County outline
Where Guadalupe County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 100% of Guadalupe County’s measured area and water for 0%. Its combined area converts to 7,850 square kilometers or approximately 1,939,768 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 3,029.772 | 7,847.073 | 1,939,054.1 |
| Water | 1.115 | 2.888 | 713.6 |
| Total | 3,030.887 | 7,849.961 | 1,939,767.7 |
How Guadalupe County compares
By original Census land area, Guadalupe County ranks #21 of 33 in New Mexico and #170 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.806 times the New Mexico county-equivalent median of 3,758 square miles. It accounts for 2.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete New Mexico ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Guadalupe County
The Census Bureau estimates that 4,343 people lived in Guadalupe County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,940 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #27 of 33 in New Mexico. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 4,453, the population has declined by 110 (−2.5%), compared with +0.4% for New Mexico as a whole.
With 3,029.8 square miles of land, that is 1.4 people per square mile (0.55 per km²), placing Guadalupe County #3,110 nationally for density and #28 in New Mexico. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the New Mexico median is 6.9. Put another way, there are about 446 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 4,440 | 4,428 | 4,330 | 4,325 | 4,362 | 4,343 |
| Change | — | −12 | −98 | −5 | +37 | −19 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Guadalupe County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Guadalupe County. Together they are home to 3,074 people (70.8%); the other 1,269 (29.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Santa Rosa city, with 2,802 residents in the county. By land, Vaughn town is the largest at 5.599 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa cityCounty seat | 2,802 | −2% | 4.999 |
| Vaughn town | 272 | −3.2% | 5.599 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Guadalupe County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Guadalupe County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Guadalupe County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
87711877248832188353884178843188435
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Guadalupe County
Guadalupe County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Lincoln County (4,831.1 mi²) and the smallest is De Baca County (2,323.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Guadalupe County forms a block of 21,124.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Guadalupe | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 4,831.1 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| San Miguel County | 4,721.5 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Torrance County | 3,345.2 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Quay County | 2,874 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| De Baca County | 2,323.1 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Guadalupe County compared with U.S. states?
Guadalupe County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.6 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.6 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). New Mexico’s county land could hold about 40 areas the size of Guadalupe County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 55 miles (88.6 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Guadalupe County?
Guadalupe County has more land than 3,052 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Guadalupe County at #185 nationally by total area, 15 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.1 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Guadalupe County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #169 | Mono County, California | 3,048.9 | Compare |
| #170 | Guadalupe County, New Mexico | 3,029.8 | This county |
| #171 | Deschutes County, Oregon | 3,017.6 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 34.869748, -104.784898. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 7,847,072,156 m²; AWATER: 2,887,948 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Guadalupe County?
Guadalupe County, New Mexico has 3,029.8 square miles (7,847.1 km²) of land and 1.115 square miles of water, for a total area of 3,030.9 square miles. It ranks #170 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Guadalupe County the largest county in New Mexico?
No. Guadalupe County ranks #21 of 33 in New Mexico by land area. The largest is Catron County, with 6,924.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Guadalupe County?
Guadalupe County shares a land border with San Miguel County, De Baca County, Torrance County, Quay County, and Lincoln County.
What is the population of Guadalupe County?
The Census Bureau estimates Guadalupe County had 4,343 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,940 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 1.4 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Guadalupe County?
The county seat of Guadalupe County is Santa Rosa.
What cities and towns are in Guadalupe County?
Guadalupe County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Santa Rosa city and Vaughn town; 1,269 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Guadalupe County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Guadalupe County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Guadalupe County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Guadalupe County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Guadalupe County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Guadalupe County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,939,054 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,939,768 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.