has been attempted for the decades prior to 1930 because the 1930 census county's population without refer- was the first after present county lines had been ence to its land area. It shows which established, exceptfor the creation of Los counties are most important in terms Alamos County in 1949 from parts of cndoval of numbers of people. BernAillo (15 square miles). There is no rem, I' any and Dona Ana counties had 37.9 population residing in the area included in the new county at the time of its creation. Other percent of the state's population in changes in county areas since 1930 have been 1970, whereas Catron, De Baca, so small they have had no effect on county Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Mora, population data.

24 Table 6. Land area and population density, by county, New Mexico, 1970*

1970 Land Area Persons per County in Square Miles Square Mile

The State 121,412 8.4 Bernalillo 1, 169 270. 1 Catron 6,897 0.3 Chaves 6,084 7.1 Colfax 3,764 3. 2 Curry 1, 403 28. 2 De Baca 2,356 1.1 Dona Ana 3,804 18.3 Eddy 4,167 9.9 Grant 3, 970 5.5 Guadalupe 2,998 1.7 Harding 2, 134 0.6 Hidalgo 3,447 1.4 Lea 4,393 11.3 Lincoln 4,858 1.6 Los Alamos 108 140.7 Luna 2,957 4.0 McKinley 5, 454 7.9 Mora 1,940 2.4 Otero 6,638 6.2 Quay 2,875 3.8 Rio Arrlha 5, 843 4. 3 Roosevelt 2, 454 6.7 Sandoval 3,714 4.7 San Juan 5,500 9.5 San Miguel 4, 741 4. 6 Santa Fe 1,902 28.3 Sierra 4,166 1.7 Socorro 6,603 1.5 Taos 2,256 7.8 Torrance 3,346 1.6 Union 3, 816 1.3 Valencia 5,656 7.2

*The data for 1970 are taken from PC(1)-A33, Number of Inhabitants: New Mexico,U.S. Census of Population: 1970. p. 13.

25 Fig. 6. Persons per square mile inNew Mexico, by counties, 1970

UNION RIO ARNIM MN JUAN

KINLRY

CATRON

GRANT

LUNA

PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE HIDALGO 0-4.9 L.15-9.9 EITI 10-19.9

.,11,4,JNrIFWIFIV.20-29.9 140.7

270.1

26 Fig. 7. Percentage distribution of the total population, by specified county popula tions, New Mexico, 1970

POPULATION PERCENT

Less than 5,000 2.5

5,000 to 10,000 °; 2.9 10,000 to 20,000 10.0

1111;1;1 20,000 to 30,000 6.8

4 30,000 to 40,000 3.9

F:377 40,000 to 50,000 25.5

50,000 to 60,000 10.5

Moie than 60,000 37.9 Table 7. Population gains and losses, by county, New Mexico 1930 to 1970

Population* Change, 1930 to 1970 County 1970 1.930 Number Percent

The State 1,016,000 423,317 592,683 140.0 Bernalillo 315,774 45,430 270,344 595.1 Catron 2,198 3,282 -1,084 -33.0 Chaves 43,335 19,549 23,786 121.7 Colfax 12,170 19,157 -6,987 -36.5 Curry 39,517 1.5,809 23,708 150.0 De Baca 2,547 2,893 -346 -12.0 Dona Ana 69,773 27,455 42,318 154.1 Eddy 41,119 15,842 25,277 '159.6 Grant 22,030 19,050 2,980 15.6 Guadalupe 4,969 7,027 -2,058 -29.3 Harding 1,348 4,421 -3,073 -69.5 Hidalgo 4,734 5,023 -289 -5.8 Lea 49,554 6,144 43,410 706.5 Lincoln 7,560 7,198 362 5.0 Los Alamos 15,198 ** ** ** Luna 11,706 6,247 5,459 87.4 McKinley 43,208 20,643 22,565 109.3 Mora 4,673 10,322 -5,649 -54.7 Otero 41,097 9,779 31,318 320.3 Quay 10,903 10,828 75 0.7 Rio Arriba 25,170 21,381 3,789 17.7 Roosevelt 16,479 11,109 5,370 48.3 Sandoval 17,492 11,144 6,348 57.0 San Juan 52,517 14,701 37,816 257.2 San Miguel 21,951 23,636 -1,685 -7.1 Santa Fe 53,756 19,567 34,189 174.7 Sierra 7,189 5,184 2,005 38.7 Socorro 9,763 9,611 152 1.6 Taos 17,516 14,394 3,122 21.7 Torrance 5,290 9,269 -3,979 -42.9 Union 4,925 11,036 -6,111 -55.4 Valencia 40,539 16,186 24,353 150.5

*The numerical data for 1930 are from the Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, Vol. 1, Number and Distribution of Inhabitants, pp. 730-431: those for1970 are from PCM-A33. Number of hthabitants: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, p. 13. **Los Alamos did not exist in 1930.

28 of Los Alamos County, which hadCatron County has no urban pop- not been established in 1930, theulation. increase would have been136.4 While some counties gained and percent. Over the four decades, theothers lost population between 1930 population of the United States in-and 1970, the rates of change were creased 64.9 percent. not uniform from deca& to decade. Twenty-one of the 31 counties in Eight counties gained population existence in 1930 gained populationin all fourdecades Bernalillo,Cufry, and10lost ,population between Dona Ana, Luna, McKinley, Otero, 1930 and 1970. The rates of changeSanta Fan-.t Valencia. Their nu- from county to county varied tre-mericalncr...ase of 454,254 was an mendously during the four decades.increase oc 281.9 percent for the The county rates of change within 40-N,.:1period, twice the percent- selected ranges are shown in figure 8.age for New Mexico as a whole. Among the21 countiesthat FourcountiesChaves,Eddy, gained population, the rates of gain Lea. and San Juangained popula- ranged from 0.7 percent in 0:laytion in the first three decades but County to 706.5 percentinLea not in the 1960s. Their numerical County. In some of these counties, increasewas130,289,or 231.7 the percentage of increase over thepercent. If these four counties had 40-year period was very smallfarnot lost population between 1960 below the rate for the state as aand 1970, their rate of increase in whole.Innine counties,itwas the four decades would have been greater than the rate for the state,282.6 percentalmost the same as and four of these gained populationthat for the eight counties with in- at rates far above the state average.creases in each of the four decades. These were Bernalillo, 595.1 per- The other nine of the 21 counties cent;Lea, 706.5 percent; Otero,with population gains between 1930 320.3 percent; and San Juan, 257.2and 1970Grant, Lincoln, Quay, percent. Rio Arriba, Roosevelt,Sandoval, Population losses during the fourSierra, Socorro, and Taosdid not &cades ranged from 5.8 percent incontribute much numerically to the Hidalgo County to 69.5 percent instatepopulation.Together, they Harding County. In Union and Mora,gained only 24,203 persons, a 22.2 the percentage of loss was almost aspercent increase. This low rate of great as that in Harding. Eight of theincrease was related to population 10 counties which lost populationlosses in either one or two of the in the four decades are in the north-four decades. Four of these counties eastern portion of New Mexico. Oflost population in one of the four these, five have no urban popula-decades, and the other fivelost tion.21 The other two counties withpopulation in two of these decades, population loss during the periodthough not necessarily in the same are Catron and Hidalgo counties.decades. Decennial rates of change indi- 21Sce page 33 for a definition of "urban". cate that in the 10 counties which

29 Fig. 8. Percentage change in county population, 1930 to 1970

0 . 0. .00° 010 0 0 00 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 O O O0 J ° 0 ° °. .° ° :..... 0 0 ° 0 C 0 0 0 0° 0000"...."'"70 C°°0 0000,°C 00 0 C °O000 0 0 uNcoLs 0 ,.. 0 0.0 0 00 0° °° 00 00 n: 0 0.0 0 0 il0 0 0°_ g 0 0 3 0 0 0° 0 0000 00 0 00 0 0 O 0°0 00 0 o MEHRA° o 0 o 0 c°°° IIIII 0 o no 00 .

PERCENTAGE GAIN

Los Alamos Below 100 1.:00.-1 Loss 100-199 11, 1,,1,11I

10.1cW 7,44 200-299

300-399

400 or more

30 lost population between 1930 andstate's population. in 1930 but only 1970 Cation,Colfax,DeBaca,6.4 percent in1970. Except for Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Mora,Colfax and San Miguel counties, the San Miguel, Torrance, and Union- 10 counties were among those with the loss for the most part was char-small populations. acteristic of the three decades prior to 1970. As a whole, the loss in the Significance of the Changes. The 10 counties amounted to 31,261changes in the population distribu- persons, a 32.5 percent decrease. tion between 1930 and 1970 have The large differentials in popula-had significant political, economic, tion changes in New Mexico's coun-and social consequences. ties between 1930 and 1970 have Politically, for example, the pres- had a tremendous effect on the dis-ence of almost three-tenths of New tribution of the population withinMexico's population inBernalillo the state (table gif. Countyin1970 compared with Bernalillo County, which in 1930slightly over one-tenth of that pop- had approximately one-tenth of allulation in 1930 has greatly increased the people in New Mexico, by 1970the county's political representation had almost three out of every 10in the Legislature and its influence people in the state. The proportionin the politics of the state in general. of the total population in the stateOn the other hand, the loss of pop- also increased significantly in Lea,ulation in the northeastern portion Otero, and San Juan counties. Inof New Mexico has lessened the most of the other counties thatrepresentation and influence of that gained population between1930area. Population redistribution has and 1970, the proportion of thehad similar political impact in other state's population did not changeareas of the state. greatly.However,. some counties The increased concentration of had considerably smaller propor-the population in the larger munic- tions of the state's total populationipalities and the counties in which in 1970 than in 1930, even thoughthey are located no doubt has come they gained population during theabout, in a large measure, as the 40 years. This is because their ratesresult of an expanding economy of increase were low compared withwhich attracted people from other the state as a whole. Most notableareas in New Mexico and from out- of such counties were Grant and Rioside the state. Such concentration, Arriba. in turn, has called for the expansion The 10 counties which lost popu-of existing economic services, thus lation between 1930 and 1970 nat-attracting even more people. For urally had a much smaller propor-example, the population of Clovis tion of the total population in Newincreased20.2percentbetween Mexico in 1970 than in 1930, in1960 and 1970, but the number of view of the increase in the otherpeople employed in that city in util- counties in the state. Together, theities and sanitary services increased 10 counties had 22.7 percent of the76.2 percent; in eating and drinking

31 Table 8. Distribution of New Mexico's population, by county, 1970 and 1930

1970 1930 County Number Percent Number Percent

The State 1,016,000 100.0 .423, 317 100.0 Bernalillo 315,774 31.1 45, 430 10.7 Catron 2, 198 0.2 3, 282 0.8 Chaves 43,335 4.3 19,549 4.6 Colfax 12,170 1.2 19, 157 4.5 Curry 39,517 3.9 15,809 3.7 De Baca 2,547 0.2 2,893 0.7 Dona Ana 69,773 6.9 27,455 6.5 Eddy 41,119 4.0 15,842 3.7 Grant 22,030 ^.2 19,050 4.5 Guadalupe 4, 969 0.5 7, 027 1. 7 Harding 1, 348 0.1 4, 421 1.0 Hidalgo 4,734 0.5 5,023 1.2 Lea 49,554 4.9 6,144 1.5 Lincoln 7,560 0.7 7, 198 1.7 Los Alamos 15, 198 1.5 * * Luna 11,706 1.1 6,247 1.5 McKinley 43, 208 4.2 20, 643 4. 9 Mora 4,673 0.5 10, 322 2.4 Otero 41, 097 4.0 9, 779 2.3 Quay 10,903 1.1 10,828 2.6 Rio Arriba 25,170 2.5 21, 381 5.1 Roosevelt 16,479 1.6 11,109 2.6 Sandoval 17, '..92 1.7 11,144 2.6 San Juan 52,517 5.2 14,701 3.5 San Miguel 21,951 2.2 23,636 5.6 Santa Fe 53,756 5.3 19,567 4.6 Sierra 7, 189 0.7 5, 148 1.2 Socorro 9, 763 1.0 9, 611 2.3 Taos 17,516 1.7 14,394 3.4 Torrance 5,290 0.5 9,269 2.2 Union 4,925 0.5 11,036 2.6 Valencia 40,539 4.0 16, 186 3.8

*Los Alamos did not exist in 1930.

places, 78.5 percent; and in enter-in the form of new industrial activity tainmentandrecreation,140.5or the expansion of existing eco- percent. nomic service, has tended to increase The growth of urban centers duetax revenue for those centers, giving to an expanding economy, whetherbetter financial support for needed

32 public services. Conversely, in thetion, welfare, medical, dental, and areas with declining populations,hospitalservices. Culturally, they the economy has suffered, and thetend to become the focus of musical, resulting decline in tax revenue hasdramatic, and literary activities in madeitdifficultto provide thethe state. The opposite frequently public services necessary to a well-has become the situation in the more balanced community life. sparsely populated areas where pop- Fully as important as the politicalulationloss has occurred. People and economic effects of the changeshave to go outside the community in the distribution of the state pop-for many public services. Similarly,. ulation are the social effects. Themany cultural organizations can no counties with the larger populationlonger function at a successful level centers are more able to providebecause the population base is not adequate public services like educa-large enough.

URBAN AND RURAL POPULATION CHANGES

When power lines and improved New Mexico has no amulet that roads began to reach rural areas,protects her from these problems of people said that the differences be-changing populationdistribution. tween city and country living wereThe particular set of problems in any being erased. But more and morearea is related to whether the popula- people moved to thecities, andtion is increasing or decreasing and other differences arose. The implica-to whether it is urban or rural. tions of urbanization and depopula- tion of rural areas became evident. DefinitionofUrban and Rural. Urbanizationbrings the urbanAccording to the definition used by life-style to an increasing proportionthe Bureau of the Census for the of the population. It increases the1970 census, the urban population political influence of urban centers.comprises all persons living in ur- With urbanization come problems ofbanized areas and inplaces with housing, sanitation, transportation,2,500 or more inhabitants outside law enforcement, and recreation. urbanized areas. An urbanized area On the other side of the coin,consists of a central city, or cities, urbanization means that rurality asand surrounding closelysettled a way of life remains significant forterritory. The _population not clas- relatively fewer people.It dimin-sified as urban constitutes the rural ishes the political power of ruralpopulation.22 areas.Rural depopulationinten- This definition of urban is essen- sifies already existing problems withtially the same as that adopted by local government, law enforcement, health and medical services, rural 22FinalReport PC(1)-A33, Numberof education, economic services, and Inhabitants: New Mexico,U.S. Census of Pop- other institutional services. ulation: 1970, pp. iv and vii.

