How many people live in Chaves County, NM?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 63,700 people living in Chaves County, NM. That makes Chaves County the 10th-most populous county in New Mexico. It is home to 3% of people living in the state.
63.7K
population of Chaves County, NM (2024)
3%
County share of the New Mexico population (2024)
About 63,700 people lived in Chaves County, NM in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Chaves County, NM’s age demographics?
About 11,100 Chaves County, NM residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 17.4% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 20.3% of New Mexico’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 15,300 Chaves County residents, or 24% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.2% of New Mexico’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Chaves County, NM's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Chaves County, NM’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Hispanic residents make up 59.5% of the Chaves County, NM population, higher than the national share of 20%. Chaves County, NM also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (0.91%) than the US overall (0.72%).
In contrast, Chaves County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 35.6%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 1.7% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Chaves County, NM has a higher share of a Hispanic population than New Mexico as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Chaves County, NM is Roswell with about 47,200 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Chaves County, NM ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Roswell | 47,176 |
| 2. | Dexter | 1,055 |
| 3. | Hagerman | 961 |
| 4. | Lake Arthur | 375 |
| 5. | Balance of Chaves County | 14,130 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
