New Mexico Information and Facts

Official Website: http://www.state.nm.us/

Income

The population of New Mexico in 2002 was 1,852,044. Its rank was 36th in the nation. (The District of Columbia is included for ranking purposes.)

Per Capita Personal Income

In 2002 New Mexico had a per capita personal income of $24,823. This per capita personal income ranked 47th in the United States and was 80 percent of the national average, $30,906. The 2002 per capita personal income reflected an increase of 3.7 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.2 percent. In 1992 the per capita personal income of New Mexico was $16,273 and ranked 47th in the United States. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of per capita personal income was 4.3 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 4.0 percent.

Total Personal Income

In 2002 New Mexico had a total personal income of $45,974,027. This total personal income ranked 37th in the United States. In 1992 the total personal income of New Mexico was $25,963,295 and ranked 39th in the United States. The 2002 total personal income reflected an increase of 5.0 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 2.3 percent. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of total personal income was 5.9 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.2 percent.

Components of Personal Income

Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and total personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of New Mexico. In 2002 net earnings accounted for 65.1 percent of total personal income (compared with 66.8 in 1992); dividends, interest, and rent were 17.6 percent (compared with 18.7 in 1992); and personal current transfer receipts were 17.3 percent (compared with 14.6 in 1992). From 2001 to 2002 net earnings increased 4.4 percent; dividends, interest, and rent increased 2.2 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased 10.7 percent. From 1992 to 2002 net earnings increased on average 5.6 percent each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 5.3 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased on average 7.7 percent.

Employment Earnings

Earnings of persons employed in New Mexico increased from $31,748,350 in 2001 to $33,213,689 in 2002, an increase of 4.6 percent. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.5 percent. The average annual growth rate from the 1992 estimate of $19,260,311 to the 2002 estimate was 5.6 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.3 percent.

Area - New Mexico covers 314,937 sq km (121,598 sq mi), including 606 sq km (234 sq mi) of inland water. It is the fifth largest state in the United States. The state is roughly square in shape, and its extreme dimensions are 565 km (351 mi) from east to west and 629 km (391 mi) from north to south. The state's highest point is Wheeler Peak at 4011 m (13,161 ft), and the lowest is Red Bluff Reservoir at 866 m (2842 ft). The mean elevation in New Mexico is about 1740 m (about 5700 ft). It is bounded on the north by Colorado, on the east by Oklahoma and Texas, on the south by Texas and Mexico, and on the west by Arizona.

Climate - The climate of New Mexico is generally mild, sunny, and dry. Most of the state has between 250 and 500 mm (10 and 20 in) of rainfall annually. Winters are drier than summers. Temperatures and precipitation vary widely from night to day and from winter to summer. In addition, climate varies greatly within each natural region. Higher mountain areas have a much cooler and wetter climate than lower areas nearby. Average annual precipitation ranges from about 200 mm (about 8 in) in the Río Grande and San Juan river valleys to more than 760 mm (30 in) in the northern mountains. The overall average for the state is about 330 mm (about 13 in) per year. July and August are the wettest months. Nearly half the year's precipitation occurs during the summer, mostly in the form of brief but often heavy thunderstorms. Winter precipitation falls as snow in the mountains and as either rain or snow at lower elevations. At times during the winter, cold air masses moving southward from Canada invade the state and produce blizzards and cold waves, especially in the northern parts. Annual mean temperatures vary from about 16° C (about 60° F) in the south to about 10° C (about 50° F) in the north. The southern areas, however, have many days of summer temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F). Temperatures in the lower -20°s C (below 0° F) can occur in all areas during the winter.

State Flag

State Flower - Yucca Flower

State Capitol - Santa Fe
New Mexico is governed according to a constitution that became effective when statehood was achieved in 1912. Amendments may be proposed in either house of the legislature and must be approved by both houses and by a majority of the electorate before becoming law. A more complex process is necessary for amendments involving the right to vote, school lands, and the languages used in education.

Famous People

Al Unser auto racer, Albuquerque
Bobby Unser auto racer, Albuquerque
Bruce Cabot actor, Carlsbad
Conrad Hilton hotel executive, San Antonio
Demi Moore actress, Roswell
Dennis Chavez senator, Los Chavez
Edward Condon physicist, Alamogordo
Harvey Fergusson author, Albuquerque
John Denver singer, Roswell
John Madden sportscaster, Austin
Kim Stanley actress, Tularosa
Linda Wertheimer NPR correspondent, Carlsbad
Mangus Coloradas apache leader
Neil Patrick Harris actor, Albuquerque
Peter Hurd artist, Roswell
Ralph Kiner baseball player, sportscaster, Santa Rita
Robert Crichton author, Albuquerque
Sid Gutierrez astronaut, Albuquerque
Slim Summerville comedian, Albuquerque
Thomas Weaver anthropologist, author Greenville
Victorio Apache chief
William Hanna animator, Melrose
William Henry Bill Mauldin political cartoonist, Mountain Park