County profile

Los Alamos County

New Mexico · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
19,435
Median household income
$147,139
People below poverty
3.5%
Median home value
$495,800

Income

The median income of households in Los Alamos County, New Mexico was $147,139. An estimated 1.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 30% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 1.5
$10,000 to $14,999 0.1
$15,000 to $24,999 4
$25,000 to $34,999 2.3
$35,000 to $49,999 3.8
$50,000 to $74,999 10.4
$75,000 to $99,999 7.2
$100,000 to $149,999 21.7
$150,000 to $199,999 19
$200,000 or more 30

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 121958
Female 86791

An estimated 79.9% of households received earnings. An estimated 25.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 30.2 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $30,379. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 79.9
Social Security 25.7
Retirement income 30.2
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.7
Cash public assistance income 1.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 3.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 5.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 3.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 3.1% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 3.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 5.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 3.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 3.1

In 2020-2024, 4.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 31.1% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 40.9% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 26.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024, 97.5% had health insurance coverage and 2.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 88.4% and public coverage was 24.7%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.3%.


In 2020-2024, Los Alamos County, New Mexico had a total population of 19,435 - 9,352 (48.1%) females and 10,083 (51.9%) males. The median age was 39.3 years. An estimated 22% of the population was under 18 years, 33.7% was 19 to 44 years, 24.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.4 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 487 476
5 to 9 701 566
10 to 14 550 652
15 to 19 616 484
20 to 24 398 465
25 to 29 659 658
30 to 34 851 777
35 to 39 968 544
40 to 44 660 574
45 to 49 479 530
50 to 54 609 533
55 to 59 765 809
60 to 64 594 457
65 to 69 553 443
70 to 74 431 532
75 to 79 262 283
80 to 84 189 348
85 and over 311 221

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 74.7% were White; 0.9% were Black or African American; 14.8% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 4.9% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 14.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 18% of the people in Los Alamos County, New Mexico were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 69.8% of the people in Los Alamos County, New Mexico were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 8,247 households in Los Alamos County, New Mexico. The average household size was 2.35 people.

Married-couple households made up 53.8% of the households in Los Alamos County, New Mexico while cohabiting couple households made up 5.8% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 18.6% of all households, while 21.8% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.6% of households were male householders living alone, and 13.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 30% of all households.

In Los Alamos County, New Mexico, 27.1% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 28.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 53.8
Cohabiting Couples 5.8
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.8
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 57.6% of males and 60.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 30 24.4
Now married, except separated 57.6 60.2
Separated 0 0.5
Widowed 2.7 4.4
Divorced 9.7 10.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Los Alamos County, New Mexico, 338 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 31.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 90.6% of the people living in Los Alamos County, New Mexico were U.S. natives. 28.5% of the Los Alamos County, New Mexico population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 9.4% of Los Alamos County, New Mexico residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 61% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 56.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Los Alamos County, New Mexico come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Los Alamos County, New Mexico.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 12.5
Asia 50
Europe 33.4
Africa 0.8
Northern America 2.7
Oceania 0.6

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024, 14.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 5.9% of people at least five years old; 2.9% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 5.9
Other Indo-European languages 3.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 4.7
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 86.1 % of the people at least one year old living in Los Alamos County, New Mexico were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 86.1
Different house, same county 4.4
Different county, same state 2.6
Different state 6.4
Abroad 0.5

Education

In 2020-2024, 98.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 69.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 1.7% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Los Alamos County, New Mexico was 4,759 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 259 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 3,305. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,195.

Educational Attainment of People in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 1.7
High school diploma or equivalency 9.2
Some college, no degree 13.8
Associate's degree 5.5
Bachelor's degree 25.6
Graduate or professional degree 44.2

Disability

In Los Alamos County, New Mexico, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 10.6 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.4% of people under 18 years old, to 8.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 28.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Los Alamos County, New Mexico, 66.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 32.2% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 51.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 45.7% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 3.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,383 51.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 4,812 45.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 328 3.1

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Los Alamos County, New Mexico worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0
Construction 2.5
Manufacturing 1.5
Wholesale trade 0.2
Retail trade 4.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 1.2
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 56.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 19
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 3.1
Other Services, except public administration 2.3
Public administration 6.6

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 7,863 74.6
Service occupations 743 7.1
Sales and office occupations 1,115 10.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 369 3.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 446 4.2

Commuting to Work

An estimated 71.8% of Los Alamos County, New Mexico workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.2% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 14.7 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 71.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.2
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.2
Walked 2.2
Other means 1.9
Worked from home 15.6

In 2020-2024, Los Alamos County, New Mexico had a total of 8,713 housing units. Of these housing units, 71.8% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 23.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 5.1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 71.8
Apartments in multi-unit structures 23.1
Mobile homes 5.1
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

8.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 0.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Los Alamos County, New Mexico was 6.1 rooms, and of these housing units 69.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Los Alamos County, New Mexico had 8,247 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 466 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 74.8% while renters occupied 25.2%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.51 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.87.

7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 10.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 2.2% and another 29.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Los Alamos County, New Mexico:

House Heating Fuel Used in Los Alamos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 82.4
Electricity 15
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 2.1
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Los Alamos County, New Mexico was $495,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 66 % had a mortgage. 34% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,315 and for owners without a mortgage it was $629.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Los Alamos County, New Mexico was $1,375. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.