Quay County, New Mexico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Quay County, NM Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 81% of counties in New Mexico
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Quay County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,564 | 2,118,085 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3.0 | 17.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.03% | 0.20% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.4 | 38.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,389 | 836,644 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Quay County declined by 4.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,564 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Quay County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.7% of residents. That is 6.3 points above New Mexico as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,430 16.7% -4.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,487 17.4% -4.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,769 20.7% +1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,117 24.7% +6.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New Mexico, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.4% of the people living in Quay County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% New Mexico 50.5%
- Men 48.6% New Mexico 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Quay County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Quay County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Quay County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,704 | $64,523 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.54% | 4.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Quay County is about 32% lower than in New Mexico.
Housing
| Metric | Quay County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $28,055 | $204,122 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $712 | $1,067 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.6% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Quay County is about 3.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $712 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Quay County spend about 16 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 66 hours, about 2.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Quay County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 8.0 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 15.9 | 37.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 66 | 157 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,057 | $4,866 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 12.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,642 | 4,931 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 127 | 619 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New Mexico:
De Baca County (7.9 min), Quay County (8.0 min), Union County (8.3 min).
Slowest:
Torrance County (36.5 min), Mora County (30.1 min), Valencia County (30.1 min).
The average commute time in Quay County is 8 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes in New Mexico.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Quay County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Quay County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.3% | 26.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.93 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New Mexico:
Los Alamos County (0.6), Santa Fe County (0.4), Bernalillo County (0.3).
Lowest:
Guadalupe County (0.2), Luna County (0.2), McKinley County (0.2).
Health
Quay County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Quay County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.9 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.0% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.3% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New Mexico:
Los Alamos County (0.8), Santa Fe County (0.8), Bernalillo County (0.8).
Lowest:
McKinley County (0.8), Cibola County (0.8), Luna County (0.8).
Quay County, NM Compared With Nearby Counties
How Quay County, NM compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quay County, NM | 8,564 | $43,704 #2/2 | $28,055 #2/2 | 8.0 min #1/2 |
| Curry County, NM | 47,638 | $58,178 | $162,638 | 13.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Quay County, New Mexico.
How many people live in Quay County, New Mexico?
About 8,564 people live in Quay County, New Mexico, in 4,389 households of 1.9 people on average. The median age is 47.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
How densely populated is Quay County, New Mexico?
Averaged over its land area, Quay County, New Mexico has 3 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 3% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Quay County, New Mexico an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($28,055 against $43,704), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $712 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Quay County, New Mexico?
Unemployment in Quay County, New Mexico is 7.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Quay County, New Mexico?
15.3% of adults in Quay County, New Mexico hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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