[2] The county was founded in 1868 and named for Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States.

[3] Grant County comprises the Silver City, NM, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

[5] At the 2000 census,[11] there were 31,002 people, 12,146 households and 8,514 families living in the county.

25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

At the 2010 census, there were 29,514 people, 12,586 households and 7,941 families living in the county.

[12] In terms of ancestry, 11.9% were English, 11.8% were German, 10.4% were Irish, and 2.9% were American.

The racial make-up was 64.8% white, 2.1% American Indian, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 11.7% from other races, and 19.5% of two or more races.

Since 1932, it has only voted for the Republican presidential nominee twice, both times by narrow margins.