Harding County, New Mexico

Harding County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 657, making it the least populous county in the state, and the 13th-smallest county by population in the United States. Its county seat is Mosquero. The county is named for United States President Warren G. Harding, and was created (from parts of Union and Mora Counties) on the day of his inauguration as president on March 4, 1921, making him the most recent president to have a county in any state named after him.

The only incorporated cities in Harding County are Roy and Mosquero.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,126 square miles (5,510 km²), of which 2,125 square miles (5,500 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) (0.02%) is water. It is divided between a high, nearly treeless prairie to the northwest (the southern limit of the High Plains), and a lower semi-desert rangeland to the southeast, by the eastern portion of the steep Canadian Escarpment. The Canadian River, in a deep and narrow canyon, forms the western border with Mora County; the southwest border runs along the edge of the Bell Ranch land in San Miguel County. The eastern part of Harding County is underlain in part by the Bravo Dome carbon dioxide gas field, which is commercially extracted.

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 657. The median age was 58.4 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 38.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 65.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 7.0% from some other race, and 26.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 42.9% of the population.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 331 households in the county, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 600 housing units, of which 44.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.5% were owner-occupied and 20.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 16.0%.