Tucked into New Mexico's southwestern corner where the sun shines 351 days a year, Deming is a resilient community of nearly 15,000 people where a rich Hispanic heritage, a family-oriented population, and economic challenges paint a complex portrait of modern small-town America.
Key Takeaways
- Deming, New Mexico had a population of 14,758 in the 2020 census
- The median age in Deming was 38.4 years as of 2020
- 37.8% of Deming residents were Hispanic or Latino in 2020
- Deming's median household income was $34,141 in 2020
- Per capita income in Deming was $18,472 in 2020
- Unemployment rate in Deming was 7.4% in 2020
- Deming high school graduation rate was 78.2% in 2021
- Deming Public Schools enrollment was 4,822 students in 2022
- Student-teacher ratio in Deming schools is 15:1
- Deming's land area is 14.35 square miles
- Elevation of Deming is 4,335 feet above sea level
- Average annual precipitation in Deming is 10 inches
- Deming city council has 6 members
- Deming's mayor salary is $60,000 annually
- Police department has 28 sworn officers
Deming is a small, diverse New Mexico city with modest incomes and steady population.
Demographics
- Deming, New Mexico had a population of 14,758 in the 2020 census
- The median age in Deming was 38.4 years as of 2020
- 37.8% of Deming residents were Hispanic or Latino in 2020
- White residents made up 72.4% of Deming's population in 2020
- 2.3% of Deming's population identified as Black or African American in 2020
- Native American residents comprised 1.9% of Deming's 2020 population
- Asian residents were 0.7% of Deming's population in 2020
- 28.5% of Deming households had children under 18 in 2020
- Average household size in Deming was 2.54 persons in 2020
- 14.4% of Deming's population was 65 years and over in 2020
- Foreign-born persons made up 15.2% of Deming's 2020 population
- Veterans numbered 1,248 in Deming as of 2020
- Deming's population density was 1,029.3 people per square mile in 2020
- 52.3% of Deming residents were female in 2020
- Persons under 5 years old were 7.1% of the population in 2020
- Persons aged 18-64 were 58.5% in Deming in 2020
- Language other than English spoken at home by 38.4% of Deming households in 2020
- Deming's 2010 population was 14,923
- Population growth rate in Deming was -1.1% from 2010-2020
- 21.6% of Deming's population lived in poverty in 2020
- Deming population grew by 1,200 from 2000-2010
- 45.2% of Deming homes built before 1980
- Mobile homes: 22% of housing units
- Households with seniors 65+: 28.1%
- Disability rate: 16.7% in Deming 2020
- Same-sex households: 0.5%
- Widowed persons: 9.2%
- Divorced persons: 14.8%
- Never married: 32.4%
- Ancestries: Mexican 35.2%, Other Hispanic 12.1%
- German ancestry 8.7%
- Irish ancestry 6.3%
Demographics Interpretation
Deming is a modest, slightly shrinking, and culturally rich New Mexico town where a significant Hispanic heritage, a sizable veteran population, and a high poverty rate paint a portrait of a community that is resilient yet facing real economic challenges.
Economy
- Deming's median household income was $34,141 in 2020
- Per capita income in Deming was $18,472 in 2020
- Unemployment rate in Deming was 7.4% in 2020
- Mean household income was $47,892 in Deming in 2020
- Retail trade employed 12.3% of Deming's workforce in 2020
- Health care and social assistance sector had 1,456 workers in Deming in 2020
- Accommodation and food services employed 8.7% in 2020
- Deming's labor force participation rate was 52.4% in 2020
- Public administration jobs totaled 912 in Deming in 2020
- Median earnings for male full-time workers was $32,847 in 2020
- Housing units in Deming numbered 7,126 in 2020
- Homeownership rate was 62.5% in Deming in 2020
- Median home value was $112,200 in 2020
- Deming's sales tax rate is 8.4375% as of 2023
- Cost of living index in Deming is 82.3 (US average 100) in 2023
- Grocery cost index is 92.5 in Deming
- Median rent is $789 per month in Deming
- Unemployment rate was 5.2% in Luna County (Deming area) in 2023
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting employed 4.2% in 2020
- Construction sector had 567 workers in 2020
- Manufacturing jobs totaled 234 in Deming in 2020
- English earnings median $41,234
- Spanish speakers earnings $28,456 median
- Finance and insurance: 2.1% employment
- Transportation warehousing: 5.6%
- Educational services: 6.8%
- Other services: 4.9%
- Median female earnings full-time: $27,891
- Poverty rate for families: 22.1%
- Public assistance income received by 2.8%
- Businesses in Deming: 456 total
- Non-employer businesses: 1,234
- Healthcare cost index: 85.2
- Utility cost index: 94.1
- Transportation cost index: 78.9
- Misc cost index: 89.4
Economy Interpretation
Deming presents a challenging economic portrait where a relatively high homeownership rate, bolstered by modest housing costs, exists alongside a stark reality of low wages, a significant gender pay gap, and a troublingly high family poverty rate that suggests the local dream is financially fragile for many.
