County profile

Taos 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
34,543
Median household income
$58,950
People below poverty
15.5%
Median home value
$382,800

Income

The median income of households in Taos County, New Mexico was $58,950. An estimated 7.6% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.8% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.6
$10,000 to $14,999 8.1
$15,000 to $24,999 9
$25,000 to $34,999 6.5
$35,000 to $49,999 13.3
$50,000 to $74,999 15.2
$75,000 to $99,999 11.1
$100,000 to $149,999 15.8
$150,000 to $199,999 6.8
$200,000 or more 6.8

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

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Dollars
Male 56777
Female 56920

An estimated 64.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 46% of households received Social Security and an estimated 33.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,599. 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 Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 64.6
Social Security 46
Retirement income 33.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.5
Cash public assistance income 2.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 18.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 13.3% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 15.8% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 15.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 18.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 13.3
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 15.8

In 2020-2024, 17.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 40.9% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 45.3% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 33.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024, 92.3% had health insurance coverage and 7.7% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 49.9% and public coverage was 59.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 2.8%.


In 2020-2024, Taos County, New Mexico had a total population of 34,543 - 17,663 (51.1%) females and 16,880 (48.9%) males. The median age was 52.6 years. An estimated 15.6% of the population was under 18 years, 25.2% was 19 to 44 years, 27.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 30.5 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 545 510
5 to 9 754 591
10 to 14 1023 919
15 to 19 632 843
20 to 24 903 622
25 to 29 856 858
30 to 34 700 685
35 to 39 775 991
40 to 44 1215 1091
45 to 49 1096 924
50 to 54 1056 1038
55 to 59 736 1461
60 to 64 1683 1497
65 to 69 1001 1856
70 to 74 1980 1365
75 to 79 1126 1313
80 to 84 559 762
85 and over 240 337

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 55.7% were White; 0.4% were Black or African American; 6.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.7% were Asian; 0.2% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 22.5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 50.6% of the people in Taos County, New Mexico were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 40.5% of the people in Taos 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 15,549 households in Taos County, New Mexico. The average household size was 2.2 people.

Married-couple households made up 36.2% of the households in Taos County, New Mexico while cohabiting couple households made up 8.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 33.7% of all households, while 21.5% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.6% of households were male householders living alone, and 22.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 38% of all households.

In Taos County, New Mexico, 20.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 48.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 36.2
Cohabiting Couples 8.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.5
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
33.7

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 44% of males and 37.9% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 37.8 32.1
Now married, except separated 44 37.9
Separated 0.7 1.2
Widowed 3.9 10.3
Divorced 13.6 18.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Taos County, New Mexico, 735 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 76.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 94.3% of the people living in Taos County, New Mexico were U.S. natives. 51.6% of the Taos County, New Mexico population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 5.7% of Taos County, New Mexico residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 40.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 70.9 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Taos 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 Taos County, New Mexico.

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

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Percent
Latin America 56.7
Asia 10.2
Europe 26.6
Africa 3.4
Northern America 2.7
Oceania 0.4

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024, 33.4 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 28.5% of people at least five years old; 5.9% 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 Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 28.5
Other Indo-European languages 0.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.7
Other languages 3.5

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 93.2 % of the people at least one year old living in Taos County, New Mexico were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 93.2
Different house, same county 3.5
Different county, same state 1.8
Different state 1.4
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 38.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Taos County, New Mexico was 5,739 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 560 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 4,232. College or graduate school enrollment was 947.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.8
High school diploma or equivalency 24.8
Some college, no degree 20.2
Associate's degree 8.7
Bachelor's degree 22.3
Graduate or professional degree 16.2

Disability

In Taos County, New Mexico, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 21.1 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 7.9% of people under 18 years old, to 13.2% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 42% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Taos County, New Mexico, 51.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 44.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 67.7% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19.5% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 12.8 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 10,281 67.7
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,961 19.5
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,940 12.8

Industries

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

Percent by Industry in Taos County, New Mexico in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.5
Construction 11.1
Manufacturing 3.4
Wholesale trade 0.3
Retail trade 12.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 2.9
Information 1.2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 12.3
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 15.9
Other Services, except public administration 6
Public administration 7

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 6,076 40
Service occupations 3,275 21.6
Sales and office occupations 2,476 16.3
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,201 14.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,166 7.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 63.8% of Taos County, New Mexico workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 12.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 25.5 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 63.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 12.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.4
Walked 2.5
Other means 1.1
Worked from home 19.7

In 2020-2024, Taos County, New Mexico had a total of 21,250 housing units. Of these housing units, 72.5% 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"). 13% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 13.7% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 72.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 13
Mobile homes 13.7
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.7

4.7% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 8.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Taos County, New Mexico was 5 rooms, and of these housing units 49.9% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Taos County, New Mexico had 15,549 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 5,701 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 77.6% while renters occupied 22.4%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.29 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.87.

3.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3% and another 28.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 61.3
Electricity 10.7
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 27.6
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Taos County, New Mexico was $382,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 36.9 % had a mortgage. 63.1% 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 $1,701 and for owners without a mortgage it was $456.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Taos County, New Mexico was $1,034. 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.