Roosevelt County is a county in New Mexico, United States, on the state’s eastern plains along the Texas line. It had a population of 19,191 at the 2020 census and covers 2,455 square miles (6,360 km2) of land and water, centred near 34\u00b001\u2032N 103\u00b029\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Portales is the county seat, and its postal code is 88130. The county has one city, one town, three incorporated villages, and more than twenty unincorporated communities. Roosevelt County runs on Mountain Time and has no civil townships.<\/p>\n
Roosevelt County has five incorporated municipalities — Portales, Elida, Causey, Dora, and Floyd — plus a scatter of unincorporated ranching communities across the plains. Places marked Unincorp. have no municipal government; population and ZIP are listed only where verified.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portales<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 12,137<\/td>\n | 88130<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Elida<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 88116<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Causey<\/td>\n | Village<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 88113<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dora<\/td>\n | Village<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 88115<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Floyd<\/td>\n | Village<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 88118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Arch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bethel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bluitt<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cameo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cantara<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Delphos<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Garrison<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Home Place Well<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Inez<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kenna<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 88119<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kermit<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Krider<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lingo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Midway<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Milnesand<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 88125<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pep<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Richland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rogers<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tinsley Crossing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tolar<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tornero<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Upton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Yerba<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nZIP Codes<\/h2>\nMost of the smaller ranching settlements — Bethel, Cameo, Cantara, Garrison, Kermit, Krider, Lingo, Pep, Rogers, Tolar, and the rest — have no post office of their own and are served by whichever ZIP above is closest.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nRoosevelt County sits on the Llano Estacado, the flat high plains of southeastern New Mexico, with elevations mostly between 4,000 and 4,300 feet. There is no major river or lake; the terrain is shortgrass prairie and dryland\/irrigated farmland over the Ogallala Aquifer, with scattered playa lakes that fill after heavy rain.<\/p>\n The county borders Curry County and Quay County to the north, De Baca County and Chaves County to the west, Lea County to the south, and Cochran County and Bailey County, Texas, to the east.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nRoosevelt County had 19,191 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 7.8 people per square mile. Portales, home to Eastern New Mexico University, is by far the largest community; Elida is a distant second among the incorporated places. Median household income in the county runs below the New Mexico median of $62,268, reflecting the county’s agricultural economy.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nAgriculture anchors the county — dairy farming, peanuts, and irrigated row crops on the Ogallala Aquifer, alongside cattle ranching on the drier eastern range. Eastern New Mexico University, a four-year public university founded in Portales in 1934, is the county’s largest employer outside agriculture and drives much of the town’s retail and rental economy. Cannon Air Force Base, about 13 miles north of Portales near Clovis, also employs county residents. Portales hosts the annual Eastern New Mexico State Fair.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nRoosevelt County was organized in 1903 out of parts of Chaves and Guadalupe counties and named for Theodore Roosevelt, then serving as president. Portales was chosen as the seat for its position on the railroad and its artesian water supply, which drew homesteaders to the plains in the early 1900s. The county’s economy shifted from dryland dairy farming toward irrigated agriculture as groundwater pumping expanded through the 20th century.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nUS Highway 70 runs through Portales, connecting north to Clovis and Cannon Air Force Base and southwest toward Roswell. NM 88 and NM 206 serve the county’s smaller communities.<\/p>\n
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