33 the Bureau of the Census for thepopulation centers, the concept of first time in1950 and also usedthe standard metropolitan statistical in 1960. Therefore, urban and ruralarea is perhaps more useful. Flow - data are comparable for 1950, 1960,ever, Albuquerque is the only such and 1970. Before 1950, the urbanarea designated in New Mexico, and population was defined simply asthe area consists of all of Bernalillo those persons living in incorporatedCounty. Obviously, some other cri- places of 2,500 or more inhabitants.terion has to be used in New Mexico, While the figure 2,500 may noand the 2,500 population criterion longer be as valid .a criterion forseems most practical. distinguishing between urban and rural populations as it has been in The ('hanging Urban-Rural Popu- the past, it is the one that is beinglation Distribution in iVett, Me.vico. usedforthe most part by theNew Mexico definitely has become Bureau of the Census. In states withurban (see table 91. More than two- large populations and several large,thirds of the population in 1970

Table 9. Urban and rural population of New Mexico, 1850to 1970t

Population Percent of Total Year Total Urban Rural Urban Rural

1850 61,547 4,539 57,008 7.4 92.6 1860 87, 034* 4,635* 82, 399* 5.3 94.7 1870 91,874 4,765 87,109 5.2 94.8 1880 119,565 6,635 112,930 5.5 94.5 1890 160,282 9,970 150,312 6.2 93.8 1900 195,310 27,381 167,929 14.0 86.0 1910 327,301 46,571 280,730 14.2 85.8 1920 360,350 64,960 295,390 18.0 82.0 1930 423,317 106,816 316,501 25.2 74.8 1940 531,818 176,401 355,417 33.2 66.8 1950** 681,187 341,889 339,298 50.2 49.8 1960** 951,023 626,479***324,544 65.9 34.1 1970** 1,016,000 708,775***307,225 69.8 30.2

'Data for 1850-1960 are from Final Report PC(1)-33A,Number of Inhabitants: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1960, p. 5; data for 1970 are from Advance Report PC(Vl) -33 Revised, Final Population Counts: New Mexico,U.S. Census of Population: 1970, p. 3. *Data for 1860 are exclusive of the population of the area taken to form a part of Colorado Territory in 1861 and of the population of the area organized as a part of the Territory of Arizona in 1863. No estimate of the population in 1850 is available for the territory acquired from Mtn it:0

through the Gadsden Purchase (1853) and annexed to New Mexico in 1854. . **Current urban definition. ***Includes the population of a delineated urbanized area in Bernalillo County outside the city of Albuquerque. The population of that area was 40,027 in 1960 and 18,323 in 1970. There was no urbanized area delineated for Albuquerque for the 1950 Census. 34 was classified as urban by the federal just barely had become an urban census bureau. Urbanization, how-state in1950. By 1970, the pro- ever, was slower in New Mexico thanportionof thetotalpopulation in the United States as a whole. living in urban areas had increased In1920, the federal census forto 69.8 percent. The rapid urbaniza- the first time showed over half thetion during the last three decades total population of the United Stateshas brought the state's urban pop- as urban. Since then, urbanizationulationup to a proportion not fan inthe nation has continued at abelow that for the United States rapid pace. According to the 1970(see figure 9). census, 73.5 percent of the total The numbers of urban and rural national population is urban. . people in New Mexico from 1850 On thebasis of the pre-1950to 1970 are shown graphically in definition of urban, New Mexicofigure 10. was first classified as urban in the 1960 census. According to the def- /9 70Urban and Rural Population. inition of urban which was first used The1970 urban-rural population in the 1950 census, New Mexicodistribution varied considerably by

Fig. 9. Urbanization in New Mexico and the United States, 1850 to 1970

Pe cent Urban Population 80

70 ,0 1 60 .°..., 0°. 50 , ,0O' 40 ...0 United States o, 30 , /e"...... S° 20 00'.9 , ... New Mexico

0 1 I 18501860 1870 1880 18901900 1910 1920 1930 19401950 1960 1970 Year

35 Fig. 10. Urban and rural populations, New Mexico, 1850 to 1970

Thousands of Persons

1,125

1,000

875

750

625

500

375

250

125

0 1850' 1860 18701880 18901900 1910 1920193019401950 1960 1970 Year

counties (table10). Nine countiescontributerelativelylittleto the had no urban population. In sixurban population of the state be- other counties, less than half thecause the total county population is population was urban, the lowestsmall. For example, Hidalgo County proportion being 15.5 percent inwas 72.4 percent urban in 1970 but RioArriba County.Inthe17 had only 3,429 urban inhabitants. counties with over half the popula-On the other hand, Eddy County tionurban,10 hadpercentageswas 76.9 percent urban, approxi- abovethe stateaverage of 69.8matelythesamepercentageas percent,Los Alamos" having theHidalgo County, but it had 31,612 highest, 99.8 percent. urban inhabitants. Percentages, however, are some- A better picture of the impor- times misleading. A county with atance of the urban population in the relatively high percentage of urbancounties relative to the total popu- people in its total population maylation in New Mexico will be ob-

36 Table 10. Urban and rural population, by county, New Mexico, 1970*

Total Urban Rural County Population Number Percent Number Percent

TheState 1,016,000 708,775 69.8 307,225 30.2 Bernalillo 315,774 297,451 94.2 18,323 5.8 Catron 2,198 0 0 2,198 100.0 Chaves 43,335 33,908 78.2 9,427 21.8 Colfax 12,170 6,962 57.2 5,208 42.8 Curry 39,517 33,956 85.9 5,561 14.1 De Baca 2,547 0 0 2,547 100.0 Dona Ana 59,773 46,189 66.2 23,584 33.8 Eddy 41,119 31,612 76.9 9,507 23.1 Grant 22,030 10,659 48.4 11,371 51.8 Guadalupe 4,969 0 0 4,969 100.0 Harding 1,348 0 0 1,348 100.0 Hidalgo 4,734 3,429 72.4 1,305 27.6 Lea 49,554 40,183 81.1 9,371 18.9 Lincoln 7,560 0 0 7,560 100.0 Los Alamos 15,198 15,171 99.8 27 .2 Luna 11,706 8,343 71.3 3,363 28.7 McKinley 43,208 18,554 42.9 24,654 57.1 Mora 4,673 0 0 4,673 100.0 Otero 41,097 39,887 82.5 7,210 17.5 Quay 10,903 ) 7,189 65.9 3,714 34.1 Rio Arriba 25,170 3,902 15.5 21,268 84.5 Roosevelt 16,479 10,554 64.0 5,925 36.0 Sandoval 17,492 0 0 17,492 100.0 San Juan 52,517 25,333 48.2 27,184 51.8 San Miguel 21,951 13,835 63.0 8,116 37.0 Santa Fe 53,756 41,793 77.7 11,963 22.3 Sierra 7,189 4,656 64.8 2,533 35.2 Socorro 9,763 4,687 48.0 5,076 52.0 Taos 17,516 0 0 17,516 100.0 Torrance 5,290 0 0 5,290 100.0 Union 4,925 2,991 59.5 1,994 40.5 Valencia 40,539 13,591 33.5 26,948 66.5

*Advance Report PC0/11-33 Revised. Final Population Counts: New Mexico. U.S. Census of Population: 1970. p. 3.

tained by looking at what percent-populations in 1970, the percentage of the total urban populationage which each had of the state's inthe stateis located in a givenurban population varied from 42.0 county (see table 11). percent in Bemalillo County to 0.4 Of the 23 counties with urbanpercentinUnion County. Four

37 Table 11. Distribution of New Mexico's urban population, by county, 1970

Urban Population Counts Number Percent

The State 708,775 100.0 Bernalillo 297,451 42.0 Chaves 33,908 4.8 Colfax 6,962 1.0 Curry 33,956 4.8 Dona Ana 46,189 6.5 Eddy 31,812 4.5 Grant 10,659 1.5 Hidalgo 3,429 0.5 Lea 40,183 5.7 Los Alamos 15,171 2.1 Luna 8,343 1.2 McKinley 18,554 2.6 Otero 33,887 4.8 Quay 7,189 1.0 Rio Arriba 3,902 0.5 Roosevelt 10,554 1.5 San Juan 25,333 3.6 San Miguel 13,835 1.9 Santa Fe 41,793 5.9 Sierra 4,656 0.6 Socorro 4,687 0.7 Union 2,931 0.4 Valencia 13,591 1.9

counties (Dona Ana, Lea, Santa Fe,urban population. The remaining and Bernalillo) accounted for 60.1 13.4 percent consists of 53.700 in- percent of the urban population ofhabitants in the urbanized area out- the state. On the other hand, fiveside the city of Albuquerque and counties(Hidalgo,RioArriba,40,923 in unincorporated places in Sierra, Socorro, and Union) hadthefollowingcounties:Curry: only2.7percentof thestate'sOtero, Los Alamos, Dona Ana, and urban population. McKinley. The location of New Mexico's The importance of the rural pop- incorporated urban centers is shownulation in each county relative to in figure 11. These centers, with aNew Mexico's total rural popula- combined population of 614,152, tion can be seen in table 12. constitute 86.6 percent of the state's As with the urban population,

38 Fig. 11. New Mexico's urbanpopulation centers, 197C

0 X COLFAX UNION RIO ARRISA TAOS SAN JUAN 0

MORA HARDING

MC KINLEV SANDOVAL SANTA X X FE SAN MIGUEL

X X SE RNALILLO QUAY GUADALUPE .. VALENCIA TORRANCE CURITt

DE SACA ROOSEVELT 0 SOCORRO CATRON LINCOLN

CHAVES

0 SIERRA 0 X A, N LEA GRANT N X0 EDDY OTERO 0

X DONA ANA LUNA 0

HIDALGO O 2,500-4,999

X 5,000-9,999

II 10,000-24,999

4( 25,000-49,990

Albuquerque (243,751)

39 Table 12. Distribution of New Mexico's rural population, by county, 1970

Rural Population County Number Percent

The State 307,255 100.0 Bernalillo 18,323 6.0 Catron 2,198 0.7 Chaves 9,427 3.1 Colfax 5,206 1.7 Curry 5,561 1.8 De Baca 2,547 0.8 Dona Ana 23,584 7.7 Eddy 9,507 3.1 Grant 11,371 3.7 Guadalupe 4,969 1.6 Harding 1,348 0.4 Hidalgo 1,305 0.4 Lea 9,371 3.1 Lincoln 7,560 2.5 Los Alamos 27 Luna 3,363 1.1 McKinley 24,654 8.0 Mora 4,673 1.5 Otero 7,210 2.3 Quay 3,714 1.2 Rio Arriba 21,268 6.9 Roosevelt 5,925 1.9 Sandoval 17,492 5.7 San Juan 27,184 8.9 San Miguel 8,116 2.6 Santa Fe 11,963 3.9 Sierra 2,533 0.8 Socorro 5,076 1.7 Taos 17,516 5.7 Torrance 5,290 1.7 Union 1,994 0.7 Valencia 26,948 8.8

*Less than one-tenth of one percent.

although not as much, the ruralof the rural population.In com- population is concentrated in certainparison; these 'encounties each counties in the state. The 10 coun-having less than one percent of the ties with over 10,000 rural popula-state's rural population collectively tion account for almost two-thirds ad 3.8 percent of that population. 40 The urban-rural distributionin County around Albuquerque (exclu- 1970 for New Mexico's counties issive of Armijo, Atrisco-Five Points, shown in figure 12. and Los Duranes, which became a part of the city in the 1950s); 2) the Urbanization in the 1950s. Tableincrease in two unincorporated cen- 9 shows the extensive urbanizationters (Los Alamos and Zuni Pueblo) in New Mexico during the 1950s.and the addition of one unincorpo- The increase in the proportion ofrated center (State College-Mesilla urban people from 50.2 percent inPark),allwith more than 2,500 1950 to 65.9 percent in 1960 wasinhabitants; and 3) the inclusion of phenomenal. It was an increase ofsevenincorporatedplaces which 15.7 percent; the increase for thewere classified as urban in the 1960 United States as a whole was onlycensus but not in the 1950 census 5.9 percent. Numerically, the in-(Aztec, Bernalillo, Eunice, Grants, crease amounted to 284,590 per-Jal. Milan, and Tularosa).24 sons. Over one-third of the increase occurred in Albuquerque. Urban Population changes in the Most of the urban population 1960s. New Mexico's urban popula- growth occurred in places that weretion grew rapidly during the 1950s classifiedas urban in1950. Thebut not during the 1960s. Between majority of these-were incorporated1960 and 1970, the proportion of places with 2,500 or more inhabit-urban inhabitants in the total popu- ants. The increase in these centerslation increased by only 3.9 percent, during the 1950s accounted for 77.9about the same as the national aver- percent of the urban increase in theage of 3.6 percent. In the 1960s, state. However, this increase wasthe extension of the corporate limits partly due to changes in the cor-of places with 2,500 or more inhabit- porate limits of the centers. Nu-ants contributed much less to the merically, the populationintheurban population than in the 1950s. centers increased by 221,723 per-Annexation added only 32,010 persons (including 104,374 inAlbu-sons to the urban population in the querque), but only 58.9 percent of1960s, compared with 91,088 in the that increase occurred within the1950s. In many of the centers, the corporate limits as they existed inincrease in numbers due to annexa- 1950. The remaining 41.1 percenttion did not compensate for losses was in areas annexed to the centerswithin the corporate limits as they between 1950 and 1960.23 existed in 1960.25 The remainder of the urban pop- Furthermore, urban population ulation growth during the 1950sincreases were much less general (22.1 percent) was due to the fol-over the state than they had been lowing factors:1) the delineationin the previous decade. In 10 of the of an urbanized area in Bernalillo22 counties with urban population in 1960, decreases occurred during 231inalReport1'C(1)-33A,Number of Inhabitants: New Mexico, U.S.Census of Pop- 24ma ulation: 1960, p. 10. 25/bid., p. 2.

