N E W M E X I C O ’ S C H I L D R E N 2 0 1 2
New Mexico’s Children At a Glance1
 
State Population2……………….……2,059,179
Population, Children Under 183……….518,672
State Poverty Rate4………………………20.4%
 
Poverty Rate, Children Under 185……30.0%
Poverty Rate, Children Ages 5–176…..28.4%
Poverty Rate, Children Under 57……..33.0%
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
 In 2010, New Mexico had 30,313 total referrals for child abuse and neglect. Of those, 16,622 reports were referred for
investigation.8
 
 In 2010, 6,018 children were victims of abuse or neglect in New Mexico, a rate of 11.8 per 1,000 children, representing a
12.1% increase from 2009. Of these children, 86.5% were neglected, 13.9% were physically abused, and 3.6% were
sexually abused.9
 
 The number of child victims has increased 1.6% in comparison to the number of victims in 2006.10
 
 In 2010, 19 children in New Mexico died as a result of abuse or neglect.11
 
 In 2010, 1,869 children in New Mexico lived apart from their families in out-of-home care, compared with 2,009
children in 2009. In 2010, 801 of the children living apart from their families were age 5 or younger, and 182 were 16 or
older.12
 
 The number of children living apart from their families in out-of-home care has decreased 20.7% in comparison to the
number of children in out-of-home care in 2006.13
 
 Of New Mexico children in out-of-home care in 2010, 25.5% were white, 3.4% black, 58.4% Hispanic, 9.4% American
Indian/Alaskan Native, 0.2% Asian or Pacific Islander and 3.1% of more than one race or ethnicity.14