Quay County Demographics

A map of Quay County's Population by Race

Quay County, New Mexico has an estimated population of 8,564, a slight decrease from the 8,746 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 47.9% White, 44.9% Hispanic, 6.3% Multiracial, 0.9% Native American/Other, 0.1% Black, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Quay County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Quay has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than New Mexico overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Quay County, that probability was 54.8% in 2020 and 56.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Quay County is ranked the 26th most populous county in New Mexico, out of 33 counties. Quay County was ranked the 26th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Quay County's White Population

4,101 residents of Quay County, or 47.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Quay County is considerably higher than in New Mexico overall, where 36% of the population is White. Quay County ranks 9th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 33 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Quay County's White population has declined by an estimated 7.5%. White residents' share of Quay County's population has decreased from 50.7% to 47.9%.

Quay County is more White than neighboring Curry County (43% White), Harding County (47.5% White), Deaf Smith County (21% White), and Parmer County (30.4% White). Quay County is less White than neighboring Oldham County (62.3% White).

Quay County's Black Population

7 residents of Quay County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Quay County is comparable to the share in New Mexico overall, where 1.8% of the population is Black. Quay County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 33 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Quay County's Black population has declined by an estimated 92.1%. Black residents' share of Quay County's population has decreased from 1.0% to 0.1%.

Quay County is less Black than neighboring Curry County (5% Black), Harding County (1.8% Black), Deaf Smith County (0.8% Black), Parmer County (0.3% Black), and Oldham County (8.7% Black).

Quay County's Asian Population

0 residents of Quay County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Quay County is comparable to the share in New Mexico overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Quay County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 33 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Quay County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Quay County's population has decreased from 0.5% to 0.0%.

Quay County is less Asian than neighboring Curry County (1.4% Asian), and Oldham County (0.3% Asian).

Quay County's Hispanic Population

3,844 residents of Quay County, or 44.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Quay County is slightly lower than in New Mexico overall, where 48.4% of the population is Hispanic. Quay County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 33 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Quay County's Hispanic population has remained roughly the same. Hispanic residents' share of Quay County's population has increased from 44.0% to 44.9%.

Quay County is more Hispanic than neighboring Harding County (36.4% Hispanic), and Oldham County (27.8% Hispanic). Quay County is less Hispanic than neighboring Curry County (45.9% Hispanic), Deaf Smith County (76.4% Hispanic), and Parmer County (66.7% Hispanic).

Quay County's Native American/Other Population

75 residents of Quay County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Quay County is lower than in New Mexico overall, where 9% of the population is Native American/Other. Quay County ranks 26th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 33 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Quay County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 21.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Quay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Quay County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Curry County (0.6% Native American/Other), Deaf Smith County (0.4% Native American/Other), Parmer County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Oldham County (0.1% Native American/Other). Quay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Harding County (11.6% Native American/Other).

Quay County's Multiracial Population

537 residents of Quay County, or 6.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Quay County is slightly higher than in New Mexico overall, where 3.1% of the population is Multiracial. Quay County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 33 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Quay County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 131.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Quay County's population has increased from 2.7% to 6.3%.

Quay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Curry County (4.1% Multiracial), Harding County (2.7% Multiracial), Deaf Smith County (1.3% Multiracial), Parmer County (2.4% Multiracial), and Oldham County (0.8% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.