41 Fig. 12. Urban-rural distribution of the population, by county, New Mexico, 1970

All rural I More than half rural

50 to 70 percent urban b.111--.-Wee More than 70 percent urban

42 the decade. The increaseinfivetentage change between 1960 and countiesBernalillo, Curry,Dona 1970. Ana,Otero,and Santa Fcamounted to more than the urban population Rural Population changes in the increase for the entire state. 1960s. As the percentage of urban Figure 13 shows the New Mexicopeople in the total population of counties with urban population inNew Mexico has increased, the per- 1970 ranked according to the percentageof ruralinhabitants has

Fig. 13. Counties ranked by percentage change in urban population, 1960 to 1970

Percentage Change -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 I I I I Grant

Curry Dona Ana Otero

Bernalillo Luna

Los Alamos Santa Fe

Sierra Roosevelt

McKinley

San Miguel Gain Hidalgo OM Loss

Lea

San Juan

Socorro Union

Quay

Chaves Colfax Eddy

Valencia -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 Percentage Change

43 decreased. Despite its longtime pro-County, where people may have portional decline, the population in-moved from Santa Fe to areas out- creased numerically until the 1940sside the city. (table 9). In 1950, for the first time, The rank order of the counties the census showed a numerical asin terms of the percentage gain or well as a percentage decline in the lossof rural population between rural population. This numerical de-1960 and 1970 is shown in figure cline has continued: it amounted to14. The change in Los Alamos is not 16,119 persons between 1940 andshown because of the' small rural 1950; 14,754 between 1950 andpopulation in the county. 1960; and 17,319 between 1960 and 1970. The Rural-Nonfarm and Rural- Justastheurban populationFarmPopulation. In1930,the changesvariedfromcounty tofederal census, for the first time, county, the rural population changesclassifiedthe rural population as differedgreatly among counties.rural-farm and rural-nonfarm. For Elevencountieshad fewer thanpurposes of comparison, the classi- 10,000 inhabitantsin1970, andfication was carried back to 1920. nine of these had lost rural residentsIt has been used in all subsequent between 1960 and 1970. The ruralcensuses. . exodus has so reduced the size of As used inthe federal census, thepopulationthat not enoughthe rural-farm population comprises people areleftto maintain basicall rural residents living on farms: services and institutions. Many oftherural-nonfarmcomprisesthe thepeople who remainin suchremaining rural population. Farms areasliveina chronic economicare considered to be "places of 10 depression.' or more acres from which sales of Ruralpopulationinthestatefarm products amounted to S50 or declined 5.3 percent. Twenty-threemore in the preceding calendar year counties had declines ranging fromor .places of less than 10 acres from 2.4 percent in Lincoln County towhich the sales of farm products 47.8percent in Chaves County.amounted to S250 or more in the (Los Alamos had a decline of 94.0preceding year."26 percent, but only 453 persons were The rural-nonfarm population in classified asrural there in 1960.) New Mexico doubled in the 50 years While nine counties had an in-between1920 and 1970. During crease in the rural population, thethatperiod,itincreasedfrom increase in some of them was decep- 134,848in1920 to 267,808 in tive. Much of the increase no doubt1970. It increased consistently be- was due to people moving fromtween 1920 and1950 and very urban centers to adjacent rural areas.rapidly between 1950 and1960. For example, people have undoubtedly moved from Albuquerque to Report PC( I)-C33, General Social and Economic Characteristics: New Mexico, Sandoval and Valencia counties. The U.S. Census of Population: 1970, Appendix A, same was likely true in Santa Fe p. 2. 44 Fig. 14. Counties ranked by percentage change in rural population, 1960 to 1970

Percentage Change

-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 10 20 30 40 50 60 1 Sandoval Valencia McKinley Sierra Santa Fe Taos Luna San Juan Socorro Lincoln Grant a Colfax Roosevel t Dona Ana Quay Guadalupe Rio Arriba Bernalillo Lea = Gai:' Hidalgo Loss De Baca San Miguel Torrance Catron Mora Union Harding Eddy Curry Otero Chaves -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Percentage Change

45 However, there was only a slightThe decrease was slight in the I920s, increase during the 1960s. and the rural-farm population even From 1920 to 1970, the rural- farm populationdroppedfront 3115,295, This figureis at variance with the 160,542 to 37,487, less than one- figure for the rural population shown in table 5 1307,j25). The discrepancyis due to the fourth of what it was in 1920. 27 fact that the two totals are derived from different tabulations. The figure in table 8 is based 27Thefigures forthe rural-nonfarm ar on a complete count of the population, while rural-Farm populations used in this section, s. hen the figures for the rural-nonfarm and rural-farm added together, make a rural population of populations are based on a 20-percent sample.

Fig. 15. Rural-nonfarm and rural-farm populations, New Mexico, 1920 to 1970

Thousands of Persons 300

250

Rural-Nonfarm

200

WIWINUINNIONVANWar 150 N.

Rural-Farm

100

=111 ~"1k'

0, 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 increased some in the 1930s. Since A much more drastic decline oc- 1940,however,ithas declinedcurred in the proportion of rural- sharply. Numerical changes in thefarm people in the total population. farm and nonfarm populations areThe percentage declined from 446 shown in figure 15. percent in 1920 to 33.3 percent in The loss in the rural-farm popula- 1940, and then sharply to 19.4 per- tion between 1940 and 1970 wascent in 1950, and again as sharply not offset by the increase in theto 6.1percent in 1960. By 1970 rural-nonfarm population. While thethe percentage had declined to only rural-nonfarmpopulation didin- 3.7 percent of the total population. crease substantially between 1920This compares with 4.1 percent for and 1970 (at least until 1960), thethe United States as a whole. percentage of rural-nonfarm people The changes between 1920 and in the total population has declined 1970 in the percentage distribution consistently since 1930 (there wasof the two segments of the rural an increase of one-tenth of one per-pdpulation in New Mexico as well cent between 1920 and 1930). The as the urban population are com- decline was from 37.4 percent inpared in figure 16. 102n to 26.4 percent in 1970. This Nonfarm and farm residence of compares with 22.3 percent for the the rural population in New Mexico's United StatcF. :s a whole. counties is shown in table 13.

Fig. 16. Percentage distribution of the total population by major categories, New Mexico, 1920 to 1970

Percent 80

60 Urban Rural-Nonfarm Rural-Farm 50

40 0

30 IIIIIII E Ng 1111 g 1111 I 20 IT: HIM Miliiiii EMI :: :** 10 mi :: :H H

1 1 1 1 1 ""1"111411111i1 I 0 II MI 1920 '30 '40'50 '60'70 '20 '30 '40'50 '60'70 '20 '30'40'50'60 '70 Year

47 Table 13. Nonfarm and farm residence of the rural population, bycounty, New Mexico, 1970*

County Total Nonfarm Farm percent

The State 100.0 87.7 12.3 Be.nudillo 100.0 98.7 1.3 Cati 100.0 74.6 25.4 Chaves 100.0 73.4 26.6 Colfax 100.0 87.1 12.9 Curry 100.0 76.0 24.0 De Baca 100.0 84.2 15.8 Dona Ana 100.0 84.3 15.7 Eddy 100.0 85.4 14.6 Grant 100.0 95.2 4.8 Guadalupe 100.0 88.4 11.6 Harding 100.0 \ 76.7 23.3 Hidalgo 100.0 68.6 31.4 Lea 100.0 83.1 16.9 Lincoln 100.0 92.2 7.8 Los Alamos 100.0 100.0 0 Luna 100.0 77.2 22.8 McKinley 100.0 92.3 7.7 Mora 100.0 88.5 11.5 Otero 100.0 94.2 5.8 Quay 100.0 58.6 41.4 Rio Arriba 100.0 90.1 9.9 Roosevelt 100.0 48.7 51.3 Sandoval 100.0 96.1 3.9 San Juan 100.0 81.4 18.6 San Miguel 100.0 87.2 12.8 Santa Fe 100.0 97.5 2.5 Sierra 100.0 84.2 15.8 Socorro 100.0 92.4 7.6 Taos 100.0 95.3 4.7 Torrance 100.0 85.4 14.6 Union 100.0 40.7 59.3 Valencia 100.0 92.0 8.0

*The numerical data on which the percentages in this table are based are from PC(S1)-27, Rural Population by Farm-Nonfarm Residence for Counties in the United States: 1970, p, 17.

48 RACIAL AND ETHNIC CHARACTERISTICS

RacialComposition.Table14of Negroes and a very small propor- shows the racial composition of thetion of other races. population of New Mexico from The proportions of the various 1900 to 1970. The preponderanceracial elements in New Mexico have of whites is quite eviden:..28 Indiansnot changed greatly during this cen- are byfarthelargest nonwhitetury, although the increase in the group. There is a small proportion.percentage of Indians between 196() and 1970 was fairly substantial. used by the Bureau of the Census, the category "white'' includes persons who indicated their race as white, as well as persons who did The Indian Population. Except not classify themselves in one of the other race for the Mescalero Apache Indian categories on the census questionnaire (Negro, Reservation, all the Indian reserva- Indian, and several Oriental categories), buttions are located in northern and entered Mexican, Puerto Rican, or a response northwestern New Mexico. and the suggesting Indo-European stock. See Final Re- port PC( 1)-B33, General Population Character- Indians are concentrated there. istics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: Over 60 percent of the Indians 1970, Appendix B, p. 7. in New Mexico live in McKinley and

Table 14. Racial composition of the population of New Mexico, 190 to 1970*

Year Total White Indian Negro All Other number

1970 1,016,000 915,815 72,788 19,555 7,842 1960 951,023 875,763 56,255 17,063 1,942 1950 681,187 630,211 41,901 8,408 667 1940 531,818 492,312 34,510 4,672 324 1930 423,317 391,095 28,941 2,850 431 1920 360,350 334,673 19,512 5,733 432 1910 327,301 304,594 20,573 1,628 506 1900 195,310 180,207 13,144 1,610 349

percent

1970 100.0 90.1 7.2 1.9 0,8 1960 .100.0 92.1 5.9 1.8 0.2 1950 100.0 92.5 6.2 1.2 ** 1940 100.0 92.6 6.5 0.9 ** 1930 100.0 92.4 6.8 0.7 0.1 1920 100.0 92.9 5.4 1.6 0.1 1910 100.0 93.1 6.3 0.5 0.2 1900 100.0 92.3 6.7 0.8 0.2

*Final Report PC(1)-833, General Population Characteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, pp. 32-33. **Less than one-tenth of one percent. 49 San Juan counties (tableI5). All Because theyare concentrated but 3.4 percent of the remainder innorth and northwestern New are located in seven other counties.Mexico, Indians constitute a large each with over 1,000 Indians. proportion of the total population

Table 15. Distribution of the Indian population, by county, New Mexico, 1970* Indians Percent Percentage Total of total distribution County Population Number population in the State

The State 1,016,000 72,788 7.2 100.0 Bernalillo 315,774 5,839 1.8 8.0 Catron 2,198 10 0.5 ** Chaves 43,335 603 1.4 0.8 Colfax 12,170 .45 0.4 0.1 Curry 39,517 116 0.3 0.2 De Baca 2,547 2 0.1 ** Dona Ana 69,773 207 0.3 0.3 Eddy 41,119 83 0.2 0.1 Grant 22,030 84 0.4 0.1 Guadalupe 4,969 0 0 0 Harding 1,348 7 0.5 ** Hidalgo 4,734 20 0.4 «* Lea 49,554 175 0.4 0.2 Lincoln 7,560 82 1.1 0.1 Los Alamos 15,198 71 0.5 0.1 Luna 11,706 9 0.1 ** McKinley 43,208 26,507 61.3 36.4 Mora 4,673 2 ** ** Otero 41,097 1,620 3.9 2.2 Quay 10,903 18 0.2 ** Rio Arriba 25,170 2,755 10.9 3.8 Roosevelt 16,479 97 0.6 0.1 Sandoval 17,492 6,796 38.9 9.3 San Juan 52,517 18,439 35.1 25.3 San Miguel 21,951 91 0.4 0.1 Santa Fe 53,756 1,096 2.0 1.5 Sierra 7,189 16 0.2 ** Socorro 9,763 707 7.2 1.0 Taos 17,516 1,193 6.8 1.6 Torrance 5,290 7 0.1 ** Union 4,925 11 0.2 ** Valencia 40,539 6,080 15.0 8.4

*The numerical data for the Indian Population are from Final Report I'C'I I1 -1333, General Popula don Characteristics: New illexico, Census of Population: 1970, p. 63. **Less than one-tenth of one percent.

50 Fig. 17. Percentage of Indians in countypopulations, New Mexico, 1970

Less than 1 percent

FITTI1-4 percent Fl5.9 percent 10-19 percent '435-40 percent 60 percent or more

Si in some counties. Three out of everythan rural. Such is the case. While fivepersons in McKinley ('ountyonly 1.9 percent of New Mexico's are Indians, and in Sandoval and San population are Negroes, 2.6 percent Juan counties over one-third of theof the state's urban population are total population belong to the Indian in that racial category. race. The percentage of Indians in New Mexico's countiesisshown The Spanish -. nterleanPoptda- in figure 17. //Mi. Thehe white populationof..ewN Mexico historically has been cate- The Negro l'opillation.Like thegorized as either Spanish-American Indian population, the Negro pop-or Anglo-American. The latter is not ulation in New Mexico is concen-a satisfactory term because itin- trated in a fewcounties (see cludesallwhites of non-Spanish table 16). Seven counties have 88.5heritage. Ilowever, the term has had percent of all the Negroes in thewidespread use and is used in this state.Bernalillo County has 34.2bulletin as a matter of convenience. percent of all of the people in thisTheterm "Spanish-American"is racial group, and Cuny and Leaalso subject to criticism on several counties each have over 10 percent. counts. One is that while the lan- Together they have 60.4 percent ofguage spoken may be Spanish, the all Negroes in the state. The otherculturalbackgroundis Mexican ti ur counties --Chaves, Dona Ma,rather than Spanish. Another is that Eddy. and Otero-have 28.1 percent. the term "Mexican-American"is Although most of the Negroescoming into frequent use. Neverthe- in New Mexico live in a relatively less. the term "Spanish-American" few counties, they do not constituteis used in this bulletin and is consid- a large proportion of the populationered to be synonymous with "per- in any county. Only seven countiessons of Spanish language or Spanish have a percentage greater than thesurname" the classification used by average of 1.9 percent for the state the Bureau of the Census infive as a whole, and in only three ofsouthwestern states (Arizona, Cali- those-Curry, Lea, and Otero -is the fornia. Colorado, New Mexico. and percentage more then twice the stateTexas). As classified by the census average. bureau, "persons of Spanish lan- Figure 18 shows that the Negroesguage comprise persons of Spanish of New Mexico are concentrated inmother tongue and all other per- Bernatillo ('ounty and in countiessons in families in which the head adjacent to Texas. or wife reported Spanish as his or her The counties with the largest pro-mother tongue." In other words, the portion of Negroes in the total pop-data presented are for "persons of ulation are also the counties withSpanish language combined with all centersof populationthat are other persons of Spanish surname." among the largest in the state. On These criteria for including peo- this basis, it might be expected thatple in the Spanish-American cultural the Negro population is more urbangroup in 1970 are not the same as

