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 Improving New Mexicans’ health requires an understanding of who we are. This section paints a portrait of the state’s population. It sketches our changing age-structure and diverse racial and ethnic composition and summarizes our educational and income levels. Thus, it describes how race and ethnicity, education and income form a context for our lives as we seek to improve our health status.
Population Population density. In 1997, the total population of New Mexico was 1,729,751,(1) many of whom lived in three urbanized areas:(2) Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe. Together, these include 43% of the state’s population.(3) The remaining 57% is spread across 121,032 square miles, or 99.7% of the state’s land area. As a result, New Mexico’s population density (14.3 persons per square mile) ranks 45th in the nation;(4) rural residents often travel great distances to access preventive and other healthcare services. New Mexico ranks 36th in population size among states.(5) Age-structure changes, 1950 - 2010. New Mexico’s population is slightly ‘younger’ than the nation’s as a whole, in terms of its percentages of young people and older people. In 1998, the median age of New Mexicans was 34.1(6) compared to 35.2(7) for all Americans. Like the U.S., the state’s population is becoming ‘older’. The pie charts to the right show the estimated New Mexico age distributions in 1950 and 1998 and predictions for the year 2010. In 1950, 40% of New Mexicans were under age 18,(8) but by 2010 this age group is expected to make up only 28% of the state’s population.(9) Conversely, between 1950 and 1998 the proportion of New Mexicans 65 and older more than doubled, from 5% to 11%.(8),(10) By 2010, it is expected to be 12%.(9) These shifts in the age distribution of the population result from the combination of an increased lifespan and decreasing birth rate. Between 1950 and 1998, New Mexico’s birth rate dropped from 32.4(11) to 15.7 per 1,000 population.(12) Between 1950 and 1990, life expectancy for New Mexicans increased by 7.9 years for males and 10.2 years for females.(13) The aging of the population has an impact on its health status. With a younger population, childhood illnesses, such as infectious diseases, have a greater impact on public health. As the population ages, chronic illnesses and long-term health care put greater demands on our health care and other systems. Race and Ethnicity Population composition. Among states, New Mexico has the highest proportion of Hispanics (40%) and ranks second in the proportion of American Indians (9%).(14) With only 49% Non-Hispanic White and 3% African-American, and 1% Asian or Pacific Islander,(15) New Mexico is “the only state in which no single major racial/ethnic group holds a majority of the state’s population.”(16) Diversity within diversity. New Mexico’s large Hispanic population is diverse as to country of origin, language, and culture. In the 1990 Census, several groups are identified based on their self-reported origins (Spanish, Spanish American, Mexican American, etc.)(17),(18) New Mexico contains within its borders 26 American Indian tribe, pueblo, and/or reservation land areas that have been defined by the U.S. Census. The state’s 158,036 American Indians (both on and off reservations)(19) include Navajo (59%), Pueblo (26%), Apache (4%), and other tribes (10%).(20) In 1997, 61% resided in three northwestern counties (Cibola, McKinley, San Juan) and constituted from 37% to 72% of those counties’ populations.(21) Education National and regional comparisons. In 1990, New Mexicans’ level of education was similar to that of the U.S.; 75% (25 years and over) achieved a high school diploma or greater.(22) Within the southwest, this compares favorably with Texas (72%); Colorado’s (84%) and Arizona’s (79%) levels were higher. The proportions of the populations of New Mexico, Arizona and Texas attaining a bachelor’s degree or higher were virtually identical (20%); Colorado had 27%.
In New Mexico, educational levels varied by place of residence and ethnicity/race. In 1990,(23) adults, ages 18 and older, in urbanized areas (50,000 or more persons),(24) had higher educational levels than those in rural areas. People in urbanized areas were more likely (45% vs. 35%) to have at least some college (Figure 2) and were nearly twice as likely (15% vs. 8%) as rural residents to have a bachelor’s degree. Among rural residents, 33% were not high school graduates compared to 19% among those in urbanized areas.(25) New Mexico’s dropout rate for grades 9-12 fell from 10% in 1989-90 to 7% in 1997-98.(26)
Seven out of ten Hispanics or American Indians, 18 years and older, had a high school diploma or less, compared to four out of ten Non-Hispanic Whites (Figure 3).(27) When college and higher levels of education are considered, disparities emerge. Hispanics and Indians are half as likely (28% and 27%, respectively) compared to Non-Hispanic Whites (59%) to have at least some college, while Blacks in New Mexico (48%) fall between those levels. Education pays off. In 1989, 15% of all persons, 25 years and over, with a high school diploma (or a GED) had incomes below the federal poverty line (FPL);(28) for those with less than a 9th grade education, it was 38%. As education levels increased, the percents below the FPL declined to 10% for those with some college but no degree; 5% for those with a bachelor’s degree; and 4% for those with a graduate or professional degree. Income
More than one in five (22%) New Mexicans live in poverty, compared to 13.2% for the United States, 1996 - 1998.(29) For a family of four, the 2000 federal poverty level was $17,050.(30) Table 1 examines the work and poverty status of persons who held jobs in both 1989 and 1990;(31) it demonstrates that while working is frequently considered the best antidote to poverty, it is not a guarantee. In 1990, there were 499,416 New Mexicans ages 25 - 64 in the state’s employed civilian labor force. Of these:
Of the full-time workers, 4% had incomes that fell below the FPL. As seen in Table 1, among full-time workers, American Indians had the highest poverty rate (10%), followed by Hispanics (6%), Blacks (4%) and Non-Hispanic Whites (2.5%). |
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