Jury Pool Profile
Otero County, New Mexico
- County seat
- Alamogordo
- Judicial district
- 12th Judicial District Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 70,368
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 68,816.
At a glance
Otero County is a 70,368-person venue. The county population is 54% White (Census race-alone categories). 40% identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race. Those figures overlap rather than adding up; counted separately, non-Hispanic White residents are 45.5%, which is the basis the chart below uses. Median household income is $56,152, $11,686 below the NM state median of $67,838; 22.7% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 24.8% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish, then other and unspecified languages (2.2%), a group the Census does not break out. The largest employment sector is Education & health services, at 29.9% of covered employment, average pay $57,680/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.86%, above the 4.57% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 60% to 62% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 68,816
- Median household income
- $55,876
- Unemployment
- 4.9%
Who sits on a jury?
50–70% White and ≥15% Black. This county: 54% / 4%.
Otero County has a population of 68,816, with a median age of 36.4. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 54.0%; Black residents 3.6%. Independently, 39.6% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $56,152; 22.7% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 19.3% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
Largest sector in BLS QCEW: Education & health services, about 30% of covered jobs.
Education & health services is the largest employment sector at 29.9% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 17.6%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.86%, above the New Mexico state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 61%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Otero County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 62.4% in 2024, 61.6% in 2020, 59.9% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 62% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 24.8% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
24.8% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, Tagalog, German or other West Germanic. Veterans account for 14.6% of the adult civilian population (7,184 individuals).