52 Table 16. Distribution of the Negro population, by county, New Mexico, 1970*

Negroes Percent Percentage Total of total distribution County Population Number population in the State

The State 1,016,000 19,555 1.9 100.0 Bernalillo 315,774 6,689 2.1 34.2 Catron 2,198 7 0.3 ** Chaves 43,335 1,418 3.3 7.3 Colfax 12,170 62 0.5 0.3 Curry 39,517 2,525 6.4 12.9 De Baca 2,547 4 0.2 ** Dona Ana 69,773 1,338 1.9 6.8 Eddy 41,119 899 2.2 4.6 Grant 22,030 115 0.5 0.6 Guadalupe 4,969 5 0.1 ** Harding 1,348 0 0 0 Hidalgo 4,734 19 0.4 0.1 Lea 49,554 2,610 5.3 13.3 Lincoln 7,560 41 0.5 0.2 Los Alamos 15,198 61 0.4 0.3 Luna 11,706 234 2.0 1.2 McKinley 43,208 410 0.9 2.1 Mora 4,673 1 ** ** Otero 41,097 1,850 4.5 9.5 Quay 10,903 122 1.1 0.6 Rio Arriba 25,170 49 0.2 0.3 Roosevelt 16,479 113 0.7 0.6 Sandoval 17,492 19 0.1 0.1 San Juan 52,517 301 0.6 1.5 San Miguel 21,951 92 0.4 0.5 Santa Fe 53,756 268 0.5 1.4 Sierra 7,189 8 0.1 ** Socorro 9,763 67 0.7 0.3 Taos 17,516 28 0.2 0.1 Torrance 5,290 0 0 0 Union 4,925 3 0.1 ** Valencia 40,539 197 0.5 1.0

*The numerical data for the Negro population are from Iinat Report l'((FR33,General Pop- ulationCharacteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970. p. 63. **Less than one-tenth of one percent.

the criterion used in 1950 and 1960,data were reported for "persons of the only other two times the BureauSpanish surname" only. As a result, of the Census has tabulated data formore people were included in the the group. For those two decades,groupin1970 than would have

53 Mexico, 1970 Fig. 18. Percentage of Negroes inthe county populations, New

Less than 1 percent I loo 0 1 1-1.9 percent

2-2.9 percent 1'1'11'11 3-3.9 percent

4-4.9 percent VVV4Wro4 5-5.9 percent r":153.1!:._ 6 percent or more

54 been if the criterion used in 1950 The Spanish-Americans constitute and 1960 had been employed. Con-a minority group in the total state cerned demographers are attemptingpopulation, but not in many of the to devise a formula by which datacounties. In 18 counties, they con- for 1970 can be revised so thatstitute a majority of the population. population changes in the 1940s andThey represent 94.6 percent of the 1950s can be compared with thosepopulationinMora County and in the. 1960s for the group. So far,more than 80 percent of the popu- however, the efforts have not beenlations of Guadalupe, Rio Arriba, fruitful. San Miguel, and Taos counties. Of By either the earlier or the recentall the counties, Lea has the smallest definition, Spanish-Americans con-proportion of Spanish-Americans, stitutea large segment of New12.5 percent. Counties other than Mexico's population. In 1970, they Lea with lessthanone-fourth represented 44.5 percent of thatSpanish-Americans are Curry, Los portion of the state's populationAlamos, McKinley, Otero, Roose- classified as white, or 40.1 percentvelt, and San Juan. of the total population. Table 17 The percentage distributionin shows their distribution in the var-each county shows the concentra- ious counties of the state.29 tion of Spanish-Americans in the Spanish-Americans livein all ofnorth-central portionofNew New Mexico's counties, but a largeMexico (figure 19). part of the group is concentrated in A comparison of figures 17, 18, a few counties (table 17). Bernalilloand 19 gives a composite picture of County has 30.4 percent of thethe distribution of New Mexico's total, approximately the same pro-racial and ethnic minorities. portion it has of the total population in the state. No other county Foreign Stock. As used by the has such a large proportion of theBureau of the Census, the category state's Spanish-Americans, but Dona"foreign stock" includes the foreign- Ana, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, andbornpopulation and thenative Valencia counties each have overpopulation of foreignor mixed five percent. Together the five coun-parentage,allfirst-and second- tieshave58.4percentof Newgeneration Americans. Mexico's Spanish-Americans. The foreign-born population in New Mexico reached its peak in 1920 both numerically and as a pro- 29The data presented in tables 14, 15, and 16 do not necessarily add up to the totals shown portion of the. total population. The in table 3. In the first place, table 3 also in- number declined sharply in 1930, cludes the white population other than'Spanish- Americans and the population of non-white no doubt due in part to immigration races other than Indians and Negroes. More quotas set for European countries. important is that the data in table 3 and the data for Indians and Negroes in tables 14 and Sincethattimethe number of 15 were based on a complete count whereas foreign born in the state has varied the data for the population of Spanish heritage in table 16 were derived from a 15- percent from decadetodecade,but in sample. 1960 and 1970 the number was not

55 Table 17. Distribution of persons of Spanish language or Spanish surname, by county, New Mexico, 1970*

Spanish-Americans Percent Percentage Total of total distribution County Population Number population in the State

The State 1,016,000 407,286 40.1 100.0 Bernalillo 315,774 123,814 39.2 30.4 Catron 2,198 927 42.1 0.2 Chaves 43,335 12,107 27.9 3.0 Colfax 12,170 6,464 53.1 1.6 Curry 39,517 6,872 17.4 1.7 De Baca 2,547 1,039 40.8 0.3 Dona Ana 69,773 35,439 50.8 8.7 Eddy 41,119 12,555 30.5 3.1 Grant 22,030 12,354 56.1 3.0 Guadalupe 4,969 4,199 84.5 1.0 Harding 1,348 664 49.3 0.2 Hidalgo 4,734 2,784 58.8 0.7 Lea 49,554 6,202 12.5 1.5 Lincoln 7,560 2,568 34.0 0.6 Los Alamos 15,198 2,699 17.8 0.7 Luna 11,706 5,441 46.5 1.3 McKinley 43,208 8,626 20.0 2.1 Mora 4,673 4,419 94.6 1.1 Otero 41,097 9,730 23.7 2.4 Quay 10,903 3,924 36.0 1.0 Rio Arriba 25,170 20,691 82.2 5.1 Roosevelt 16,479 2,524 15.3 0.6 Sandoval 17,492 11,159 63.8 2.7 San Juan 52,517 6,903 13.1 1.7 San Miguel 21,951 17,943 81.7 4.4 Santa Fe 53,756 34,883 64.9 8.6 Sierra 7,189 2,577 35.8 0.6 Socorro 9,763 5,858 60.0 1.4 Taos 17,516 15,109 86.3 3.7 Torrance 5,290 2,783 52.6 0.7 Union 4,925 1,395 28.3 0.3 Valencia 40,539 22,634 55.8 5.6

*The numerical data are from Final Report PC(1)-C33, General Social and Economic Charac- teristics: New Mexico. U.S. Census of Population: 1970, pp. 222-224. much below that in 1930. On therespondingly. The foreign born con- other hand, since the total popula-stituted 8.3 percent of New Mexico's tion increased rapidly the percentagepopulation in 1920 but only 2.2 per- of foreign born has decreased cor-cent in 1970.

56 Fig. 19. Percentage of Spanish-Americans in the county populations, New Mexico, 1970

1Below 20 percent 20-39 percent

40-59 percent

60-79 pe-cent

80 percent or more

The number of persons of foreign1970, the former constituted 6.5 or mixed parentage in New Mexicopercent of the state's population. has been about three times as great The country of origin of the as the number of foreign born. Inforeign born and the population of

57 foreign or mixed parentage is shown five percent of the foreign born. as in table 18. didAsia. For the most part, the As would be expected, the largest percentage of persons of foreign or number of foreign hornin Newmixed parentage follow the same MexicowereborninMexico-pattern as that for the foreign born. approximately halt' of all the for- 30census population data do not take into eign born inthe state in 1970. 30 consideration illegal immigration to the United States although reportedly there area large TheUnitedKingdom, Germany, number of such immigrants from Mexico re- and Canada each contributed about siding in New Mexico.

Table 18. Country of origin of the foreign-born population and the native-born population of foreign or mixed parentage, New Mexico, 1970*

Foreign-Born Foreign or Mixed Population Parentage Country of Origin Number Percent Number Percent

Total 22,510 100.0 66,170 100.0 United Kingdom 1,526 6.8 4,474 6.8 Ireland 213 1.0 1,505 2.3 Norway 123 0.5 749 1.1 Sweden 120 0.5 1,561 2.4 Denmark 62 0.3 659 1.0 Netherlands 235 1.0 420 0.6 Switzerland 82 0.4 475 0.7 France 311 1.4 908 1.4 Germany 1,779 7.9 5,659 8.6 Poland 217 1.0 1,205 1.8 Czechoslovakia 106 0.5 657 1.0 Austria 257 1.1 1,226 1.9

Hungary 154 0.7 . 533 0.8 Yugoslavia 117 0.5 782 1.2 U. S. S. R. 264 1.2 1,461 2.2 Lithuania 63 0.3 308 0.5 Greece 258 1.1 489 0.7 Italy 680 3.0 3,236 4.9 Other Europe 353 1.6 1,372 2.1 Asia 1,279 5.7 2,258 3.4 Canada 1,410 6.3 4,253 6.4 Mexico 11,052 49.1 26,770 40.4 Cuba 257 1.1 161 0.2 Other America 550 2.4 -934 1.4 All Other 256 1.1 413 0.6 Not Reported 786 3.5 3,702 5.6

*The numerical data arc from Final Report PCW-C33. General Social and Economic Charac- teristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, p. 126.

58 AGE AND SEX COMPOSITION

The age and sex composition of athe United States. for the next 40 populationhas important biolog-years,itremained relatively con- ical and social implications. It de-stant in New Mexico, but it con- termines the population's fertility,sistly went up in the United States. mortality,andmigration,uponAlthough the median age went up which depend its future age and sexsoine in New Mexico between 1930 structure. The proportions of oldand 1950, the rise was slower than people, children, or people in thefor the United States, so that the middle-age groups in a populationdifference became even greater than and the proportions of males andit 'tad been in the previous 40 years. females in each age group affectBetween 1950 and1960both such social and economic factors asmedian ages dropped sharply, no marriage, birth, death, aitkl diseasedoubt due to the high birth rate of rates; economic productivity; thethe post-World War 11years. The emphasis on certain goods and ser-decline continuedinthe United vices; education; dependency; andStates in the 1960s but again moved social attitudes. For example, anupward in New Mexico. aging population needs and is inter- The rise in New Mexico's median ested in social security and medi-age from 1960 to 1970 to a large care, has higher death rates than aextent was due to the sharp decline younger population, and hasdit' in the state's birth rate. The birth ferent social attitudes. On the otherrate for the United States also de- hand, an increase in the proportionclined during that decade but not of children in the total populationnearly as sharply as it did in New increases the prospects for futureMexico. fertility, increases the need for edu- Another factor contributing to cation and welfare, and tends tothe increase in median age in New reduce the population's economicMexico between1960 and 1970 productivity per capita. may have been the extensive net out-migration from the state. if the Age Composition. The simplestout-migrants were relatively young, way to describe the age distributionthe median age would tend to go up. of a population is by its median age The median ages for New Mexico that age which diyides the distribu-and the United States are shown tion into two equal parts, one halfgraphically in figure 20. being older than the median age Changes in the median ages of and one half younger., male and female segments of New Over the years, New Mexico hasMexico's population between 1890 had a relatively young population,and 1970 have not been alike (see compared with the United States astable 19). The median age of males a whole (table19). In1890, thedid not vary greatly during the 80 median age for New Mexico wasyears; it was only one-tenth. Of a approximately the same as that forpercent higher in 1970 than in 1890.

59 Table 19. Median age of the population, United States and New Mexico, 1890 to 1970*

United New Mexico Year States Total Male Female

1890 22.0 21.8 23.1 20.3 1900 22.9 21.2 22.6 19.7 1910 24.1 21.7 23.1 20.1 1920 25.3 21.8 23.1 20.3 1930 26.4 21.7 22.6 20.9 1940 29.0 23.0 23.6 22.4 1950 30.2 24.0 24.2 23.8 1960 29.5 22.8 22.8 22.9 1970 28.1 23.9 23.2 24.5

*The data forI K90- 1 9611 are taken front PC( II- 113, General Poptdatiwt Characteristics: United States Summary, U.S. Census of Population: 1960, p.153 and PC( 1)-.? Genera/ Popuhniim Characteristics: New Mexico. l'. S. Census of P opu fat ion: 1960, p. 23: the data for I970 are from PC( 1 01, General Population Characteristics: 1'nited States Summary: 1970, p. 310.

