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Bernalillo County
County
Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque
FlagSeal
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°03′N 106°40′W / 35.05°N 106.67°W / 35.05; -106.67
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	1852
Seat	Albuquerque
Largest city	Albuquerque
Area
• Total	1,167 sq mi (3,020 km)
• Land	1,161 sq mi (3,010 km)
• Water	6.4 sq mi (17 km)  0.5%
Population
• Total	676,444
• Density	580/sq mi (220/km)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd
Website	www.bernco.gov

Bernalillo County (/ˌbɜːrnəˈliːjoʊ/; Spanish: Condado de Bernalillo) is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 676,444. The county seat, Albuquerque, is the most populous city in New Mexico.

Bernalillo County is the central county of the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Bernalillo County was one of seven partidos established during Mexican rule; in 1852, within two years of the creation of the New Mexico Territory, Bernalillo became one of that territory's nine original counties. Bernalillo County was named for the town of Bernalillo, which is currently no longer part of the county. The towns of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Bernalillo were previously the county seats, but the capital was finally established in Albuquerque in 1883. In 1876, it absorbed Santa Ana County.

In 1906, years after the Land Revision Act of 1891 provided for the setting aside of forest reserves, the parts of Bernalillo County currently known as Cibola National Forest were established as reserves.

USS LST-306, a World War II tank landing ship that participated in the Allied invasion of Italy, was renamed as USS Bernalillo County in 1955. Sandia Mountain Wilderness was created in 1978 and the Petroglyph National Monument was established in June 1990.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,167 square miles (3,020 km), of which 1,161 square miles (3,010 km) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km) (0.5%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in New Mexico by area.

Bernalillo County is in central New Mexico, and "stretches from the East Mountain area (just east of the Sandia Mountains) to the Volcano Cliffs on the west mesa."

Adjacent counties

• Sandoval County - north
• Santa Fe County - east
• Torrance County - east
• Valencia County - south
• Cibola County - west

National protected areas

• Cibola National Forest (part)
• El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (part)
• Petroglyph National Monument

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 556,678 people, 220,936 households, and 141,178 families living in the county, making Bernalillo the most populous county in the state. The population density was 477 inhabitants per square mile (184 inhabitants/km). There were 239,074 housing units at an average density of 205 units per square mile (79/km). The racial makeup of the county was 70.75% White, 2.77% Black or African American, 4.16% Native American, 1.93% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 16.07% from other races, and 4.22% from two or more races. 41.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 220,936 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.00% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.10% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,788, and the median income for a family was $46,613. Males had a median income of $33,720 versus $26,318 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,790. About 10.20% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 662,564 people, 266,000 households, and 164,104 families living in the county. The population density was 570.8 inhabitants per square mile (220.4 inhabitants/km). There were 284,234 housing units at an average density of 244.9 units per square mile (94.6 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 69.4% white, 4.8% American Indian, 3.0% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 16.0% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 47.9% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:

• 27.6% Mexican
• 18.5% Spanish
• 11.6% German
• 8.5% Irish
• 7.6% English
• 3.4% Italian
• 2.6% American
• 2.3% French
• 1.9% Scottish
• 1.7% Scotch-Irish
• 1.7% Polish
• 1.3% Norwegian
• 1.2% Swedish
• 1.1% Dutch

Of the 266,000 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.3% were non-families, and 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 35.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,481 and the median income for a family was $59,809. Males had a median income of $42,189 versus $34,432 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,143. About 11.8% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

County Commission

County offices

New Mexico Senate

Congressional

Melanie Stansbury (D) is the representative for the 1st Congressional District.

Gabe Vasquez (D) is the representative for the 2nd Congressional District.

Presidential

In presidential elections prior to 1992, Bernalillo County primarily voted for Republican Party candidates, only supporting three Democratic candidates in six elections total. (Franklin D. Roosevelt four times, Harry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson once each). From 1992 on, the county has backed Democratic Party candidates in every presidential election. While the margins were relatively narrow from 1992 to 2004, since then the county has tilted strongly Democratic similar to many urban counties nationwide.

Communities

A local toponymic oddity is that the town of Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque, is not actually in Bernalillo County. When established in 1852, the county was named for the town of Bernalillo, which was incorporated into Sandoval County in 1903.

