Who is the Otero County District Attorney, 12th Judicial District?

Michael Ryan Suggs (Republican) is the District Attorney, 12th Judicial District of Otero County, New Mexico.

Who is the Otero County County Assessor?

James M. Bowman (Republican) is the County Assessor of Otero County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Otero County County Clerk?

Selina M. Maes (Republican) is the County Clerk of Otero County, New Mexico.

Who is the Otero County Probate Judge?

Latanya M. Boyce (Republican) is the Probate Judge of Otero County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Otero County Sheriff?

David Black (Republican) is the Sheriff of Otero County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Otero County County Treasurer?

Karl Paul Melton (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Otero County, New Mexico.

Who are the Otero County commissioners?

Gerald R. Matherly (District 1); Amy A. Barela (District 2); Vickie Pruiett Marquardt (District 3).

What is the population of Otero County?

About 68,816 people, with a median age of 36.4; the median household income is $55,876 and 19.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Otero County?

5.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,202 people unemployed in a labor force of 24,008, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Otero County?

22 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 3 school district and 15 special district governments.

Otero County, NM elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Otero County: 9 seats on 7 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Otero County Board of County Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Gerald R. Matherly Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Amy A. Barela Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Vickie Pruiett Marquardt Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
District Attorney, 12th Judicial District	Michael Ryan Suggs Republican source
County Assessor	James M. Bowman Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Clerk	Selina M. Maes Republican source
Probate Judge	Latanya M. Boyce Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	David Black Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Treasurer	Karl Paul Melton Republican source

How many local governments Otero County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 22 local governments in Otero County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
County government	1	1
Cities, towns, villages and townships	3	0
School districts (school boards)	3	0
Special districts (elected boards)	15	0

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Otero County

68,816people

36.4median ageU.S.: 38.9

$55,876 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

19.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%

22.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$162,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

8.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

9.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

14.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

10.1%U.S.: 8.4%

46.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

24.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 39.6% · White 45.5% · Black 3.5% · Asian 1.5% · Other or more than one race 9.9% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Otero County

5.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.4%. New Mexico: 4.8%.

1,202people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

22,806people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

24,008in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	5.0%	1,202	22,806	24,008
August 2026	4.9%	1,187	22,825	24,012
July 2026	5.9%	1,425	22,840	24,265
June 2026	5.2%	1,236	22,687	23,923
May 2026	4.7%	1,118	22,757	23,875
April 2026	4.7%	1,123	22,764	23,887
March 2026	4.1%	994	23,262	24,256
February 2026	5.2%	1,268	23,135	24,403
January 2026	5.3%	1,296	23,274	24,570
December 2025	4.4%	1,073	23,571	24,644
November 2025	5.1%	1,280	23,673	24,953
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.4%	1,077	23,339	24,416
August 2025	4.5%	1,092	23,185	24,277
July 2025	5.4%	1,345	23,400	24,745
June 2025	4.9%	1,197	23,317	24,514
May 2025	3.9%	954	23,250	24,204
April 2025	3.6%	870	23,319	24,189
March 2025	3.6%	883	23,387	24,270
February 2025	4.2%	1,040	23,462	24,502
January 2025	4.5%	1,112	23,523	24,635
December 2024	3.9%	964	23,816	24,780
November 2024	4.5%	1,105	23,711	24,816
October 2024	4.4%	1,085	23,601	24,686

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.4%	1,084	23,402	24,486
2024	4.3%	1,060	23,408	24,468
2023	3.9%	965	23,487	24,452
2022	4.2%	1,032	23,479	24,511
2021	7.0%	1,716	22,949	24,665
2020	8.0%	1,964	22,584	24,548
2019	5.1%	1,237	23,184	24,421
2018	4.9%	1,199	23,103	24,302
2017	6.1%	1,509	23,133	24,642
2016	6.2%	1,557	23,583	25,140

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. New Mexico's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.7% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Otero County

397.0 per 100,0002019. New Mexico: 824.0.

1,686.6 per 100,0002019. New Mexico: 3,178.8.

1murders2019, 266 violent crimes in all.

2019 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2019	266	397.0	1,130	1,686.6
2018	267	403.7	1,397	2,112.0
2017	288	438.3	1,388	2,112.2
2016	248	386.9	1,335	2,082.7

By police agency (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Otero County Sheriff's Office	2025	95	239	34,657
Alamogordo Police Department	2025	139	571	31,851
Tularosa Police Department	2025	7	43	2,652
Cloudcroft Police Department	2022	2	7	786

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in New Mexico · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.45 per 1,000 residents2022, 4 agencies serving 69,187 people.

100sworn officers2022, full-time, as of October 31.

58civilian staff2022, full-time.

2022 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (4), 2022

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Alamogordo Police Department	46	29	31,946
Otero County Sheriff's Office	44	23	33,791
Tularosa Police Department	6	6	2,664
Cloudcroft Police Department	4	0	786

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2022	100	1.45	58	4
2018	106	1.60	50	4
2016	103	1.61	48	4

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who is the Otero County District Attorney, 12th Judicial District?: Michael Ryan Suggs (Republican) is the District Attorney, 12th Judicial District of Otero County, New Mexico.
Who is the Otero County County Assessor?: James M. Bowman (Republican) is the County Assessor of Otero County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Otero County County Clerk?: Selina M. Maes (Republican) is the County Clerk of Otero County, New Mexico.
Who is the Otero County Probate Judge?: Latanya M. Boyce (Republican) is the Probate Judge of Otero County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Otero County Sheriff?: David Black (Republican) is the Sheriff of Otero County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Otero County County Treasurer?: Karl Paul Melton (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Otero County, New Mexico.
Who are the Otero County commissioners?: Gerald R. Matherly (District 1); Amy A. Barela (District 2); Vickie Pruiett Marquardt (District 3).
What is the population of Otero County?: About 68,816 people, with a median age of 36.4; the median household income is $55,876 and 19.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Otero County?: 5.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,202 people unemployed in a labor force of 24,008, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Otero County?: 22 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 3 school district and 15 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Secretary of State's official results of each seat's last general election (November 2022 or November 2024, electionresults.sos.nm.gov and the certified canvass in the elections database at electionstats.sos.nm.gov); officials appointed since then may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

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