On the other hand, the median ageKinley County to a high of 43.6 in of females increased from 20.3 toSierra County. 24.5 during the period. In1 890 and The differences inthe median for several decades thereafter, theage in the various counties reflect median age for females was consid-the proportion of the total popula- erably lower than that for males.tion in specified age groups (see Beginning with 1930, the differencetable20).Forexample,Sierra gradually decreased, and in1960,County with a median age of 43.6 for the first time, the median agehas 24.7 percent of its population for females was higher than that for65 years and over and only 28.5 males in New Mexico. By 1970, thepercent under 18 years. Conversely, median age for females had risenMcKinley County with a median even farther above that for males.age of 19.2 has only 4.4 percent of This general trend can be explainedits population over 65 but 48.4 per- by the increasingly higher life ex-cent under18years. Obviously, pectancyfor females, which hasmany counties in New Mexico have been characteristic throughout theto be concerned with either prob- United States. lems of youth or old age. The median age of New Mexico's population varies considerably from Sex Composition. The sex ratio county to county (see table 20). It(number of males per 100 females) .ranges from a low of 19.2 in Mc-is the most common way of meas-

60 Fig, 20. Median age of the population, New Mexico and the United States, 1890 to 1970

Median Age 35

United States

***,

New Mexico

0 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Year

uring the proportion of males in ais characteristic of all societies; 2) a given population group at a givensex-selective death rate; and 3) sex- time. [t is a convenient number forselective in- and out-migration. The making direct comparison of thefirst of these 'explains the high sex sex composition of specified popu-ratio typical of young age groups. lation groups or of the same groupThe second is illustrated by the pro- at different times. gressive increase in male mortality An imbalance in the proportionswith increasing age as compared to of males and females in a popula-female mortality. And the third is tion group may be due to one orseen in earlier and more frequent more of the following factors: 1) therural-urban migration of females as preponderance of male births, whichcompared with males and the greater

61 Table 20. Age cowosition of population, by county, New Mexico, 1970 Percentage Distribution by Age Groups* Under 18 to 64 65 years Median County Total 18 years years and over Age **

Tbe State 100.0 40.0 53.1 6.9 23.9 Bernalillo 100.0 38.4 55.5 6.1 24.4 Catron 100.0 35.3 52.4 12.3 31.3 Chaves 100.0 39.0 51.9 9.0 25.9 Colfax 100.0 38.2 49.5 12.3 28.9 Curry 100.0 37.9 54.8 7.4 23.6 De Baca 100.0 32.4 49.5 18.1 38.0 Dona Ana 100.0 40.4 54.3 5.3 22.0 Eddy 100.0 37.8 53.3 8.9 27.2 Grant 100.0 38.4 53.7 7.9 24.6 Guadalupe 100.0 44.3 46.3 9.4 22.4 Harding 100.0 36.4 49.0 14.6 34.2 Hidalgo 100.0 42.1 49.1 8.8 24.5 Lea 100.0 39.1 55.5 5.4 25.9 Lincoln 100.0 33.7 54.7 11.6 32.0 Los Alamos 100.0 42.4 55.5 2.1 26.7 Luna 100.0 40.2 49.6 10.2 27.0 McKinley 100.0 48.4 47.3 4.4 19.2 Mora 100.0 43.2 44.9 11.9 22.6 Otero 100.0 41.7 54.2 4.1 22.4 Quay 100.0 35.6 52.0 12.5 30.2 Rio Arriba 100.0 45.2 47.4 7.4 21.0 Roosevelt 100.0 30.9 59.2 9.9 23.8 Sandoval 100.0 44.6 48.2 7.2 21.3 San Juan 100.0 46.0 49.1 4.9 20.7 San Miguel 100.0'"" 37.3 52.8 9.9 23.4 Santa Fe 100.0 39.4 52.8 7.8. 24.8 Sierra 100.0 28.5 46.8 24.7 43.6 Socorro 100.0 39.7 52.6 7.7 22.9 Taos 100.0 42.4 48.3 9.3 23.3 Torrance 100.0 38.0 50.1 11.9 28.4 Union 100.0 35.6 49.1 15.4 33.2 Valencia 100.0 44.6 49.8 5.6 21.6

*Final Report PC(1)-933, General Population Characteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Pop- ulation: 1970, p. 31. **Mid., pp. 64-70. movement of males to frontier andthatforthe United States as a agricultural communities. whole, but in recent decades has ap- The sex ratio in New Mexico inproached that of the United States. the past has been much higher thanBoth have declined sharply. In 1880,

62 the sex ratio for New Mexico was The trend inthe sex ratios for 117.1 as compared to 103.6 for theboth New Mexico and the United United States. By 1970, the ratiosStatesbetween1890 and1970 were 97.2 and 94.8, respectively.followed much the, same pattern Sex ratios for both New Mexico andexcept that the ratio for New Mexico theUnited States from 1880 todeclined 'much more rapidly.Be- 1970 are shown in figure 21. tween 1900 and 1910, the ratios

Fig. 21. Number of males per 100 females, New Mexico and the United States, 1880 to 1970

Number of Males per.100 Females

120

115

New Mexico

110

105 /~ ----70#4'..... Aftab. leo lo- .....1100- N. UnitedStates,...... 14,.... go,...... ,,.... .i... 100

0 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Year

63 for New Mexico and for the nation Figure 21 also shows that in both as a whole both increased sharply,the United States and New Mexico, both because of sex-selective migra-the number of males per 100 fe- tion.For the United States, themales has fallen below 100. That increase was primarily due to thepoint was first reached in the United extremely high immigration fromStates in 1950 but not until 1970 Europe to this country -immigrationin New Mexico. characteristically composes of a high The preponderance of male births proportionofmales.ForNew and a sex-selective death rate are Mexico, it was primarily due to thereflected in the data in table 21. large migrationto the state from While the progressive male mor- other states, also sex-selective, since tality characteristic of most popula- males have usually migrated earliertions has also taken its toll in New to comparatively new territory than Mexico, in1970 females did not have females. outnumber males in any age group

Table 21. Number of males per 100 females, by age groups, New Mexico, 1970*

Total Number Number Sex Age Group Population of Males of Females Ratio**

All ages 1,016,000 500,824 515,176 97.2 0-4 years 96,659 48,940 47,719 102.6 5-9 years 119,216 60,547 58,669 103.2 10-14 years 122,820 61,956 60,864 101.8 15-19 years 105,164 52,701 52,463 100.4 20-24 years 62,695 40,683 40,102 101.5 25-29 years 65,157 31,753 33,404 95.1 30-34 years 59,569 28,565 31,004 92.1 35-39 years 58,415 28,415 30,000 94.7 40-44 years 57,649 28,152 29,497 95.4 45-49 years 54,536 26,495 28,041 94.5 50-54 years 47,234 23,172 24,062 96.3 55-59 years 41,728 20,401 21,327 95.7 60-64 years 34,547 16,667 17,880 93.2 65-69 years 26,288 12,424 13,864 89.6 70-74 years 18,700 8,662 10,038 86.3 75-79 years 12,926 5,835 7,091 82.3 80-84 years 7,681 3,412 4,269 79.9 85 years and over 5,016 2,044 2,972 68.8

The numerical data are from Final Report PC( I ) -B33, General Population Characteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, pp. 3S -36. **Number of males per 100 females

64 younger than 25 to 29 years. The Fig. 22 Age and sex composition of the high birth rate in the state in the total population, New Mexico, late 1940s, the 1950s, and the early 1970 1960s, with the usual preponderance of male births, tended to keep the sex ratio of the younger age groups 85+ 0344 above 100. The lower female mor- 75. tality rate associated with the in- Male Female creasing life expectancy for females compared with males, which has been taking place for some time, is also reflected in table 21. After the people of New Mexico have reached age 65, the sex ratio drops sharply.

Age and Sex Composition. The 10.14 age and sex composition of a population can best be portrayed by use of a "population pyramid" (some- 8 7 6 5 4 2 1 0 12 4 5 6 7 8 times called an "age and sex pyra- Percent mid"). The age groups (usually the conventional . five-year age groups used by the Bureau of the Census) are plotted on a vertical scale and the percentage of the entire popula-to show variations in the age and tionfound in the respective agesex compositions of these popula- groups is plotted on a horizontaltion categories. scale, with the male percentages to The age and sex pyramid of the the left and the female percentages total population of New Mexico in to the right of the vertical axis. For1970 is quite symmetrical with res- a normal population, in which there pect to sex (figure 22). There are no have not been major fluctuations inextremely noticeable differences be- birth and death rates, and which hastween the age composition of the not been affected greatly by migra-two sexes. However, the proportion, the percentages tend to decline tions of the population in each age with each age group, beginning withgroup do not follow the normal the lowest. pattern of decline with increase in Populationpyramidsmaybe age. The 0 to 4 age group is smaller based either on absolute numbersthan the 5 to 9 age group, which in or on proportions. Because of the turn is smaller than the 10 to 14 age wide difference in numbers of peo-group, so that the decline in the pro- ple in the state's rural and urbanportion of the total population in populations and in the rural-farm the age groups begins with the 15 to and rural-nonfarm groups, propor-19 year group. Once the decline tions are used in the pyramids herebegins, it is very noticeable through

65 the 25 to 29 age group. The propor- increasing urbanization inNew tion of the population in the ageMexico since World War II.these groups older than 25 to 29 years differences between the total and changes verylittleallthe wayurban populations have largely dis- through the 40 to 44 age group.appeared. especially in the male segment of The population pyramids do not the population. indicate a great difference in the The smaller proportion of chil-age and sex compositions of New dren in the 0 to 4 age group is dueMexico's total and urban popula- to the sharp drop in the birth ratetions. but the same cannot be said in New Mexico in the latter partof the urban and rural populations. of the 1960s. The high proportion The percentages of both sexes in the inthe next live age groups is oflower age groups are 'considerably course due to the high birth rates larger in the rural population, and from the end of World War II untilin the middle age groups the pro- the middle of the 1960s. The rela-portions are somewhat smaller. tively slight change in the propor- Such an age and sex composition tion in the age groups through 45 has important implications for the to 49 reflects the relatively station-rural areas. For example. the pro- ary birth rate in New Mexico in theportionally large number of people years be tore World War II. in the lower age groups will tend to Population pyramidsfor he increase problems of education and state's urban and rural populationschild dependency. On the other and for the nonfarm and farm seg-hand, therelatively smaller pro- ments of the rural population areportionin the middle age groups shown in figure 23. The urban pop-will have a measurable effect on ulation pyramidis similar to theeconomic productivity. pyramid for New Mexico's total The state's rural-nonfarm popula- population. This is to be expectedtion is similar in age and sex com- since New Mexico is predominantlypositiontoitsruralpopulation. urban. which isto be expected because In earlier decades, when the ma-approximatelyfive-sixthsof the jority of the people in the state werestate's rural population is made up classifiedas rural, the proportion of people classified as rural-nonfarm. of people in the lower age groups Butthepopulation pyramidfor was considerablysmallerinthe the rural-farm population of New urban population than in the ruralMexico is quite different from any population, because of the higherof the other pyramids.31It shows birth rates in rural areas. On the other hand, the proportion of peo- 31The population pyramids for the rural- ple in the middle age groups was nonfarm and rural-farm populations arc slightly larger in the urban population than different from the other population pyramids shown in this bulletin. The 1970 federal census in the rural population, to a large does not report data by Live -year age groups extent because of the eityward mi- beyond the 70-74 group for thesetwo popula- gration from rural areas. With the tioncategories.

66 Fig. 23. Age and sex composition of the urban, rural, rural-nonfarm, and rural-farm populations, New Mexico, 197J

85+ 80.84 75.79

Male Female Female

11111111.EXIIIIMM 111.11.11.11.330111.1.1111111 10.14 111/.11111.11.n...../M1

8 7 6 5 432 1 0 1 2 3 45 6 7 8 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 678 Percent Percent

URBAN POPULATION RURAL POPULATION

Male Male Female

8 7 6 5 4 3 21 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Percent

RURAL-NONFARM POPULATION RURAL-FARM POPULATION

67 the rural-farm population to have Fig. 24 Age and sex composition of the smaller proportions of males and total population, New Mexico, females in the 0 to 9 age group. a 1960 and 1970 large proportion in the 10 to 19 age group,a muchsmallerpropor- tion in the middle age groups, and considerably larger proportions in I the older age groups. Of allthe population pyramids shown here, Male the rural-farm one is based on by 50. far the smallest number of people. 45:40 40.44 Since the data on which the rural 35:39 3034 population pyramids are based are 25-29 derived from a 20-percent sample, 20.24 sampling variability could account 15:19 10.14 tbr some of the differences in age 5.9 and sex compositions. Nevertheless. 014 I rn 1 I 1 ul I I the general picture of the composi- 87 654 3 2 1 0 1 2345 6 78 tion of the rural -farm population is Percent probably correct. This picture indicates potential II 1970 more than 1960 problems for those areas with a concentration of rural-farm residents.0 1960more than 1970 The small proportion of people in the 0 to 9 age groups will. tend to decrease future fertility; the large proportioninthe10 to19 age groups will create problems of edu- intime(seefigure 24). Between cation and child dependency, even1960 and1970, the proportions more than for rural society as aof the population. below 10 years whole; economic productivity willof age and in the ages of 25 to 40 be affected because of the relativelydecreased. Conversely, the propor- small proportion of the populationtion between the ages of 10 to 25 in the middle-age groups; and theand in the older age grouPs tended proportionallylargenumber ofto increase. Tli,'se changes, unless people in the older age groups willoffset by future migration, will have call for increased emphasis on sociala considerable effect on many as- security and medicare, and will af-pects of life in New Mexico. Prob- fect attitudes associated with aging. lems of child dependency should Not only are there differences inbecome less pressing. Increased fer- the age and sex composition of thetility is a potential. The increase in population of New Mexico in termsthe labor force, which on the one of urban and rural residence, buthand will provide a. greater potential variations also occur with changeseconomic productive capacity. on

68 the other hand may tend to swell the Fig. 25 Age and sex composition of the ranks of the unemployed. Problems total population, New Mexico associated with aging will become and the United States, 1(170 more acute. 85 80.84 Differences between the age and 75.79 sex composition of the population in New Mexico and theUnited States are shown in figure 25. A Male Female glance atthatfigure shows New Mexico to havea much younger population of both sexes than the UnitedStates.In general,itcan 11111111a31111111 25-29 therefore be anticipated that, com- 20.24 pared with the nation as a whole, 15.19 New Mexico will have to be con- 10.14 cerned not only with the immediate problems associated with a young8 7 6 5 43 2 1 0 1 234 5678 population, but .also with future Percent problems growing out of demogra- New Mexico more than United States phic changes which will take place as the population grows older. United States more than New Mexico

VITALITY OF THE POPULATION

The vitality of a population isstantially outnumbered deaths, and measured in terms of fertility andfertility has been considered more mortality. These two demographicimportant than mortality. It is the processes,alongwithmigration,positive force; itfills the void left account for changes in the numberby mortality. If the replenishment of people in a given area and for isinsufficient or excessive, social changes in the distribution and .com-problems arise. position of that population. The two indexes of fertility most commonly used by de mograp hers are crude birth rate and fertility ratio. Fertility32 The crude birth rate is the number of births per 1,000 population in Of the two vitalprocesses ina given year. It has the advantage of population change, fertilityis thebeing most readily available in inter- more important. Throughout human censual years. Two disadvantages are history,birthsusuallyhave sub-that it does not take into account _ differences in the composition of :121,erti lity,as. usedinthispublication, refers to the extent to which the reproductive the population, and that itis de- potential of a population is used. Most demogra- pendent on data secured through a phers now use the term in this sense. system of birth registration.

