NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico appears to be growing, according to data collected in 2022 by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
The Land of Enchantment saw an estimated total of 72,095 people move into the state last year. Despite seeing an estimated 58,443 people leave New Mexico in 2022, more people came to the state compared to the number that left, meaning the total population is up by about 13,652 new residents, according to the data.
The largest proportion of those newcomers were from Texas. An estimated 16,986 people departed the Lone Star State and crossed the state line to live in the Land of Enchantment. California, which is the most populated state in the country, also saw some of its residents relocate to New Mexico. A total of 8,897 Californians moved east into New Mexico.
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Thousands of people also came to New Mexico from Colorado and Arizona. An estimated 7,846 people from Colorado and 6,862 people from Arizona crossed state lines for the “true Chile Capital of the World.”
Rounding out the top five is Washington. An estimated 2,468 people left the Pacific Northwest for New Mexico, according to the data.
A large group of new arrivals, an estimated 9,429 people, also came to New Mexico from out of the country and United States’ Island Areas. The U.S. Census Bureau did not specify which countries or United States’ Island Areas people immigrated from.
While thousands decided to make New Mexico their new home, thousands of New Mexicans also decided to leave. New Mexico saw almost an even exchange of residents with Texas and Arizona in 2022. An estimated 17,455 New Mexicans ditched the state for Texas in 2022, and 6,263 residents moved from New Mexico to Colorado, the data shows.
The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The survey happens each year across the county and is sent to a small percentage of the population on a rotating basis throughout the decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s website.
The estimated population of New Mexico was 2,113,344 in July 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
