Hidalgo County, New Mexico

Hidalgo County is a located in the  of. As of the, the population is 5,932, down from its 1980 peak of 6,049 but up 25% since 1970. Over half of the county's population live in the of.

Hidalgo was created on, from the southern part of. According to the 2001/2, it was named for the town north of where the  was signed. as the county's namesake.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 8,925 (3,446 ), 1 km² (about 0.38 sq mi or 0.01%) of which is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north, northeast
 * - east
 * - west
 * - northwest
 * - the Mexican state to the southwest of Hidalgo County
 * - the Mexican state to the southeast of Hidalgo County

Demographics
As of the of, there are 5932 people in the county, organized into 2152 households, and 1542 families. The is 1/km² (2/sq mi). There are 2,848 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county is 83.78%, 0.78% , 0.40% or , 0.32% , 0.00% , 11.85% from , and 2.87% from two or more races. About 56% of the population is or  of any race.

There are 2,152 households out of which 37.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% are living together, 13.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% are non-families. 25.30% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.70% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.29.

In the county the population is spread out with 31.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $24,819, and the median income for a family is $31,552. Males have a median income of $25,960 versus $19,531 for females. The for the county is $12,431. 27.30% of the population and 23.90% of families are below the. Out of the total population, 38.90% of those under the age of 18 and 17.00% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Localities
There are six small communities scattered throughout the county:

City

 * is southeast of Virden, where US 70 and meet

Village

 * is in the northwestern corner, near

Other communities

 * is in the middle of the county, south of Cotton City
 * is located on the on the southern edge of the county
 * is about 25 miles southwest of Lordsburg
 * is about 13 miles almost due west of Animas, near the county border
 * is located on County Route A12

Ghost towns

 * , in the southwestern corner