Union County, New Mexico

Union County population, land area and income

Union County had 3,926 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 3,825.1 square miles of land. It ranks 30th of 33 in New Mexico by population and 15th by land area. That works out to 1.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in New Mexico has 26,428 residents, so Union County has 15% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $45,458 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Union County's population changed since 2020

Union County lost 147 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 3.6%. That ranks 31st of 33 in New Mexico for growth. The median New Mexico county changed by -1.3%, and the state as a whole by +0.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Union County recorded 153 births and 264 deaths, a natural change of -111. Net international migration added +3 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -47. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 111 people.

Where Union County is

The Census internal point of Union County is at 36.488100, -103.475700. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades New Mexico's 33 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Union County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Union County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Union County, 2,559 people together, or 65% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Union County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Clayton with 2,559.

Counties bordering Union County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Union County, including 5 across a state line. The most populous is Las Animas County, CO, with 14,518 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• CO

  Las Animas County, CO

  14,518 people

  65 mi NNW

• Colfax County

  12,307 people

  65 mi W

• Quay County

  8,403 people

  96 mi S

• TX

  Dallam County, TX

  7,526 people

  51 mi ESE

• TX

  Hartley County, TX

  4,996 people

  66 mi SE

• CO

  Baca County, CO

  3,367 people

  77 mi NE

• OK

  Cimarron County, OK

  2,133 people

  56 mi ENE

• Harding County

  635 people

  48 mi SSW

Distance to Santa Fe and the nearest big city

Santa Fe is 148.4 miles WSW of Union County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Amarillo, TX (population 203,729), 128.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Dumas, TX (population 14,834), 94.7 miles away.

Union County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Union County is 35059: state code 35 for New Mexico plus county code 059. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $45,458.