San Juan County, New Mexico

thumb|right|200px|San Juan County includes the New Mexico section of the [[Four Corners Monument.]]

right|thumb|200px|[[Shiprock]]

San Juan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, its population was 121,661, making it the fifth-most populous county in New Mexico. Its county seat is Aztec. The county was created in 1887.

San Juan County is part of the Farmington, New Mexico, metropolitan statistical area. It is in the state's northwest corner and includes the New Mexico portion of the Four Corners.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.5%) are covered by water. Indian reservations (and off-reservation trust lands) comprise 63.4% of the county's land area. The Navajo Nation takes up 60.45% and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation occupies another 2.93%.

The physical features include three rivers - the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers, and the Chuska Mountains and Shiprock Pinnacle to the west. There are related volcanic structures, buttes, mesas, badlands, and fertile river valleys.

Adjacent counties

Rio Arriba County - east
Sandoval County - southeast
McKinley County - south
Apache County, Arizona - west
San Juan County, Utah - northwest
Montezuma County, Colorado - north
La Plata County, Colorado - north
Archuleta County, Colorado - northeast

National protected areas

Aztec Ruins National Monument
Chaco Culture National Historical Park (part)

Major highways

x20px U.S. Route 64
x20px U.S. Route 491 (formerly U.S. Route 666)
x20px U.S. Route 550
20x20px New Mexico State Road 170
x20px New Mexico State Road 371
20x20px New Mexico State Road 511
x20px New Mexico State Road 597(connector to Four Corners Monument)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 121,661. The median age was 36.5 years. 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+San Juan County, New Mexico – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|52,922

|55,254

|style='background: #ffffe6; |43,583

|46.50%

|42.49%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35.82%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|429

|617

|style='background: #ffffe6; |554

|0.38%

|0.47%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.46%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|41,290

|46,321

|style='background: #ffffe6; |48,413

|36.28%

|35.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |39.79%

|Asian alone (NH)

|279

|445

|style='background: #ffffe6; |872

|0.25%

|0.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.72%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|36

|64

|style='background: #ffffe6; |67

|0.03%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%

|Other race alone (NH)

|89

|117

|style='background: #ffffe6; |454

|0.08%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|1,699

|2,450

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,088

|1.49%

|1.88%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.36%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|17,057

|24,776

|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,630

|14.99%

|19.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19.42%

|Total

|113,801

|130,044

|style='background: #ffffe6; |121,661

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

The racial makeup of the county was 41.4% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 41.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 7.0% from some other race, and 9.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 19.4% of the population.

64.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 35.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 42,536 households in the county, of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 49,341 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 51.6% White, 36.6% American Indian, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.3% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 19.1% of the population.

34.8% Navajo
15.0% English
10.7% Mexican
9.1% German
5.9% Irish
4.4% Spanish
2.8% American
1.8% French
1.4% Italian
1.2% Scottish
1.1% Scotch-Irish
1.1% Swedish

Of the 44,404 households, 40.5% had children under 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.9% were not families, and 21.9% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.38. The median age was 33.0 years.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 113,801 people, 37,711 households, and 28,924 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 43,221 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 52.83% White, 0.44% Black or African American, 36.88% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.77% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. 14.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 37,712 households, 42.0% had children under 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female head of household with no husband present, and 23.3% were not families. About 19.3% of households were one person and 6.4% were one person 65 or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.43.

The age distribution was 32.6% under 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.

The median household income was $33,762 and the median family income was $37,382. Males had a median income of $35,066 versus $21,299 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,282. About 18.0% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Aztec
Bloomfield
Kirtland
Farmington

Census-designated places

Angustura
Beclabito
Blanco
Cedar Hill
Center Point
Crystal‡
Flora Vista
La Boca
La Plata
Lake Valley
Lee Acres
Middle Mesa
Nageezi
Napi Headquarters
Naschitti
Navajo Dam
Nenahnezad
Newcomb
North Light Plant
Ojo Amarillo
Sanostee
Sheep Springs
Shiprock
Spencerville
Totah Vista
Turley
Upper Fruitland
Waterflow
West Hammond

Other communities

Fruitland
Huerfano
Riverside
White Rock

Politics

The county has consistently voted for the Republican Party, though Democrats have usually gotten at least 30% of the vote. The only Democratic presidential candidate to win the county since 1936 was Lyndon B. Johnson in his 1964 landslide, who only narrowly won the county by just 93 votes and a margin of victory of less than 1%. San Juan County is the most populous county in New Mexico to lean Republican. The cities of Farmington, Bloomfield, Aztec, and Kirtland all lean strongly Republican, as does the rural area in the north and east of the county. The rural districts to the southwest around Nageezi, which have a high Native American population, saw a Republican trend in the 2024 election and flipped to give Donald Trump a slim majority. The western half of the county including the community of Shiprock, an area which is dominated by the Navajo Nation, votes traditionally Democratic.

Education

School districts include:

Aztec Municipal Schools
Bloomfield Municipal Schools
Central Consolidated Schools
Farmington Municipal Schools