69 The fertility ratio is the numberbetween the state and the nation as of children under five years pera whole has become much smaller.

1,000 women 15 to 49 years of age . The crudebird:ratein New (some demographers use 15 to 44Mexico declined horn a peak of years). Its advantage is that it com-38.0 in 1947 (when tto_ rate for the pensates for underenumeration ofUnited States was 26.6) to 21.5 in births and for infant-death differ-1970. This compares with a rate of entials. A disadvantage is that it is18.2 for the United States. In other dependent on some type of enumer-words, New Mexico, which for many ation such as that of the federalyears had one of the highest birth census, and so it. is readily availablerates of any state, now is much only in census years. closer to the national rate. The relatively sharp decline in the (ruck Birth Rates. Data on crudecrude birth rate in New Mexico be- birth rates in New Mexico are avail-tween 1960 and 1970 raises the able only as far back as 1929.33 question of probable causes for this That was the year when New Mexicophenomenon. was first included in the birth and Various factors may affect the re- death registration area of the Unitedproductive behavior of a population States. The crude birth rates foraggregate, including the marriage both New Mexico and the Unitedrate, human motivations as they States are compared in figure 26. relate to reproductive behavior, and For 16 years after 1 the ratemeans of controlling reproduction for New Mexico was much higherin terms of those motivations. thanforthe United States asa While the illegitimacy rate has whole.In 1947,however, Newincreasedsharplyinthe United Mexico's crude birth rate started toStates since World WarII, mar- decline and has continued to declineriage stillis the gateway to sanc- since then, whereas the rate for thetioned reproduction in our society. United States increased substantiallyA reduction in New Mexico's mar- in the 10 years following World Warriage rate could partially explain the II. The decline which started in Newdecline in New Mexico's crude birth Mexico in the late 1940s did notrate during the past decade. Data begin in the United States until thepublishedbythePublicHealth late 1950s, ind when it did begin itService of the Department of Health, was not nearly as sharp as it was inEducation, and Welfare, however, New Mexico, except between 1955do not indicate that the marriage and 1960. The result has been that ratechanged enough during the now the crude birth -rate differentialyears inquestion to account for much of the decline in the birth 33Thc data on which figures 26, 27, 28, and rate. Actually, except for a rather 29 arc based are from selected vital statistical reports published by the Bureau of the Census sharp decline in 1967 and a reversal of the U.S. Department of Commerce and byof that decline in1968, the mar- the Public Health Service of the U.S. Depart-riage r;:ie did not changesubstan- ment of Health, Education and Social Welfare. tiallyduring the decade..-

70 Fig. 26. Crude birth rates, New Mexico and the United States, 1929 to 1970

Crude Birth Rate 40

NewMexico

Aor.,......

..4%. /A/ UnitedStates 0 ....,,,, 20 I..,%. -%. .4,,,,,...° .....

0 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970

Year

Human motivations within thefor the declining birth rate include marriage relationship must have beenthe declining. emphasis placed on powerful factors affecting the de-childreninlifegoals, the small- clining birth rate. These can con-family ideal, pleasure patterns, and venientlybe grouped under twotheweakening of religiouspro- headings: 1)cultural values andscriptions. 2) living conditions: Certainlyinan age when the Some of the more importantpossible dangers of overpopulation cultural values that could accountare constantly being publicized, it

71 is likely that less emphasis will betends to reduce the birth rate.It placed on the desirability of chil-would seem, that these two aspects dren asa part of a well-roundedof living would have an effect on Marriagepattern.WhilechildrenNew Mexico's birth rate as it has may stillbe considered desirablehad for the nation as a whole. by marriage partners. many now Possible changes in human moti- think in terms of fewer children. vations related to changing cultural Related to the declining emphasisValues and changing livingcondi- placed on children and the small-tions could be factors in decreasing family ideal are the pleasure patternsreproduction in New Mexico. Flow - which have become characteristic ofever, without means for con trolling contemporaryAmericansociety.reproduction in terms of changing With the increase of leisure, mone-motivations, it is questionable tary affluence, and opportunity forwhether a sharp decline in reproduc- pleasure-seeking activities has come tivebehavior wouldhave taken a desire to achieve pleasures and place. Such means are now at hand. satisfactions on a personal and notBirthcontrol knowledge hasin- societal basis. Children do not al-creased rapidly, and due to many ways fit into that philosophy of life.factors the use of such knowledge Much of the change in attitude hasbecomesociallyacceptable. described above has been made pos-While birth control techniques in sible by the weakening of religiousthemselves do not explain limita- proscriptions which until relativelytions of family size, they are the recently have been a strong influencemeal., whereby such limitation may on the positive exercise of reproduc-be placed. To the extent that birth tive behavior. Today many religious control knowledge has become avail- groups are in the forefront of theable and its use acceptable, it has movement for family limitation. been a major factor in the decline To what extent changes in cul-of the birth rate in New Mexico. tural values have been instrumental in the declining birth rate in New FertilityRatios.New Mexico's Mexicoisdifficult to determine.fertility ratio is high compared with However, there is no reason to be- those of most other western states lieve that they should operate withand the United States as a whole. less vigor in the state than in otherIn 1970, it was 392 while for the parts of the United States. PerhapsUnited Statesit was 352. Among in the past, they have been lessthe states in the Western Region, powerful forces in New Mexico andonly Utah had a higher ratio and only recently have taken hold. Idaho had the same ratio. Living conditions,too, have a High as New Mexico's1970 powerful influence on birth rates.fertility ratio was, it represented a Urbanization has always tended tosharp drop(36.6 percent) from lower birth rates. The rising standard 1960, when the ratio was 618. The of living withitsever-increasingmuch smallerratio in1970 was wants anddesirescertainlyalso typical of other western states and

72 of the whole nation. Whatever theMortality reasons were for the decline in the other states, in New Mexico it un- New Mexico has shown great pro- doubtedly was a reflection of thegress in reducing the two indexes of sharp declineinthe crude birthmortality, the crude death rate and rate in the latter part of the 1960s. the infant mortality rate. Table22showsthefertility ratios in New Mexico's counties in Crude Death Rates.When New 1970.CountieswiththeHigher Mexico wasfirstincluded in the ratios likely have populations faced United States death registration area with greater problems of child de-in 1929, it had a crude death rate of pendency than do counties with low 15.3, the highest of any state except fertility ratios. At any rate, the fer-Arizona with a rate of 15.4. These tility ratio in the state as a whole isrates were far above the rate of 11.9 still at a high level. The crude birthfor the United States as a whole. rate may have declined, but the po- Since 1929, the crude death rate tential for future population growthin New Mexico has gone down more is seen in the relatively large numberrapidly than the national rate ,,see of children under five years of agefigure 27). In1940. for the first per 1,000 women of 15 to 49 years.time, it dropped below the national

Table 22. Fertility ratio, by county, New Mexico, 1970*

Fertility Fertility County Ratio** County Ratio**

The State 392 *Luna 423 McKinley 536 Bernalillo 352 Mora 476 Catron 431 Otero 420 Chaves 375 Quay 385 Colfax 418 Rio Arriba 471 Curry 418 Roosevelt 301 De Baca 297 Sandoval 502 Dona Ana 391 San Juan 454 Eddy 355 San Miguel 360 Grant 419 Santa Fe 391 Guadalupe 464 Sierra 407 Harding 312 Socorro 433 Hidalgo 507 Taos 435 Lea 360 Torrance 365 Lincoln 352 Union 368 Los Alamos 328 Valencia 471

*Final Report PC111-833, General Population Characteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Pop- ulation: 1970, p. 31. **Children under 5 years per 1000 women 15 to 49 years.

73 Fig. 27. Crude death rates, New Mexico and the United States, 1929 to 1970

Crude Death Rate 20

15 NewMexico

L. UnitedStates 10 ii....,...... 0...... 1,,...... i

0r Ina inqn 1015 ICIAA io lgcrt icIRR 1960 1965 19',0

Year

.rate-, and since then has consistentlyrate since it became part of the been declining more rapidly so thatUnited States birth and death regis- the differential has been increasing.trationareaisto a large extent Provisional data for 1970 indicatedirectly related to the decline in that New .Mexico's crude death rateinfant mortality which has taken had dropped to 7.3 compared withplace in the state since 1929.34 9.4 for the United States. 34The infant mortality rate is the number Infant Mortality Rates.The sharp of deaths of children under one year of age per decline in New Mexico's crude death 1,000 live births occurring in the same year.

74 The reduction of infant mortalityimportant are better sanitation; im- in any population aggregate with aprovement in medical science and high birth rate will have an appre-practice; a rising standard of living; ciable effect on the crude death rate.decreasing size of family; new de- Since New Mexico has had a com-velopments in the feeding of infants; parativelyhighbirth rateintheand increasing prenatal care. past, itis to be expected that the These factors have no doubt oper- crude death rate would decline withated in New Mexico. They probably progress in eliminating the causeswould not have been as important, of infant mortality. however, had it not been for im- In1929, New Mexico had theproved means of transportation and dubious distinction of having thecommunication during the past half highest infant mortality rate of anycentury. When New Mexicofirst state in the Union. In that year, thebecame a part of the death registra- rate was 145.5. With the exceptiontion area, many sparsely populated of Arizona, no other state had a rateareas in the state were without the above 100. The rate was 67.6 forknowledge and facilities necessary the states then included in the birthfor. operation of the factorslisted registration area. above. With the rapid improvements The tremendous progress madein transportation and communica- in the reduction of infant mortalitytion characteristic of recent decades, in New Mexico since 1929 is seen init was possible to bring about a re- figure 28. The rate differential be-duction in the infant mortality rate. tween New Mexico and the UnitedThis in turn brought about a reduc- States has steadily decreased, so thattion in the crude death rate. in 1970 the rate was only 21.1 for New Mexico compared to 19.8 for Natural Increase. The fertility and the United States. mortality of a population taken to- The decline in the infant mor-getherprovideanindex of the tality rate over the past 40 yearsvitality of its population. The index or so follows a trend characteristicthat is commonly used is the natural not only of the United States butincrease, whichisthe surplus of also many other parts of the world.birthsoverdeaths expressedin That the decline was so great in Newterms of a rate.35 Mexico can be attributed in part to The rate of natural increase in the fact that the state had so muchNew Mexico has always been much farther to go in bringing the ratehigher thanthatfor the United down to present levels. States (see figure 29). However, the Generally speaking, infant mor-trend in the state has for the most talityhas been greatlyreducedpart followed that in the nation ex- throughout the years by the removalcPpt that the decline in New Mexico or mitigation of the causes of deathbetween 1960 and 1970 was much peculiar to infancy. The progress 35The rate of natural increase is the surplus has been the result of numerous of births over deaths per 1,000 population in a factors, of which some of the more given year.

75 Fig. 28. Infant mortality rates, New Mexico and the United States, 1929 to 1970

Infant Mortaility Rate 150

125

New Mexico 100

1 75

N,UnitedStates 50 .

Ni..., '4146 25 ,ANN.

0 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970

Year

76 Fig. 29. Rates of natural increase, New Mexico and the United States, 1929 to 1970

Rate of Natural Increase 30

New Mexico 25

15 , fUnited States

1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970

Year

sharper than that for the United C'onsequences of Changes in Nett, States. The differential between theMexico's Vital Prccesses.The rela- two therefore has decreased consid-tively small rate of increase in New erably. This decrease follows fromMexico's population between 1960 the sharp decline in New Mexico'sand 1970 was primarily due to the crude birth rate in the 1960s. largenet out-migration from the

77 state during the decade. The naturalin the 1970s, it follows that New increase, however, was smaller in the Mexico will not show any substan- 1960s than in the 1950s. Should thetial increase in its population unless natural increase decline even furtherthere is a large net in-migration.

MOBILITY OF THE POPULATION

Population mobility has increas-time of the census. These data cover ingly become an accepted fact in the thelastfive years of each decade American culture pattern. Histori-only, but they still lead to conjecture cally, major population shifts like as to migration into New Mexico the westward movement, the move-for each decade. ment from the South to the North, Data on the place of residence and the cityward movement havepublished in the 1970 federal census had a tremendous impact on Ameri-show that in tne 1960s (at least in canlife. Also important, however,thelasthalt' of the decade) the- has been the movement of peoplepeople of New Mexico were even from state to state or within a state.more mobile than the nation's entire The fact that New Mexico's pop-population (table 23). The percent- ulation grew so little between 1960age of the state's population five and 1970 is due primarily to theyears old and over in1970 who large net out-migration during thelived in a different house than the decade. This net out-migration wasone in which they had been living nearly 130,000, in contrast to a netin 1965 is larger than the percent- in-migration of52,000inthe age for the United States. New 1950s.36These, however, are netMexico also had a larger percentage figures. They do not show the num living in a different county and a ber of migrants into or out of themuch larger percentage living in a state. different state 14.2 percent com- Unfortunately, estimates are notpared to 8.6 percent for the United available on the number of migrantsStates. In other words, one out of into New Mexico or away from theevery seven people five years old state in the 1960s and the 1950s.or over in 1970 in New Mexico was Some idea of the population mo-living in another state in 1965. bilityfor those two decades can While NewMexico'spopula- nevertheless be obtained from fed-tion was extremely mobile in the eral census data dealing with the last half of the 1960s, the popula- place of residence five years priortion mobility was even greater in tothecensus forthepopula-the last half of the 1950s. The per- tion five years old and over at thecentage of the state's people five years old and over in 1960 who had 36Current Population Reports,Preliminary Estimates of the Components of Population*been living in a different house in Change, by State, 1930-1960, SeriesP-25, No. New Mexico in 1955 was much 227, Bureau of the Census, April 26, 1962, p. 6.higher (55.6 percent) than the com-

78 Table 23. Percentage distribution of population five years old and over in 1970, by residence in 1965, United States and New Mexico*

United New Mexico** Residence in 1965 States Total Urban Rural

Population 5 years old and over 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Same house 53.0 49.7 45.8 59. 0 Different house in the U. S. 40.4 43.0 46.7 34.5 Same county 23.3 22.0 23.2 19. 3 Different county 17. 1 21.0 23.4 15.2 Same state 8.4 6.8e 6.9 6.5 Different 8.6 14.2 16.6 8. 7 Abroad in 1965 1.4 1.4 1.7 0.9 Residence not reported, moved 1965 5.2 5.8 5.9 5.6

*The pc rte n tar sare hared on numerical data fromPC121-21...Mieratit m het wee,/ State Economic Areas, U.S.Census of Population: 1970, p.I. *The percentages arc 'lased on numerical data from FinalReportl'('111.1133.General Social and Economic Characteristics: New .11exkii,U.S. Ce. of Popul lion: 1970, p. 107-108.

parable percentage in 1970. The per- Population mobility in terms of centage living in a different countyresidence was not uniform for all (29.7 percent) was also higher, asareas of New Mexico between 1965 was the percentage living in a dif-and 1970, as comparisons between ferentstate(22.4 percent). Thisstate economic areas show.37 These higher mobilityinthe1950s noeconomic areas are shown in figure doubt reflects the favorable econo-30. mic situation in New Mexico during Table 24 shows the residence in that decade. 1965 for the population five years New Mexico's urban populationold and over in1970for New between 1965 and 1970 was con-Mexico's economic areas. siderably more mobile than its rural The population of Area 1 was population, especially with respectconsiderably less mobile than the to change of residence from anotherpopulation of the other three areas, state. The proportion of the urbanespecially Areas 3 and A. Variations population who had moved intoareparticularly noticeable in change New Mexico from another state (16.6 percent) was nearly twice as 37State economic areas have been delineated large as that for the rural population. by the Bureau of the Census. They consist of The proportion of New Mexico's single counties or groups of counties having rural population in this group was similarsocialand economiccharacteristics. See PC(2)-2,Migration hetWeen State Econo- almost the same as that for the total mk Areas,U.S. Census of POpulation: 1970, population of the United States. Appendix A, p. 2,

79 Fig. 30. Economic areas in New Mexico*

HIDALGO

*Prcp d(ranitia ta in IX '12 Migrationbetween State Emmonir Areas. (*.S. Uvilsti% I711A piwnthA,p. 2.

