Columbus, New Mexico

On March 9, 1916 Pancho Villa led 1,500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the town. The raiders burned the town and killed 17 residents.

Geography Columbus is located at 31°49'51" North, 107°38'30" West (31.830760, -107.641558)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²). 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 1,765 people, 536 households, and 411 families residing in the village. The population density is 245.1/km² (635.3/mi²). There are 720 housing units at an average density of 100.0/km² (259.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 70.42% White, 0.68% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 25.50% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. 83.34% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 536 households out of which 50.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% are married couples living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% are non-families. 20.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.29 and the average family size is 3.89.

In the village the population is spread out with 39.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $13,773, and the median income for a family is $14,318. Males have a median income of $16,912 versus $12,344 for females. The per capita income for the village is $6,721. 57.1% of the population and 56.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 67.0% are under the age of 18 and 20.2% are 65 or older.