Census: Clovis' population up slightly

Clovis saw a slight population increase over the last 10 years, but for the most part eastern New Mexico saw population declines over the last 10 years, according to U.S. Census data from the 2020 surveys.

The data, available at census.gov, shows Clovis’ population went from 37,775 on April 1, 2010 to 38,567 on April 1, 2020. The Clovis growth offset population declines throughout the rest of Curry County’s. The county went from 48,376 residents in 2010 to 48,430 in 2020.

Portales and Roosevelt County saw population decreases, with Portales going from 12,280 to 12,137 and the county going from 19,846 to 19,191.

New Mexico made slight gains, going from 2,059,179 to 2,117,522. Meanwhile, the U.S. population grew from 308,745,538 to 331,449,281.

According to the Census QuickFacts, about a quarter of the population in Curry and Roosevelt is under 18, compared to 22.7% statewide. Roosevelt County is at 24.4%, with Portales at 24.8%. Curry County is at 26.2%, with Clovis trending slightly higher at 27.1%. Roosevelt County, at 50.3% female population, is about on track with statewide numbers of 50.5%. Portales (48.7%), Clovis (48.1%) and Curry County (48.2%) are slightly below half.

The Census does not provide its QuickFacts for cities and towns with less than 5,000 population. It will release data for smaller towns and villages later.

Other findings from the Census data:

• In the race and origin category, those who identify as white in the counties far outpace those in the county seats. The Portales percentage in that metric is 72.9%, compared to 90.8% for the entire county. Clovis is 63.4% white only, compared to 85.6% for the county. The numbers drop significantly for people who identify as white with no Hispanic or Latino origin — between 43% (Clovis) and 50.5% (Roosevelt County).

• Just under 30% of families speak a language other than English at home — 29.3% in Roosevelt County and 29% in Curry County. Those percentages are ahead of the nation as a whole (21.6%), but well behind New Mexico as a whole (34%).

• A total of 5,425 veterans live in the two counties — 3,407 in Curry and 1,022 in Roosevelt.

• Computer ownership in Curry (88.1%) and Roosevelt (87.3%) is just ahead of the state (85.9%) and just behind the nation (90.3%). The trend is similar for households with broadband Internet subscriptions — 80.9% in Curry, 78.4% in Roosevelt, 74.6% statewide and 82.7% nationally.

• Among people 25 and older, state and national trends are higher for high school graduates and bachelor’s degree holders. Nationally, 88% of Americans 25 and older have graduated high school, compare to 85.6% of New Mexicans, 81.9% of Curry County residents and 80% of Roosevelt County residents. Those with at least a bachelor’s degree make up 32.1% of Americans 25 and older, compared to 27.3% statewide, 23.9% in Roosevelt County and 19.2% in Curry County.

• Trips to work are much shorter locally — an average of 15.6 minutes in Curry County and 16.8 minutes in Roosevelt County. The state average is 22.3 minutes, and the national average is higher at 26.9 minutes.

• Median household income is higher in Curry County at $45,092 than Roosevelt County’s $42,702. But both lag behind state ($49,754) and national ($62,843) amounts. Both counties are right around the state poverty average of 18.2% — 18.6% in Roosevelt and 18.7% in Curry. The national average is 10.5%.