Chaves County, New Mexico

Chaves County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 61,382. Its is. The name commemorates the name of Jose Francisco Chaves. Created by Territorial Legislature, Feb. 25, 1889, out of land from the county of Lincoln, the county's area comprises 6042 sq mi, fourth largest county in the state.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 15,734 (6,075 ). 15,723 km² (6,071 sq mi) of it is land and 11 km² (4 sq mi) of it (0.07%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 61,382 people, 22,561 households, and 16,085 families residing in the county. The was 4/km² (10/sq mi). There were 25,647 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (4/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 71.95%, 1.97% or , 1.13% , 0.53% , 0.06% , 21.25% from , and 3.12% from two or more races. 43.83% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 22,561 households out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were living together, 13.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,513, and the median income for a family was $32,532. Males had a median income of $26,896 versus $21,205 for females. The for the county was $14,990. About 17.60% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the, including 29.10% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.