New Mexico census records showed that the state was on a growth pattern, with a 24.9 percent increase in population since the previous decade, despite the declining rate of birth and the new laws restricting immigration. The total population for the state was 531,818.
This census was given special attention with a presidential decree ordering all businesses, stores, and saloons to close. This was so that the census takers could take up the count of the population more easily, and the hope was that it would aid in speeding along the census results. The population totaled 426,317.
The population of New Mexico in this census was 360,350. That's over 25,000 more people than a decade earlier. Since the last census, New Mexico had gone from being considered a Territory to becoming a State of the United States of America.
Taking the census for the first time proved that the population of New Mexico had enough of a population to warrant having a seat in the House of Representatives. The total population had grown to 327,301. That is a startling growth of more than 125,000 people.
There were 195,310 people counted as residents of New Mexico when this census was taken. There were not any Representatives yet seated in the House to take care of the needs of the state. One of the newer developments during this time was the extension of rural free mail delivery.
In 1890, there was a tax assessment in the territory of New Mexico Territory to help with the census. It was supposed to substitute some of the work necessary and usually done strictly by enumerators. The population had increased by 28.46 percent, and was up to 160,282.
The population of New Mexico was totaled at 119,565 in 1880. Civilized Indians made up 9772 of those people. The census also showed that there were 3150 acres in the state that were used to produce 905,000 barrels of wine each year.
New Mexico had a population decrease for the first time since the census has been taken there. In 1870, the population went down by almost 2,000. The final count was 91,874 people.
Since the last census, the population of New Mexico has grown by more than 30,000. The total population was found to be 93,516 for this census. Interestingly, the white population in the country was divided to represent each of the North and the South. The fight to end slavery was strong, and New Mexico had refused to make it a legal practice to own slaves in the state.
1850 was the first year the census was taken in New Mexico. The enumerators counted 61,547 people in the entire state. The enumerators spoke only English, making it quite the task to spell names correctly in some cases. Many of the people they talked to were illiterate, and therefore were unable to tell the enumerators how to spell their own names. The results were records which may be difficult to read and understand, and a record of names which may mostly be spelled wrong.
The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of New Mexico provides New Mexico census information. The page allows users to click on the data or maps that they are seeking. The bureau also includes links to general information on commonly asked questions. Many of the files are displayed in Excel or PDF format.
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