County outline
Where Santa Fe County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.9% of Santa Fe County’s measured area and water for 0.1%. Its combined area converts to 4,950.5 square kilometers or approximately 1,223,296 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,910.38 | 4,947.861 | 1,222,643.2 |
| Water | 1.02 | 2.642 | 652.8 |
| Total | 1,911.4 | 4,950.503 | 1,223,296 |
How Santa Fe County compares
By original Census land area, Santa Fe County ranks #29 of 33 in New Mexico and #300 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.508 times the New Mexico county-equivalent median of 3,758 square miles. It accounts for 1.6% 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 Santa Fe County
The Census Bureau estimates that 156,907 people lived in Santa Fe County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #455 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #4 of 33 in New Mexico. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 154,831, the population has grown by 2,076 (+1.3%), compared with +0.4% for New Mexico as a whole.
With 1,910.4 square miles of land, that is 82 people per square mile (32 per km²), placing Santa Fe County #1,134 nationally for density and #3 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 7.8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 155,068 | 155,503 | 155,789 | 156,379 | 157,320 | 156,907 |
| Change | — | +435 | +286 | +590 | +941 | −413 |
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 Santa Fe County
3 incorporated places lie at least partly in Santa Fe County. Together they are home to 99,374 people (63.3%); the other 57,533 (36.7%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Santa Fe city, with 89,837 residents in the county. By land, Edgewood town is the largest at 56.8 mi² across all its counties. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Santa Fe city grew fastest since then (+2.7%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe cityCounty seat | 89,837 | +2.7% | 52.2 |
| Edgewood townAlso in 2 other counties | 6,137 | −0.3% | 56.8 |
| Española cityAlso in 1 other county | 3,400 | +0.1% | 8.222 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Santa Fe County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Santa Fe County is a central county of the Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area. Santa Fe County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 1,910.4 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #166 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #286 by population. It belongs to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Los Alamos, NM Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Santa Fe County; 12 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
87010870158703587047870568750187505875068750787508875228753287535875408756787573
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 Santa Fe County
Santa Fe County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Rio Arriba County (5,860.9 mi²) and the smallest is Los Alamos County (109.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Santa Fe County forms a block of 22,745.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 8.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Santa Fe | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Arriba County | 5,860.9 | 3.1× larger | Compare |
| San Miguel County | 4,721.5 | 2.5× larger | Compare |
| Sandoval County | 3,710.2 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
| Torrance County | 3,345.2 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Mora County | 1,926.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Bernalillo County | 1,161.7 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Los Alamos County | 109.1 | 17.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Santa Fe County compared with U.S. states?
Santa Fe County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.8 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). New Mexico’s county land could hold about 64 areas the size of Santa Fe County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 43.7 miles (70.3 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 Santa Fe County?
Santa Fe County has more land than 2,922 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 Santa Fe County at #340 nationally by total area, 40 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 0.1%, 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 Santa Fe County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #299 | Sevier County, Utah | 1,910.5 | Compare |
| #300 | Santa Fe County, New Mexico | 1,910.4 | This county |
| #301 | Grays Harbor County, Washington | 1,902.3 | 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 35.514531, -105.963972. 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: 4,947,861,315 m²; AWATER: 2,643,022 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 Santa Fe County?
Santa Fe County, New Mexico has 1,910.4 square miles (4,947.9 km²) of land and 1.02 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,911.4 square miles. It ranks #300 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Santa Fe County the largest county in New Mexico?
No. Santa Fe County ranks #29 of 33 in New Mexico by land area. The largest is Catron County, with 6,924.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Santa Fe County?
Santa Fe County shares a land border with San Miguel County, Sandoval County, Rio Arriba County, Torrance County, Bernalillo County, Los Alamos County, and Mora County.
What is the population of Santa Fe County?
The Census Bureau estimates Santa Fe County had 156,907 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #455 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 82 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Santa Fe County?
The county seat of Santa Fe County is Santa Fe.
What cities and towns are in Santa Fe County?
Santa Fe County has 3 incorporated places. The most populous are Santa Fe city, Edgewood town, and Española city; 57,533 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Santa Fe County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Santa Fe County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Santa Fe County, and 12 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Santa Fe County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Santa Fe County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,222,643 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,223,296 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.