New Mexico Counties, Race and Hispanic Ethnicity (2010)

The once-a-decade decennial census was conducted in April 2010 by the U.S. Census Bureau. This count of every resident in the United States was mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and all households in the U.S. and individuals living in group quarters were required by law to respond to the 2010 Census questionnaire. The data collected by the decennial census determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities. The questionnaire consisted of a limited number of questions but allowed for the collection of information on the number of people in the household and their relationship to the householder, an individual's age, sex, race and Hispanic ethnicity, the number of housing units and whether those units are owner- or renter-occupied, or vacant. The first wave of results for sub-state geographic areas in New Mexico was released on March 15, 2011, through the Redistricting Data (PL94-171) Summary File. This batch of data covers the state, counties, places (both incorporated and unincorporated communities), tribal lands, school districts, neighborhoods (census tracts and block groups), individual census blocks, and other areas. The Redistricting products provide counts by race and Hispanic ethnicity for the total population and the population 18 years and over, and housing unit counts by occupancy status. The 2010 Census Redistricting Data Summary File can be used to redraw federal, state and local legislative districts under Public Law 94-171. This is an important purpose of the file and, indeed, state officials use the Redistricting Data to realign congressional and state legislative districts in their states, taking into account population shifts since the 2000 Census. More detailed population and housing characteristics will be released in the summer of 2011. The data in these particular RGIS Clearinghouse tables are for all counties in New Mexico. There are two data tables. One provides total counts by major race groups and by Hispanic ethnicity, while the other provides proportions of the total population for these same groups. These files, along with file-specific descriptions (in Word and text formats) are available in a single zip file.

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