Taos County, New Mexico Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Taos County, New Mexico, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Taos County, New Mexico. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Taos County, New Mexico. The estimated population of Taos County, New Mexico is 34,322 people, with a median age of 49.4.

We can look at the total population in Taos County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
34,322
+4.77%
+4.61%
2020
32,759
 -0.08% -
2019
32,786
 -0.31% -
2018
32,888
+0.24%
-
2017
32,809
 - -

Population of Taos County, New Mexico by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
35.4%
35.4%
 0.00%
Black/African American
0.1%
0.2%
 -50.00%
Native
4.9%
6.5%
 -24.62%
Hispanic
56.8%
56.8%
 0.00%
Asian
0.7%
0.2%
 +250.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.8%
0.7%
 +157.14%
Other
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Taos County, New Mexico by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 49.4 +1.02% 47.9 +1.48% 51.1 0%
2020 48.9 +0.2% 47.2 -1.46% 51.1 +1.79%
2019 48.8 +1.24% 47.9 +3.01% 50.2 +0.8%
2018 48.2 +1.05% 46.5 +0.43% 49.8 +0.81%
2017 47.7 - 46.3 - 49.4 -

The median age of Taos County, New Mexico gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 1,546 +14.07% 1,613 +4.02% 1,768 1,674
10 to 19 1,969 -15.67% 1,675 +15.91% 1,673 1,826
20 to 29 1,657 -2.58% 1,546 -5.18% 1,613 1,436
30 to 39 1,591 -3.41% 1,696 +12.1% 1,523 1,897
40 to 49 2,064 +9.52% 1,986 -12.58% 2,246 1,720
50 to 59 2,624 -25.38% 2,509 +1.48% 2,013 2,530
60 to 69 2,415 +29.98% 3,056 +7.52% 3,158 3,288
70+ 2,188 +29.37% 2,674 +14.64% 2,879 3,078

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Taos County, New Mexico is $49,481.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Taos County.

  • Under 25
    $38,214.00
  • 25 to 44
    $46,191.00
  • 45 to 64
    $55,538.00
  • 65 and over
    $46,122.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Taos County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Taos County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Taos County, New Mexico is currently $73,881.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

5.28% of households in Taos County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Taos County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    29.18%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.04%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.32%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    8.22%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.01%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.96%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.28%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Taos County is $31,837.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Taos County by the total population of Taos County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Taos County, New Mexico, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Taos County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    18.55%
  • Bachelor's degree
    31.66%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    8.91%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    38.89%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.00%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Taos County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Taos County over the age of 16 is 29,016.

Of those people, a total of 51.40% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Taos County is 46.30%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 1,635 29.10% 2.50%
20 to 24 years 1,396 72.30% 17.20%
25 to 29 years 1,653 81.40% 22.90%
30 to 34 years 1,661 89.50% 2.40%
35 to 44 years 3,815 79.70% 17.10%
45 to 54 years 4,096 70.00% 4.30%
55 to 59 years 2,357 63.90% 12.80%
60 to 64 years 3,196 49.90% 1.10%
65 to 74 years 5,721 21.20% 8.00%
75 years and over 3,486 11.00% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Taos County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 21,546 50.60% 11.00%
Black or African American 40 50.00% 10.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1,594 50.10% 17.50%
Asian 237 78.90% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 4 25.00% 0.00%
Other 2,707 61.70% 5.80%
Two or more races 2,888 46.40% 2.90%
Hispanic or Latino 15,514 51.80% 10.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 11,233 49.80% 9.10%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Taos County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Taos County is 13,440, with median earnings of $28,770.00.

Women in Taos County, New Mexico earning approximately 72.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 13,440 $28,770.00
Male 6,821 $35,783.00
Female 6,619 $25,919.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 1,299 $55,551.00
Business and Financial 492 $64,808.00
Computer and Mathematical 327 $49,119.00
Architecture and Engineering 169 $108,265.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 105 $40,268.00
Community and Social Service 324 $26,979.00
Legal 132 $77,727.00
Educational and Library 899 $55,283.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 667 $11,909.00
Healthcare Practitioners 827 $59,583.00
Healthcare Support 743 $19,445.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 158 $34,219.00
Law Enforcement 246 $54,757.00
Food Preparation and Serving 766 $21,207.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 739 $11,265.00
Personal Care and Service 415 $21,771.00
Sales 1,060 $25,451.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,717 $26,199.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 88 $37,500.00
Construction and Extraction 1,458 $26,833.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 268 $39,511.00
Production 155 $19,509.00
Transportation and Material Moving 178 $48,333.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 717 $57,375.00 582 $38,468.00
Business and Financial 305 $250,001.00 187 $39,144.00
Computer and Mathematical 283 $49,201.00 44 $32,500.00
Architecture and Engineering 159 $108,451.00 10 $67,500.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 65 $38,750.00 40 $41,786.00
Community and Social Service 154 $31,875.00 170 $21,458.00
Legal 72 $78,409.00 60 $64,571.00
Educational and Library 185 $16,892.00 714 $55,759.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 251 $18,090.00 416 $6,293.00
Healthcare Practitioners 331 $96,469.00 496 $54,773.00
Healthcare Support 32 $24,688.00 711 $19,322.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 155 $34,453.00 3 $0.00
Law Enforcement 175 $53,971.00 71 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 356 $21,929.00 410 $20,109.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 379 $7,188.00 360 $11,581.00
Personal Care and Service 206 $48,500.00 209 $4,673.00
Sales 480 $34,286.00 580 $23,056.00
Office and Administrative Support 407 $19,029.00 1,310 $27,068.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 87 $34,750.00 1 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,458 $26,833.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 195 $37,527.00 73 $0.00
Production 72 $38,333.00 83 $19,330.00
Transportation and Material Moving 135 $52,542.00 43 $17,150.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 12,840 households in Taos County, with an average household size of 2.64 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 6,842 families in Taos County with an average family size of 3.79 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 4,889 505 1,448 5,998
Average Household Size 3.23 6.25 5.17 1.24
Total Families 4,889 505 1,448 0
Average Household Size 3.22 5.75 5.02 0

Poverty

Of the 6,842 families in Taos County, 12.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Taos County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 20,857 housing units in Taos County, New Mexico.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 12,840 61.56%
Vacant 8,017 38.44%

10.54% of the total 20,857 housing units in Taos County are rental units. This is approximately 2,199 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 10,262 are occupied by the owner - or 49.20% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Taos County is $927.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Taos County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    379
  • Less than $500
    317
  • $500 to $999
    943
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    664
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    171
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    96
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    8

Property Value

The median value of a property in Taos County is $280,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Taos County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    630
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    597
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,109
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    919
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    2,248
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    3,013
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    1,393
  • $1,000,000 or more
    353

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Taos County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Taos County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,727
  • 1940 to 1949
    950
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,222
  • 1960 to 1969
    2,103
  • 1970 to 1979
    3,507
  • 1980 to 1989
    3,895
  • 1990 to 1999
    4,163
  • 2000 to 2009
    2,965
  • 2010 to 2013
    325
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Taos County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    559
  • 1 vehicle available
    4,029
  • 2 vehicles available
    4,829
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,423

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Taos County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Taos County that commute to work in a particular way.

20.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Taos County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    917
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,688
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    2,068
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    2,463
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,498
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    141
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    993
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    68
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    347
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    803
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    523
  • 90 or more minutes
    170

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Taos County, New Mexico in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Taos County, New Mexico

We have data for 23 places in Taos County, New Mexico. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.