Most of New Mexico is getting older, but Lea County isn’t. Of the state’s 33 counties, it’s one of four to have an increase in population among the youngest residents, and it maintains the lowest population rate of those 65 and older in the state.
The findings come from the analysis of 2020 census data by the University of New Mexico. An in-depth dataset was released in May by the US Census Bureau with detailed characteristics including age and gender by county, giving researchers like those at UNM the opportunity to see how the state’s population is changing.
In New Mexico as a whole, the number of those 65 and older was 18.5% in the state, compared to 16.8% for the country as a whole. As a result, New Mexico ranks 13th for having the oldest population in the nation. Some counties were notable for having a high number of those 65 and older, such as Catron County with 43.3% and Harding County at 38.2%.
In Lea County, however, only 11.2% of the population is over 65, giving it the lowest ratio in the state.
Along with having a lower percentage of those 65 and older, Lea County has a growing percentage of those 17 and under. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of those 0-17 in Lea County increased by 14.1%, giving it the second-fastest growth rate in that category in the state (second to Eddy County at 16.8%). The growth rate in this category for both counties is especially noteworthy as only two other counties recorded growth here – Harding County at 4.3% and Los Alamos at 0.5%.
The increase in ratio of working age residents and their children in Lea County is attributed to the economic growth stemming from extraction activity in the Permian Basin, which is poised to escalate in the coming years.
While the county is gaining in younger residents, the overall number of people has been decreasing in recent years. The population of Lea County rose from 64,727 in 2010 to 74,455 in 2020, but it’s worth noting that in the past two years the Census Bureau estimates it has declined to 72,452, signifying the reversal of the country’s growth trend. Lovington has similarly seen a dip during the pandemic in population, going from 11,670 in 2020 to 11,268 in 2022.
As most locals know, the future of Lea County’s demographics will remain highly dependent on the oil and gas market.
