Editing New Mexico (section)

===Population===
{{US Census population
|1850= 61547
|1860= 93516
|1870= 91874
|1880= 119565
|1890= 160282
|1900= 195310
|1910= 327301
|1920= 360350
|1930= 423317
|1940= 531818
|1950= 681187
|1960= 951023
|1970= 1016000
|1980= 1302894
|1990= 1515069
|2000= 1819046
|2010= 2059179
|2020= 2117522
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Source: 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html }}</ref>
}}

The [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] recorded a population of 2,117,522, an increase of 2.8% from 2,059,179 in the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]].<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|date=April 2, 2020|title=QuickFacts New Mexico; United States|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NM|access-date=July 9, 2021|website=2019 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|archive-date=June 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621070153/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NM|url-status=live}}</ref> This was the lowest rate of growth in the western U.S. after Wyoming, and among the slowest nationwide.<ref name="Bryan-2021">{{Cite web|date=April 26, 2021|title=Census: New Mexico Among Slowest Growing Western States|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2021-04-26/census-new-mexico-among-slowest-growing-western-states|website=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726175331/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2021-04-26/census-new-mexico-among-slowest-growing-western-states|url-status=live}}</ref> By comparison, between [[2000 United States Census|2000]] and 2010, New Mexico's population increased by 11.7% from 1,819,046—among the fastest growth rates in the country.<ref name="bber.unm.edu">{{cite web|url=http://bber.unm.edu/new-mexico|title=New Mexico |website=Bureau of Business and Economic Research UNM |access-date=February 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303072359/http://bber.unm.edu/new-mexico|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A report commissioned in 2021 by the New Mexico Legislature attributed the state's slow growth to a [[Net migration rate|negative net migration rate]], particularly among those 18 or younger, and to a 19% decline in the birth rate.<ref name="Bryan-2021" /> However, growth among Hispanics and Native Americans remained healthy.<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2021-04-26/census-new-mexico-among-slowest-growing-western-states Census: New Mexico Among Slowest Growing Western States | New Mexico News | US News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726175331/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2021-04-26/census-new-mexico-among-slowest-growing-western-states |date=July 26, 2021 }} "Even though New Mexico's under-18 population shrank by 8.3%, the analysts found that the Hispanic population increased slightly and the Native American population grew by 10%, signaling long-term growth in diversity."</ref>

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated a slight decrease in population, with 3,333 fewer people from July 2021 to July 2022.<ref name="Narvaiz-2022">{{Cite news |title=New Mexico population declines in latest federal estimate |newspaper=Albuquerque Journal |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2560046/nm-population-declines-in-latest-federal-estimate.html |access-date=2022-12-28 |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228205517/https://www.abqjournal.com/2560046/nm-population-declines-in-latest-federal-estimate.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This was attributed to deaths exceeding births by roughly 5,000, with [[Net migration rate|net migration]] mitigating the loss by 1,389.<ref name="Narvaiz-2022" />

More than half of New Mexicans (51.4%) were born in the state; 37.9% were born in another state; 1.1% were born in either Puerto Rico, an [[Territories of the United States|island territory]], or abroad to at least one American parent; and 9.4% were foreign born (compared to a national average of roughly 12%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ |title=U.S. Census website |access-date=January 26, 2017 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Almost a quarter of the population (22.7%) was under the age of 18, and the state's median age of 38.4 is [[List of U.S. states and territories by median age|slightly above the national average]] of 38.2. New Mexico's somewhat older population is partly reflective of its popularity among retirees: It ranked as the most popular retirement destination in 2018,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hill|first=Catey|title=This is the No. 1 state for retirees – and it's not Florida|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-no-1-state-for-retirees-and-its-not-florida-2019-04-18|access-date=2021-08-18|website=MarketWatch|language=EN-US}}</ref> with an estimated 42% of new residents being retired.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schoen|first=Darla Mercado|date=April 17, 2019|title=Retirees are flocking to these 3 states – and fleeing these 3 states in droves|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/17/retirees-are-flocking-to-these-3-states-and-fleeing-these-3-states.html|access-date=2021-08-18|website=CNBC|language=en|archive-date=August 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818225140/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/17/retirees-are-flocking-to-these-3-states-and-fleeing-these-3-states.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hispanics and Latinos constitute nearly half of all residents (49.3%), giving New Mexico the highest proportion of Hispanic ancestry among the fifty states. This broad classification includes [[Spanish American|descendants]] of Spanish [[colonist]]s who settled between the 16th and 18th centuries as well as recent immigrants from Latin America (particularly Mexico and Central America).

From 2000 to 2010, the number of persons in poverty increased to 400,779, or approximately one-fifth of the population.<ref name="bber.unm.edu" /> The 2020 census recorded a slightly reduced poverty rate of 18.2%, albeit the [[List of U.S. states and territories by poverty rate|third highest]] among U.S. states, compared to a national average of 10.5%. Poverty disproportionately affects minorities, with about one-third of African Americans and Native Americans living in poverty, compared with less than a fifth of whites and roughly a tenth of Asians; likewise, New Mexico ranks 49th among states for education equality by race and 32nd for its racial gap in income.<ref name="usnews.com">{{Cite web|last=Galvin|first=Gaby|title=New Mexico's Exodus Problem|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-08-07/why-new-mexicans-are-fleeing-the-state|publication-date=August 7, 2017|access-date=August 7, 2017|website=US News|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807182854/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-08-07/why-new-mexicans-are-fleeing-the-state|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

New Mexico's population is among the most difficult to count, according to the Center for Urban Research at the [[City University of New York]], due to the state's size, sparse population, and numerous isolated communities.<ref name="Bryan-2021" /> Likewise, the Census Bureau estimated that roughly 43% of the state's population (about 900,000 people) live in such "hard-to-count" areas.<ref name="Bryan-2021" /> In response, the New Mexico government invested heavily in public outreach to increase census participation, resulting in a final tally that exceeded earlier estimates and outperformed several neighboring states.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McKay|first=Dan|title=NM 2020 census count higher than expected|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2386611/census-count-finds-more-nm-residents-than-expected.html|access-date=2021-07-26|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|date=May 3, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726175331/https://www.abqjournal.com/2386611/census-count-finds-more-nm-residents-than-expected.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 2,560 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in New Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007–2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>