| | Clayton, NM | Ruidoso, NM | United States |
| Population | 2,886 | 7,636 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 45.0% | 54.9% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 55.0% | 45.1% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 40.1 | 50.6 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 2,974 | 8,019 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 2,524 | 7,698 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 2,484 | 4,600 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 5.4% | 4.7% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 7.1% | 75.2% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 357.4 | 475.1 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 8.1 | 16.1 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Clayton, NM | Ruidoso, NM | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.6% | 5.1% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.6% | 4.9% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 1.0% | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 1.6% | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 0.0% | 1.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 10.0% | 3.4% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 9.2% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.3% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 8.3% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 6.4% | 7.4% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.2% | 10.2% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 16.4% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 6.1% | 10.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.5% | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Clayton, NM | Ruidoso, NM | United States |
| White | 40.0% | 63.1% | 59.4% |
| Black | 1.6% | 1.0% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 1.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 1.8% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 3.5% | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 53.1% | 32.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Clayton, NM | Ruidoso, NM | United States |
| Married Population | 30.4% | 54.3% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 28.1% | 54.3% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.2% | 0.0% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 69.6% | 45.7% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 43.9% | 21.2% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 16.0% | 16.8% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 9.7% | 7.8% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.72 | 2.17 | 2.60 |
| Households | 834 | 3,508 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 449 | 2,064 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 10.7% | 26.6% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 47.0% | 51.9% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 385 | 1,444 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 31.4% | 13.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 10.9% | 8.0% | 10.8% |