;

% . oi,esidence from other states to pielive years old and over were New Mexico. In Area A, one out ofresidents of other states in1965. every six persons five years old andIn other words, during the five-year over in 1970 was living in anotherperiod, there were that many in- migrants to New Mexico. No data rstate than New Mexico in 1965. According to 1970 federal cen-show how many people in New sus reports, more than 130,000 peo-Mexico in 1970 had come into the

80 Table 24. Percentage distribution of population five years old and over in 1970, by residence in 1965, New Mexico's Economic Areas*

Economic Area Residence in 1965 Total 1 2 3 A

Population 5 years old and over 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100. 0 Same house 49.7 57. 1 50. 1 46.2 46. 9 Different house in the U. S. 43.0 37. 4 40. 0 45. 5 46.4 Same county 22.0 19. 9 18.6 22.9 24. 3 Different county 21.0 17.5 21.4 22.6 22. 1 Same state 6.8 7.2 7.7 7.5 5,3 Different state 14.2 10.2 13.7 15.2 16.8 Abroad in 1965 1.4 0.5 1.8 1.8 1.7 Moved, 1965 residence not reported 5.8 5.0 8.1 6.5 5.0

*fhe -percentages:. based or numerical data from PC92 lit'gration between State Economic Areas.1.1.S. Census of Population:19'70. p.7. state between 1960 and 1965. IfMexico between 1960 and 1965, that were known, it would be possi-the total number of people leaving ble to estimate the total number ofthe state between 1960 and 1970 out-migrantsfrom New Mexicowould have been nearly 250,000. during the 1970s, since the net out-Truly, population mobility has been migration was almost 130,000. a major factor in population change If no one had moved into Newin New Mexico.

NATIVITY OF THE POPULATION

New Mexico's population is pre-were of native parentage. The pro- ponderantlynativeborn,which portion of the native born in terms means born in the United States.of parentage and the proportion of Only 22,510 of the state's 1,016,000foreign born were quite similar for inhabitants in1970 were foreignboth the urban and rural compo- born. Nearly half of these were bornnents of the state's population (see in Mexico;However, in spite of Newtable 25). Mexico's proximity to Mexico and Of thenative-born population the preponderance of Mexicans inliving in New Mexico in 1970, 53.6 its foreign-born population, the per-percent. were horn in the state while centage of foreign born in the state40.4 percent were bornin some (2.2 percent) was less than half thatotherstate(table26).For the for the United States. United States, 68.0 percent of the The great majority of native-born native-born population residing in people living in New Mexico in 1970the country in 1970 were born in

81 Table 25. Percentage distribution of New Mexico's population, by nativity, 1970*

Nativity Total Urban Rural

Total Population 100. 0 100, 0 100.0 Native born 97.8 97.9 97, 5 Native parentage 91. 3 91.0 91.8 Foreignor mixed parentage 6.5 6. 8 5, 7 Foreign born 2.2 2. 1 2.5

*The percentages are based on numerical data from Final Report PC( 11-C33.General Soria! and Economic Characteristics: Xew Mexico, .5.Census of Population: 1970, pp. I(15 and 126.

Table 26. Percentage distribution of New Mexico's native-born population, by place of birth, 1970*

Place of Birth Total Urban Rural

Total Native Population 100.0 100.0 100.0 New Mexico 53.6 48. 2 66.0 Different state 40.4 45. 7 27.9 Abroad, at sea, etc. 1.0 1.2 0.8 State of birth not reported 5.0 4. 9 5.3

*Based on numerical data published in PC(1)-C33,General and Economic Characteristics: ;Vete Mexico,U.S. Census of Popula lion: 1970, p. 127.

the state of residence, and only 26.3northern part of the state with a percent were born in another state. large, proportion. of Spanish- This indicates that a comparativelyAmericans, although there are ex- large proportion of New Mexicansceptionstothisgenerality(see are relative newcomers to the state. figure 31). The percentage of the native pop- In San Juan County, where over ulation born in New Mexico variesone-third of the population in 1970 considerably between the counties wereInd'ans,thepercentage of (see table 27). The percentages rangenative-born inhabitants was almost from 29.2 percent in Lea County toexactly the same as the 53.6 percent 89.7 percent in Mora County. of all of New Mexico. This relatively In general, counties with a highsmall percentage of people in the percentage of people born in Newcounty who were bornin New Mexico are those with a large pro-Mexico in spite of a large proportion portion of Indians and those in theof Indians in the total population of

82 Table 27. Place of birth of native-born population, by county, New Mexico, 1970*

Place of Birth New Different County Total Mexico state Other**

The State 100.0 53.6 40.4 6.0 13ernalillo 100.0 49.1 45.5 5.4 Catron 100.0 57.4 32.5 10.1 Chaves 100.0 46.5 45.7 7.8 Colfax 100.0 69.0 27.4 3.6 Curry 100.0 36.1 56.1 7.8 De Baca 100.0 63.9 32.3 3.8 Dona Ana 100.0 49.6 42.4 8.0 Eddy 100.0 45.6 48.8 5.6 Grant 100.0 63.9 30.6 5.5 Guadalupe 100.0 86.8 10.7 2.5 Harding 100.0 76.0 24.0 0 Hidalgo 100.0 57.8 34.3 7.9 Lea 100.0 29.2 65.5 5.3 Lincoln 100.0 56.3 34.9 8.8 Los Alamos 100.0 33.6 61.2 5.2 Luna 100.0 52.4 39.1 8.5 McKinley 100.0 71.6 23.0 5.4 Mora 100.0 89.7 5.2 5.1 Otero 100.0 36.4 55.3 8.3 Quay 100.0 56.2 41.5 2.3 Rio Arriba 100.0 81.9 10.2 7.9 Roosevelt 100.0 49.6 47.3 3.1 Sandoval 100.0 77.9 17.5 4.6 San Juan 100.0 53.2 41.0 5.8 San Miguel 100.0 76.4 14.5 9.1 Santa Fe 100.0 67.3 25.7 7.0 Sierra 100.0 44.3 51.0 4.7 Socorro 100.0 70.1 22.7 7.2 Taos 100.0 78.2 15.6 6.2 Torrance 100.0 68.1 25.6 6.3 Union 100.0 54.0 40.0 6.0 Valencia 100.0 69.7 26.3 4.0

*PC(1)-C33, General Social and PATmonzic Characteristics:;Vett, Mexico,11.S. Census or Population:1970, pp. 98 and 200-202. * *Born abroad, at sea, or state or birth not reported. the county can no doubt be attrib-oil and gas drilling operations in the uted to an influx of people from 1950s. In 1960, of the population other states attracted by economic five years old and over, 33.5 percent opportunities related to extensivehad been residents of another state

83 Fig. 31. Percentage of native-born population born in the state, by county, 1970

Less than 40 percent

40.0-59.9 percent

.1 LW G60.0-79.9 percent I80 percent or more in 1955 compared with 22.4 percent was higher than the percentage I'or I'or New Mexico as a whole. Even in th'entire state (14.2 percent). 1970,thepercentage residing in Another exception to the gener- another state in 1965 (16.9 percent)ality is in the n.A-thern part of the

84 state. Colfax and Ilarding counties. A thirdexception isGrant while not having extremely largeCounty where t he percent age ofthe proportions of Spanish-Americansnative-borninhabitantsfiveyears and practically noIndians,still have old and over in1970 but residing a higher proportion of native-bornin another state inI 9 0 5 was lower residents than the state average. Thisthan for the whole state but not is probably due to a comparativelyextremely so. In 1960, however. the small migration into the countiespercentage in this category in Grant from outside the state in both theCounty was only slightly over half 1950s and the 1960s. that for New Mexico.

INCOME The 1970 federal census reportsMountain Division. which had an income data for families as of 1969.average medianfamily income of Data are presented here. for medianS9,072. l'urtnermore, comparisons income: percentage of families withwith 1959 do not indicate progress incomes below the poverty level:in New Mexico when judged by the and percentage of families with in-national average. In New Mexico, comes of S 1 5,000 or more. On thethe Median family income rose from basis of all three sets of data, it is55,371 in 1959 to 57.849 in 1969, obvious that, New Mexicans as aan increase of 46.1percent: but group do not occupy an enviableduring the same period it increased position in terms of income. from 55,660 to 59,590 inall 50 states combined, an increase of 69.4 Median income. The median fam-percent.Statedanother way,in ily income in New Mexico in 19691959 the median family income in was 57,849, compared with a na-New Mexico was only 5289 below tionalaverageof59,590. Newthat .for the entire country. whereas Mexico ranked thirty-eighth amongin 1969 it was S1.741 below the the 50 states. It was the lowest ofnational average. anyoftheeightstatesinthe Variations appear in the state in terms of urban and rural residence 38The term "poverty lever. is based ona definitionoriginatedby the Social Securityand for racial and ethnic groups. For Administration in 1964 and subsequently modi- urban families, the median family fied by a Federal Interagency Committee. The index used provides a range of poverty income income in1969 was 8.2 percent cutoffs adjusted to such factors as size, above the state average whereas for sex of the family head, number of children rural familiesit was 21.2 percent under18 years old, and Farm and nonfarm below the state average. For families residence. The povertyincomecult, sare revised annually to allow for changes in the of Spanish language or Spanish sur- cost of living as reflectedinthe Consumer name, the median income in 1969 PriceIndex. See Final Report1'C(1)'33, was 56,057, or 22.8 percent below General Population Characteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, Appendix the state average. For Negro families, p. 29. it was S5,204, or 33.7 percent below

85 the state average. No census dataSpanishlanguage andfor Negro have as yet been published on in-families. Compared with theI 8.5 come for Indian families as a sepa-percentfor the state as a whole, rate racial category, but the 197029.4percentof thefamilies of census reports a median family in-Spanishlanguage or Spanish sur- come of only $4,637 tbr all non-name were below the poverty level white races..Since nonwhite races in1969, and 34.4 percent of the otherthanIndians and NegroesNegro families were in that category. constitute less than one percent ofWhile census data are not available the total population in New Mexico,on the percentage of Indian families it can be assumed that the muchbelow the poverty level, if' there is smaller median family income re-validity to the assumption that the ported for all nonwhite races thanmedian family income is lower for for Negroes is due to a lower medianIndians thanfor Negroes in New income for the Indian families. Mexico, then it can also be assumed that the percentage of Indian fam- lonilies Below the Poverty LePel.ilies who fallbelow the poverty With respect to the percentage oflevelislarger than the percentage families below the poverty level,of Negro families. In that event, the thesituationin New Mexicois percentage is indeed extremely high. equally bleak. The state had 18.5 percent of itsfamilies below the7 Families with htcoines of S15,000 poverty level compared with 10.7or More. New Mexico does not fare percent for tht' nation as a whole.much better with respect to the The Mountain Division percentagepercentage of families with S 15,000 was 10.9. almost the same as theor more income (14.8 percent). The national average and much lowernational percentage was 20.6 per- than the proportion for New Mexico,cent.Inthe MountainDivision, which had by far the highest per-with 17.6 percent, only two states centage below the poverty level ofMontana and North Dakotahad any of the mountain states. smaller percentages than New A smaller percentage of familiesMexico. were below the poverty level among Within the state, wide -variations the urban. population (14.5 percent)appear.In the urban population, than ibr the state as a whole. It fol-17.1 percent of the families were in lows thathe percentage is higherthis higher income group, but in the for the rural families (28.6 percent),rural population, only 9 percent of nearly twice as high as for urbanthe families were. families. The'proportionofSpanish- Unfortunately, while the percent-American and Negro families with age of families below the poverty$15,000- or mnre income in 1969 levelis extremely high among thewas indeed vet)/ low when compared rural families of New Mexico, theto the state average. Only 6.1 per- situation is equally bad or worse forcent of the Spanish-American fam- familiesofSpanish surname orilies and only 4.2 percent of the

86 N gro families had incomes S15,000 nimiiyincomes C ()unties. or more. No comparable data are atTahlt. 28 gives data for the coun- present available for New Mexico'sties of New Mexico on the three in- Indian population. come categories.

