Cotton City, New Mexico Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 286, Cotton City's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Cotton City is a small community located in New Mexico, within Hidalgo County. The total population is 286. It ranks as the 318th most populous out of 495 Census-designated places in New Mexico.

Age Demographics

The median age in Cotton City is 33.9 years. This is 14% lower than the state median of 39.4 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Cotton City is $56,574. This is 12% lower than the state median of $64,059. It is also 30% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 35.3%. This is 98% higher than the state poverty rate of 17.8%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The survey records no unemployed residents in Cotton City, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $186,900. Housing costs are 25% lower than the state median of $248,100. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.3x. 100.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 43% higher than the state average of 70.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Cotton City is Hispanic or Latino, making up 71.3% of the population. White (non-Hispanic) residents account for 28.7%.

Education

13.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 58% lower than the state rate of 31.0%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 82.1%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Cotton City, New Mexico is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against New Mexico state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 495 Census-designated places in New Mexico. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.