Bracketed number refers to location on map, right

Cities

• Albuquerque (3) (county seat)
• Rio Rancho (partial)

Town

• Edgewood (partial)

Villages

• Los Ranchos de Albuquerque (1)
• Tijeras (6)

Census-designated places

• Barton
• Carnuel (9)
• Cedar Crest (5)
• Cedro
• Chilili (8)
• Edith Enclave
• Isleta (7)
• Kirtland AFB
• Manzano Springs (partial)
• North Valley (2)
• Paa-Ko
• Pajarito Mesa
• Paradise Hills
• Ponderosa Pine
• San Antonito
• Sandia Heights
• Sandia Knolls
• Sandia Park
• Sedillo
• South Valley (4)

Unincorporated communities

• Alameda
• Isleta Pueblo
• Laguna Pueblo
• Sandia Pueblo (partial)
• Zuzax

Education

There are three school districts in the county:

• Albuquerque Public Schools
• Moriarty Municipal Schools
• Rio Rancho Public Schools

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools:

• Isleta Elementary School
• Albuquerque Indian School (closed)

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), a BIE community college, is in an unincorporated area in the county.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

References

1. ^ Bernalillo County Archived October 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine from the website of the New Mexico Office of the State Historian
2. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Bernalillo County, New Mexico". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ "History of Bernalillo County". www.bernco.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
5. "Bernalillo County | Mid-Region Council of Governments, NM". www.mrcog-nm.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
6. Southwestern Region Initial Forest Reserves and National Forests, from a U.S. Forest Service website
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
8. Bernalillo County Extension Office from a New Mexico State University website
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. ^ "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
15. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
16. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
17. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
19. "Bernalillo is now the county seat". Santa Fe New Mexican. May 8, 1905. p. 8. Retrieved April 28, 2017 – via Library of Congress.
20. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bernalillo County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2022. - Text list
21. "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Albuquerque city, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 8 (PDF p. 9/25). Retrieved November 6, 2023. Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Inst - also seen in: "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Bernalillo County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 26 (PDF p. 27/41). Retrieved November 6, 2023.

External links

• "Bernalillo" . The American Cyclopædia. 1879.

v t e Places adjacent to Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Sandoval County Cibola County Bernalillo County, New Mexico Santa Fe County and Torrance County Valencia County

v t e City of Albuquerque, New Mexico
History	History Timeline
Areas	Barelas Downtown Downtown Neighborhood Huning Highlands International District Martineztown-Santa Barbara Nob Hill Old Town San Jose Silver Hill South Broadway West Mesa
Metropolitan area	Albuquerque (Principal city) Belen Bernalillo Bosque Farms Corrales Cuba Encino Estancia Isleta Village Proper Jemez Springs Jemez Pueblo Laguna Pueblo Los Lunas Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Peralta Moriarty Mountainair Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Sandia Village Rio Communities Rio Rancho San Felipe Pueblo San Ysidro Santa Ana Pueblo Santo Domingo Pueblo South Valley, New Mexico Tijeras Willard Zia Pueblo
Transportation	Albuquerque International Sunport Double Eagle II Airport Alvarado Transportation Center
Landmarks	Albuquerque Biological Park ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden Albuquerque Museum of Art and History New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Old Albuquerque HS Old Post Office Petroglyph National Monument San Felipe de Neri Church
Education	Albuquerque Public Schools Coronado ES Monte Vista ES Albuquerque HS Cibola HS Del Norte HS Eldorado HS Highland HS La Cueva HS Manzano HS Sandia HS Valley HS Volcano Vista HS West Mesa HS Amy Biehl Charter HS Native American Comm Acad NM Sch f/t Blind & Vis Imp ABQ preschool NM Sch f/t Deaf ABQ preschool Public Academy for Performing Arts St. Pius X HS University of New Mexico template Closed Albuquerque Indian School Bataan Military Academy
Media	Albuquerque Journal
People	Notable residents
Politics	Tim Keller, Mayor City Council Mayors
Culture	Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Bernalillo County North Valley Rio Rancho South Valley Atrisco Heritage Academy HS, Kirtland Air Force Base, and National Museum of Nuclear Science & History are adjacent to but outside of the city limits. Rio Grande HS and Sandia Peak Tramway are near but not in the city limits.

v t e Municipalities and communities of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
County seat: Albuquerque
Cities	Albuquerque Rio Rancho‡
Town	Edgewood‡
Villages	Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Tijeras
CDPs	Barton‡ Carnuel Cedar Crest Cedro Chilili Edith Enclave Isleta Kirtland AFB Manzano Springs‡ North Valley Paa-Ko Pajarito Mesa Paradise Hills Ponderosa Pine San Antonito Sandia Heights Sandia Knolls Sandia Park Sedillo South Valley
Other communities	Alameda Cañoncito Isleta Pueblo Zuzax
Indian reservations	Isleta Pueblo Laguna Pueblo‡ Navajo Nation‡ Sandia Pueblo‡
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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