OTERO County, NM

Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,797. Its county seat is Alamogordo. Its southern boundary is the Texas state line. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor when the county was created.

Otero County includes the Alamogordo Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. It is the third-largest county in New Mexico by area.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

2000 census

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

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

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

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

2010 census

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

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

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

Education

School districts in the county include:

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

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

State-operated schools:

Schools operated by foreign governments:

Tertiary:

Public libraries:

Communities

City

Villages

Census-designated places

Other communities

Other places

Politics and government

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

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