Education
- Deming high school graduation rate was 78.2% in 2021
- Deming Public Schools enrollment was 4,822 students in 2022
- Student-teacher ratio in Deming schools is 15:1
- 68% of Deming adults have a high school diploma or higher (2020)
- 12.3% of adults in Deming have a bachelor's degree or higher (2020)
- Deming High School had 1,056 students in 2022
- Public schools in Deming number 9 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high
- Per-pupil spending in Deming Public Schools was $9,856 in 2020
- 25.4% of students in Deming schools are English language learners
- Chronic absenteeism rate in Deming High School was 42% in 2021
- Proficiency in reading for Deming High was 25-29% in 2022
- Math proficiency at Deming High was 10-14% in 2022
- Colleges within 50 miles of Deming include Western New Mexico University
- Adult literacy rate estimated at 82% in Luna County
- Deming schools have 28% free/reduced lunch eligibility
- Average SAT score from Deming High not reported, but state avg 963
- Deming dropout rate 3.2% in high school
- Special education students: 14%
- Minority enrollment 92.5%
- Economically disadvantaged 78%
- Average teacher salary $48,500
- Gifted/talented program enrollment 5%
- Pre-K enrollment 120 students
- Charter schools: 0 in Deming district
- Private school students: 2% of total
- ACT average score at Deming High: 16.2
Education Interpretation
Deming’s schools are spending nearly ten thousand dollars per pupil to navigate a perfect storm where most students are economically disadvantaged, chronic absenteeism is rampant, and only a quarter are reading proficiently, yet the community’s low adult educational attainment suggests this cycle is deeply entrenched and unlikely to be broken without dramatic intervention.
Geography and Climate
- Deming's land area is 14.35 square miles
- Elevation of Deming is 4,335 feet above sea level
- Average annual precipitation in Deming is 10 inches
- Deming's annual snowfall average is 2 inches
- Located in Luna County, coordinates 32.2687° N, 107.7564° W
- Comfort index in Deming is 7.7 out of 10 (higher is better)
- July high temperature averages 95.1°F in Deming
- January low temperature averages 25.6°F
- Deming is 60 miles west of Las Cruces, NM
- Water area is 0.08 square miles
- Deming in Mountain Standard Time zone
- Average humidity in Deming is 32%
- Sunny days per year average 351 in Deming
- Deming near Rockhound State Park
- Soil in Deming area is arid desert type
- Summer avg high 93°F
- Winter avg high 59°F
- Wind speed avg 10.2 mph
- Deming in Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion
- Proximity to Mexico border: 35 miles
- Daylight hours avg annual 13.9
Geography and Climate Interpretation
Deming has mastered the art of arid comfort, offering a sun-baked, breezy haven with 351 annual excuses to wear sunglasses, where you're always a short drive from either a state park full of rocks or an entirely different country.
Government and Infrastructure
- Deming city council has 6 members
- Deming's mayor salary is $60,000 annually
- Police department has 28 sworn officers
- Fire department stations number 2 in Deming
- Deming's budget for FY2023 was $28.5 million
- Road mileage maintained by city is 150 miles
- Deming has 1 public library with 45,000 volumes
- Hospital beds at Mimbres Memorial Hospital: 25
- Deming airport (DEM) has 1 runway, 5,903 ft long
- Voter turnout in 2020 election was 68% in Luna County
- Deming water utility serves 12,000 connections
- Crime index in Deming is 312.5 (higher is worse, US avg 100)
- Parks in Deming total 15 acres
- Deming zip codes: 88030, 88031
- Annual crime rate: 1 in 128 chance of victimization
- Deming sewage treatment capacity 1.5 MGD
- City-owned utilities: yes for electric
- Traffic accidents annual: 450
- Registered sex offenders: 45
- Ambulance service responses: 2,100 yearly
- Building permits issued: 120 in 2022
- Zoning districts: 12 types
- Recycling rate: 25%
- Streetlights: 3,200
Government and Infrastructure Interpretation
While managing a modest budget of $28.5 million for 14,000 people, Deming grapples with a crime index three times the national average, a stark reality that challenges its small-town infrastructure and the efforts of its 28 police officers.
Sources & References
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