Table 28. Family income status, by county, New Mexico, 1969*

Median Percent of Families with Income of-- Income Le ss than $15,000 County (dollars) poverty level** or more

The State 7,849 18.5 14.8 Bernalillo 9,031 13.0 19.9 Catron 6,630 14.3 17.2 Chaves 7,212 20.4 14.0 Colfax 6,596 20.1 9.6 Curry 7,162 15.1 11.8 De Baca 5,663 24.5 4.7 Dona Ana 7,395 20.5 13.7 Eddy 7,870 17.8 11.2 Grant 7,898 11.9 10.4 Guadalupe 4,885 37.9 8.2 Harding 6,500 28.3 10.0 Hidalgo 6,568 21.7 9.4 Lea 8,703 12.5 12.5 Lincoln 6,522 20.7 12.8 Los Alamos 15,273 2.1 51.1 Luna 6,472 20.5 10.1 McKinley 6,783 33.7 12.5 Mora 3,100 57.3 2.1 Otero 8,117 12.3 14.0 Quay 6,794 19.3 9.1 Rio Arriba 5,544 34.3 5.6 Roosevelt 6,273 21.5 10.9 Sandoval 5,479 37.5 9.1 San Juan 8,150 21.7 12.2 San Miguel 4,595 39.2 7.1 Santa Fe 8,018 18.2 16.6 Sierra 4,833 23.9 6.1 Socorro 6,360 29.5 6.2 Taos 5,308 35.8 7.1 Torrance 4,920 32.6 7.3 Union 5,295 26.2 9.7 Valencia 7,610 18.5 8.2

*Fimil Report P('(11-C33, General Social and Economic Characteristics: New Mexico, U.S. Census of Population: 1970, v. 99. **The term "poverty level" is based on a definition originated by the Social Security Adminis- tration in 1964 and sebsequently modified by a Federal Interagency Committee,

87 Fig. 32. Median family income,by county, New Mexico, 1969

4411 IlNUM MEM DONA ANA

OEM MEDIAN INCOME

Less than $5,000 1 _ 01 r $5,000-5,999

$6,000-6,999

$7,000-7,999

$8,000-8,999

$9,000.9,999 43..$.44. $10,000 or more

88 There is a wide variation in the Withrespecttofamilies with median family income between New incomes of S15,000 or more, there Mexico's counties. Most noticeableis again a wide difference between is the extremely high median income LosAlamos and Mora counties. inLos Alamos County the only Here,thepercentage for\lora county above 510,000. This can be County is the same as the percent- attributed to the large number of age offamiliesinLos Alamos highly, paid personnel athe LosCounty with family incomes below Alamos Scientific Laboratory. the poverty level. Three counties Except for Los Alamos County,other than Los Alamos with a per- no county in New Mexico has acentage above the state average of median family income as high as the families with incomes of S15,000 national average (S9,590). Amongor more are Bernalillo, ('atron, and the 31counties,itranges from a Santa Fe. high of 59,031 in Bernalillo County to a low of 53,100 in Mora County. hni )(whine(' of Income Data.The Thedistributionofthemedian data in table 28 clearly show that family income for the state is shown New Mexico ranks low in all three graphically in figure 32. categories. Granted that monetary Great variations also appear be-income is not the only determinant tween New Mexico's counties in theof the quality of life and cost of percentage of families with incomesliving may vary in different local- below the poverty level (see table ities,itnevertheless appears that, 28). Here the situation is reversedin many New Mexico counties, the for Los Alamos and Mora counties.economic status of the inhabitants with only 2.1 percent of the familiesis such that a reasonable standard of in Los Alamos County in this cate-living and a good quality of life do gory while Mora COunty has 57.3not exist. The same can he said with percent. The highestpercentages even greater validity for the people appear in counties inthe north-of Spanish language or Spanish sur- centralpart of the state and innames and the Indian and Negro McKinley County. segments of the population.

MARITAL STATUS

The Bureau of the Census reportswhile the proportion of single peo- data on the marital status of theple in the same age category declined population 14 years old and over. correspondingly (see table 29). (low All data presented in this sectionever, this trend reversed itsc!t' con- relate to the population in this agesiderably between 1960 and 1970 category. for both males and females, and the The proportion of New Mexico'sproportion of married females actu- population that were marriedin-allyfell below the proportion in creased steadily from 1940 to 1960. 1940.

89 Table 29. Percentage distribution of population 14 years old and over, by marital status, New Mexico, 1940 to 1970*

Marital Status 1970 1960 1950 1940

Males 100. 0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Single 30. 0 25.9 28.3 34.6 Married 63.8 68.0 65. 1 59.7 Separated 0. 9 1.0 1. 1 ** Widowed 2.4 2.? 3.6 4.4 Divorced 2. 9 2.4 2. 0 1.3 Females 100. 0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Single 23.4 18.7 20. 2 25.9 Married 61. 1 68.2 66.9 62. 9 Separated 1.5 1.4 1.6 ** Widowed 9.4 8. 6 8. 8 9.4 Divorced 4.6 3. 1 2.4 1.7

*The percentages for 1970 are basedon numerical data reported in Final Report PC( I I-1333, General Population Characteristics: .k'ew.11c.vico, C.S. Census 01 Population: 1970. p. 43: the per- centi!ges for 1940-1960 are from FinalReport PO 13-1133, Gerrera/ Population Characteristics:

Mexico, C,S. Census of Population. 196(1, p. 25,

The percentage of widowed malesslightly so. The differences in mari- in New Mexico steadily declinedtal status which account for the between 1940 and 1970 while the much smaller percentage of married percentageof widows remainedfemales are found in the widowed much the same. The percentage ofand divorced categories, particularly divorced persons increased substan- in terms of widowed status where tially for both sexes over the 30- the percentage of females was nearly year period, but the increase was tour times as great as for males. somewhat greater for females than Differences for males and females for males. are shown graphically in figure 33 New Mexico males tend to re-for single and married persons and main single in spite of the fact thatfor the widowed and divorced as a the sex ratio (the number of males,group. per 100 females) has been steadily On the whole, the marital status declining and is now below 100 forof the population of New Mexico peopl of marriageable age. In 1970, does not differ too .greatly from 30 f .!rcent of the males were single, that of the population of all 50 compared with only 23.4 percent states (table 30). Most noticeable is of the females. The proportion ofthe smaller percentage of widowed the population married was largerfemales in New Mexico. for males than for females but only Between the urban and rural seg-

90 Fig. 33 Marital status of population 14 years old and over, New Mexico, 1970

Male UrnFemale

Single

Married

Widowed and Divorced

0 20 40 60 80

PERCENT ments of New Mexico's population.percentage of divorced females is there is also considerable similarityconsiderably higher for the urban inmarital status, except that thepopulation.

EDUCATIONAL STATUS New Mexico has been makingof persons 25 years old and over educational progress (see table 31).who had completed no school year From 1960 to 1970 the percentagedeclined, as did the percentages for

91 Table 30. Percentage distribution of population 14 years of age and over, by marital status, United States and New Mexico, 1970

United New Mexico Marital Statue States Total Urban Rural

Males 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Single 28.6 30.0 29.4 31.4 Married 64.2 63.8 64.6 62. 1 Separated 1.5 0.9 0. 8 1. 0 Widowed 2.9 2.4 2.2 3.I Divorced 2.7 2.9 3.1 2.5 Females 100. 0 100. 0 100.0 100.0 Singh 22. 4 23. 4 22.6 25.4 ...... 0 59.0 61.1 60.9 61.5 Sep. fated 2.3 1.5 1.6 1.4 Widowed 12.4 9.4 9.6 8.9 Divorced 3.9 4.6 5.3 2.8

'I final Report PO Ii-1i I,General l'opulation Characteristics: l'nited States Summary, 1. S. Cvipsto, or Population: 14711. p.278.

11: Pcrcelltag,', arr haw...I on iiincri,:al data reportod inI Report I'('111.1133, Gillen,/ Population Charaeteridics: .Vew Mexico, t .S. r'enstis ()I' Population: 1970, p. 43.

Table 31. PerCentage of persons 25 years old and over, by years of school completed, New Mexico, 1970 and 1960*

1970 1960 Non- Non- Years of School Completed Total White white Total White white

Total 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 100.0 100. 0 No school year completed 3. 3 2. 1 19.2 4.4 2.9 27. 0 Elementary: 1 to 4 years 5.6 5.3 9.2 7.7 7.4 12.2 5 to 6 years 5.6 5.3 9.9 7.0 6.7 10. 1 7 years 3.7 .3.6 4. 9 5. 1 5.0 6. 0 8 years 9.4 9. 5 8.2 12.2 12.4 9.4 High School: 1 to 3 years 17. 1 17. 0 18.5 18. 1 18.3 16. 1 4 years 30. 0 30. 7 20.9 24. 8 25.6 13.3 College: 1 to 3 years 12.5 13. 1 5.5 10.8 11.3 3.4 4 years 6. 8 7. 2 1.8 5.9 6.2 1.6 5 years or more 6. 0 6.3 1.7 3.9 4. 1 ,0. 7

*Final Report Ik'11)-C33, Genera/ Social and Eonunnic Characteristics: Nell' MeXiCO, V. S. Census or Population: 1970, p.101.

91 allthe educational steps throughelation applies to both whites and three years of high school. Begin-nonwhites. for theI1011Whites. the ning with four years in high school.most noticeable improvement was thepercentagesincreasedinall in the four high school years. educational steps. The increases be- Another measure of educational tween 19b0 and 1970 are shownattainment is the median school ykar graphically in figure 34. completed. llere, too, New Mexico The improvement in the educa-has shown progress. Between 1'4)0 tional status of New Mexico's pop-and 1970 it increased as follows: for

Fig. 34. Years of school completed by persons 25 years old and over, New Mexico, 1970 and 1960

1970 1960

4 Years High School or more

1 Year College or more

4 Years College or more

0 20 40 60 80

PERCENT

93 Table 32. Median school year completed by persons 25 years old and over, by county, New Mexico, 1970"

Median Median Years Years Coun Corn leted Count Corn leted

The State 12.2 Luna 10. McKinley 10. 1 Bernalillo 12.5 Mora 8.2 Catron 10.9 Otero 12.4 Chaves 12.1 Quay 11.3 Colfax 11.5 Rio Arriba 9.7 Curry 12.2 Roosevelt 12. 1 De Baca 10.1 Sandoval 10.3 Dona Ana 12.2 San Juan 12.0 Eddy 11.8 San Miguel 9. 1 Grant 11.7 Santa Fe 12.3 Guadalupe 9.5 Sierra 9.9 Harding 9.8 Socorro 11.0 Hidalgo 10.5 Taos 10.4 Lea 12.0 Torrance 10.0 Lincoln 12.0 Union 12.0 Los Alamos 14.2 Valencia 11.3

'1. inal Report IM.1 I )4'33. Genera/ Social and Economic Characteristie8: .Vett, Mr.vico. Lti. Censti. of Popula lion:1.970. p. )M. the total population, from 11.2 toThe highest by far is in Los Alamos 12.2; for whites, from 11.5 to 12.2;County. which is to be expected in and tbr nonwhites from 7.1 to 8.8.light of the large number of trained However, in spite of the substantialpersonnel at the Los Alamos Scien-

increase . for nonwhites, the mediantific Laboratory. school year completed in that group Two counties Curry and Dona remains far below that for whites. Ana have the same median as the Obviously, much remains to be donestate as a whole, which means that toraise the educational status ofof New Mexico's 32 counties, 26 nonwhites in New Mexico. have median school years completed The median years of school com-below the state average. The fact pleted in New Mexico's counties are that so many C01111 ties fall below the shown in table 32. state average can be attributed to Considerable variation exists be-the above-state average in Bernalillo tween the counties in terms of theCounty. While the median in that median years of school completed.county is not extremely high, the Only four counties-Bernalillo, Loslarge population in the county brings Alamos, Otero, and Santa Fe-have the median for the state above those medians above that for the state. for most counties.

94 LITERATURE CITED

Bloom, Lansing B. and Thomas C. Donnelly. Veer Mexico /fistoi:v and Grit's,rhe University Press, Albuquerque. N.M., I

Galpin. C.J. and .F.13. Manny, Interstate Migration among the Native It Vie Population as Indicated by Differences between State of Birth and State of Residence, U,S, De- partment of Agriculture. Division of Farm Population and Rural Life, 1934.

!hinter, Byron. P,1V, Cockerill and I lazen B. Ping,rey, Types of Farming and Ranching Areas itt ,Vew .,i/e.vico. Bulletin 261, Agricultural Experiment Station, New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, 1934.

Unsford, Robert R., "Planted Cropland Acreage in New Mexico in 1970 and 1901.- .Veit, Mexico Agriculture/97/. Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report 235, New Mexico State University, 1972.

Prince, L. Bradford, Comise History of ;Wit. Mexico, The Torch Press. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1914.

Twitchell, Ralph E., Leading Facts of ,Vew Mexico History, Vols. I and II, The Torch Press, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1911.

U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau ()I' the Census, Components of Population Change by County: 1960 to /97(), Current Population Reports, Series P-25, No. 460. June 28,1971.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Decennial Census of United States Climate Monthly Averages for State Climatic Divisions: New Mexico, 1930- /960, ('limatography of the United States, No. 85-25,1963.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Preliminary Estimates of the Components of Population Change, by State, 1950 to 1960, Series P-25, No. 227, April 26,1962.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Final Population Cotints: Mexico, Advance Report PC( VI) -33 Revised, 1970.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, General Population Character- istics: New Mexico, 1960, PC (1)-33B.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, General Population Character- istics: New Mexico, 1970, PC( 1)-B33.

95 U.S. Ikpartment of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. General Population Character- istics: United States Summarv, 1960. PC(11-113.

Department of Commerce, Bureau ot the Census. Genera/ Amuktiem Character- istics: United States Summary. 1970, PC( II-131 .

('.S.- Department of Commerce, Bureau of .the Census. General Social and feouomu. Characteristics: .Vew Mexico, 197(1. PC( I )4.33.

U.S.Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. Migration between State Econo- mic Areas, PC(2)-2E. 1970,

U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census, Number and Distribution of Inhabitants. Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, Vol. I,

U.S. Depai intent of Commerce, Bureau of the CensusVumber of Inhabitants: New 1/exico.PCII1 33A. 1960.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Number of inhabitants: New Me':ico,PCII1 A33. 1970.

U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. Vumber of Inhabitants: United States Summary, PC(1)I A, 1970.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census,I 7tal Statistics Rates in the 1,'Itited States: 19(H)- 19-JO.

U.S. Department of Health. Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, ilionthfr Vital Statistic, Reports.

U.S. Department of Health. Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Vital Statistics Rates in the United States: 1940-1960.

U.S. Department of Health, Education, aid Welfare, Public Health Service, Vital Statistic's of the united States, 1950 and 1961, Vol. I.

U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Public Health Service, Vital Statistics of the United States, 1967, Vols. I and IL

Vaughan, John H., History and Government of New Mexico. published by the author, State College. N.M., 1926.