Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Los Lunas had a population of 17,242. The median age was 37.0 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.5 males age 18 and over.

98.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,393 households in Los Lunas, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.9% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 10,034 people, 3,601 households, and 2,689 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 3,845 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 64.14% White, 1.16% African American, 2.62% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 27.63% from other races, and 3.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 58.74% of the population.

There were 3,601 households, out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,240, and the median income for a family was $37,255. Males had a median income of $30,664 versus $22,437 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,692. About 11.6% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

On September 14, 2016, Facebook announced their plans to open a data center in Los Lunas. The construction would start in October 2016, and it will be equipped with the latest in the Open Compute Project hardware designs, protected from the frequent dust storms that occur in New Mexico, and powered by 100% clean and renewable energy through solar and wind plants. This data center will support 300 new construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs. The data center opened on February 7, 2019.

The village is served by the New Mexico Rail Runner Express at Los Lunas station. It is also served by Interstate 25 in New Mexico, New Mexico State Road 314, and New Mexico State Road 6.

Arts and culture

The village offers a variety of events to go to. Among them are annual events such as: the St. Patrick's Day Balloon Rally; Fourth of July Parade, celebration and fireworks display at Daniel Fernandez Park; and the Holiday Electric Light Parade down Main Street (NM Highway 6).

Education

Los Lunas' public schools are operated by Los Lunas Public Schools, which includes three high schools, two middle schools, one intermediate school, and ten elementary schools. Another school entitled Family School is a program that allows the combination of public school and homeschooling, found on the Daniel Fernandez Elementary Campus.

Growth was rapid for Los Lunas in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the enrollment of Los Lunas High School reaching nearly 2,500 students around 2004. In fact, Valencia High School opened in 2006 as a relief valve for that enrollment, but due in part to the recession of the late 2000s, the two schools had a similar enrollment by the end of the decade.

Media

The town has been the site of two episodes of Breaking Bad, serving as the home of Tuco Salamanca.

Notable people

  • Rosie Hamlin, singer of the song Angel Baby
  • Sal Artiaga, Minor League Baseball president, born in Los Lunas
  • Bo Diddley, rock musician, lived in Los Lunas in the 1970s
  • Anton Docher (aka The Padre of Isleta) served as a priest in Los Lunas during his long period in Isleta
  • Michael A. Montoya, 26th New Mexico State Treasurer
  • Adelina Otero-Warren, women's suffragist
  • Walter Jon Williams, Nebula Award-winning science fiction author

References

  • Village of Los Lunas