Hidalgo County, New Mexico

Hidalgo County (Spanish: Condado de Hidalgo) is the southernmost county of the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,178. The county seat and largest city is Lordsburg. A bill creating Hidalgo from the southern part of Grant County was passed on February 25, 1919, taking effect at the beginning of 1920. The county was named for the town north of Mexico City where the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which in turn was named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who is known as the "Father of Mexican Independence."
The county is located on the Mexico–United States border, and is majority-Hispanic or Latino.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,446 square miles (8,930 km), of which 3,437 square miles (8,900 km) is land and 9.1 square miles (24 km) (0.3%) is water. The southern part of the county, the part bounded on the east and south by Mexico, is known as the Bootheel.
As of the 2000 census, there were 5,932 people in the county, organized into 2,152 households, and 1,542 families. The population density was 1 person per square mile (0.39 person/km). There were 2,848 housing units at an average density of 1 units per square mile (0.39/km). The racial makeup of the county was 42% White and about 55% of the population was Hispanic.
Size of family households: 592 2-persons, 341 3-persons, 316 4-persons, 165 5-persons, 83 6-persons, 48 7-or-more-persons. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.29. In non-family households, there were 684 with 314 male householders (286 living alone), 293 female householders (262 living alone), and 77 non-relatives. In group quarters, there were 85 (all institutionalized).
In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,286. The per capita income for the county was $12,431. 27.8% of the population was below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 38.90% of those under the age of 18 and 17.00% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Unemployment rate in April 2010 was 7.6%.
As of the 2010 census, there were 4,894 people, 1,936 households, and 1,286 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.54/km). There were 2,393 housing units at an average density of 0.7 per square mile (0.27/km). The racial makeup of the county was 85.3% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 11.0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 56.6% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
Of the 1,936 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 40.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,733 and the median income for a family was $41,594. Males had a median income of $43,531 versus $23,482 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,451. About 20.6% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.3% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.
Hidalgo has historically been a swing county, going for the winner every time since 1928, except for 1968 and 2020, where it went for Hubert Humphrey and Donald Trump respectively. In 2024, Trump broke 60% of the county's vote, the first time that a Republican presidential candidate had done this since Nixon's 1972 landslide. While the city of Lordsburg tends to lean Democratic, the rest of the county, especially the southern half, is heavily Republican.
31°55′N 108°43′W﻿ / ﻿31.92°N 108.71°W﻿ / 31.92; -108.71