Sandoval County, New Mexico

Sandoval County is a county in New Mexico, United States, in the north-central part of the
state, its southern edge about 15 miles north of downtown Albuquerque. It had a population of
148,834 at the 2020 census, an estimated 159,565 by 2025, and covers 3,711 square miles (9,610
km2) of land centred near 35°41′N 106°51′W.

Bernalillo is the county seat; its postal code is 87004. The county holds 1 city, 5
incorporated towns and villages, and roughly two dozen census-designated places and unincorporated
communities, and it runs on Mountain Time. Its FIPS code is 35043.

Towns & Villages in Sandoval County

Sandoval County lists 26 named places with a Census Bureau population figure: 6 incorporated
municipalities and 20 census-designated places, several of them Pueblo tribal communities. CDP
stands for census designated place, an unincorporated settlement the Census Bureau recognises for
statistics only — it has no town government of its own.

The old list on this page mixed genuine settlements with ranch names and duplicate entries
(La Madera and Rio Rancho Estates each appeared twice, and “Anasazi Trails,”
“Diamond Tail Ranch” and “Puesta Del Sol” are subdivision names, not
recognised Census places) — dropped here rather than carried forward unverified. Rio
Rancho, the county’s biggest city, straddles the Sandoval–Bernalillo county line; the
population figure above is for the entire city, and a small southern slice sits in Bernalillo
County.

Geography

Sandoval County runs from the Rio Grande Valley in the south to the Jemez Mountains and the
San Juan Basin badlands in the north, a stretch of more than 100 miles. Of its 3,716 square
miles, 3,711 are land and 5.3 are water, just 0.1 percent — the county has no large natural
lake, though Cochiti Dam impounds the Rio Grande along its southeastern edge and Cochiti Lake
takes its name from the reservoir. Redondo Peak, at 11,254 feet, inside the Valles Caldera, is the
county’s highest point. The county contains part of Bandelier National Monument, most of
the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and a share of the Santa Fe National Forest, along with 12
Indian reservations and two joint-use areas — the second-highest count of tribal lands of
any US county.

Rio Arriba County lies to the north, Los Alamos County and Santa Fe County to the east,
Bernalillo County to the south, and Cibola County and McKinley County to the west, with San Juan
County touching the county’s northwest corner. Rio Arriba County, Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, Bernalillo County, Cibola County, McKinley County and San Juan County all border
Sandoval directly.

ZIP Codes

• 87124, 87144, 87174 — Rio Rancho (three ZIPs for a city of over 100,000)
• 87004 — Bernalillo (also covers Santa Ana Pueblo)
• 87048 — Corrales
• 87043 — Placitas
• 87052 — Santo Domingo Pueblo (Kewa Pueblo)
• 87001 — Algodones
• 87013 — Cuba
• 87041 — Peña Blanca
• 87083 — Cochiti Lake
• 87072 — Cochiti Pueblo
• 87053 — San Ysidro
• 87025 — Jemez Springs
• 87044 — Ponderosa
• 87046 — Regina
• 87018 — Counselor

San Felipe Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo and Zia Pueblo have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is
delivered under a neighbouring post office’s code, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs runs
several schools with Cuba postal addresses that actually sit outside Cuba itself.

Demographics

Sandoval County had a population of 148,834 at the 2020 census, making it New Mexico’s
fourth-most populous county, and the latest estimate puts it near 159,565 residents. Rio Rancho
and Bernalillo are by far the two largest communities, with Rio Rancho alone holding roughly
70 percent of the county’s population. Median household income runs $57,158 (2010 ACS,
the most recent figure traceable for the county), below New Mexico’s statewide 2023 figure
of $62,268. Population density works out to about 40 people per square mile of land countywide,
though Rio Rancho itself is dense suburban development while the county’s northern half is
open rangeland and forest.

Economy & Local Life

Intel operates Fab 11X in Rio Rancho, one of the largest semiconductor fabrication plants in
the world, manufacturing 300mm silicon wafers since 2002 — it is the county’s
dominant private employer. Rio Rancho also hosts a University of New Mexico health sciences
satellite campus, a Central New Mexico Community College campus, and the Santa Ana Star Center
arena. Santa Ana Pueblo runs the Santa Ana Star Casino and the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort &
Spa, and leased land to Tesla in 2022 for a service and delivery center that opened in 2023.
Bernalillo is the site of the annual New Mexico Wine Festival each Labor Day weekend, tracing a
winemaking tradition Spanish colonists and Catholic priests introduced in the 1620s. San Ysidro
holds its own San Ysidro Fiesta Day each May, and Jemez Pueblo’s Walatowa Visitor Center
serves as a gateway to the Jemez Mountains for hikers heading toward the hot springs at Jemez
Springs.

History

The New Mexico Territorial Legislature created Sandoval County in 1903, carving it out of the
northern part of Bernalillo County. It takes its name from one of the region’s large
Spanish land-holding families. The original county seat was Corrales; it moved to Bernalillo in
1905. Bernalillo itself was founded in 1695 on the Rio Grande’s east bank, and several of
the county’s pueblo communities — Santa Ana, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Zia, Jemez,
Cochiti and Sandia — predate Spanish contact by centuries, each governing its own
reservation land within the county today. In 1942, government surveyors briefly considered Jemez
Springs as a site for the atomic-bomb laboratory before choosing Los Alamos instead.

Getting There

Interstate 25 crosses the county’s southeastern corner near Algodones and Bernalillo. US
Route 550 runs the length of the county from Bernalillo northwest through San Ysidro and Cuba
toward the Four Corners region, and the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail connects
Bernalillo and Sandoval Pueblo Station to Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

• Albuquerque — about 15 miles south of Bernalillo
• Santa Fe — about 35 miles northeast of Bernalillo
• Farmington — about 100 miles northwest via US 550
• Los Alamos — about 25 miles north

Albuquerque International Sunport, roughly 25 miles south of Bernalillo, is the nearest major
commercial airport. Double Eagle II Airport, on Albuquerque’s west side near the Rio Rancho
line, handles general aviation. Amtrak has no station in the county; the nearest stop is the
Southwest Chief’s Albuquerque station.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sandoval County located?
It sits in north-central New Mexico, its southern edge about 15 miles north of Albuquerque,
bordered by Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley and San Juan
counties.

What is the population of Sandoval County?
148,834 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 159,565 by 2025 — New Mexico’s
fourth-most populous county.

How big is Sandoval County?
3,716 square miles (9,620 km2) total, of which 3,711 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Sandoval County?
Bernalillo, founded in 1695 and county seat since 1905, when it took over from the original seat
at Corrales.

What is the largest city in Sandoval County?
Rio Rancho, home to Intel’s Fab 11X semiconductor plant, with 104,046 residents at the 2020
census — about 70 percent of the county’s population.

How many towns and villages are in Sandoval County?
Six incorporated municipalities — Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales, Cuba, Jemez Springs and
San Ysidro, plus a slice of Edgewood — and roughly two dozen census-designated places and
Pueblo communities.

What ZIP codes does Sandoval County use?
87124/87144/87174 for Rio Rancho, 87004 for Bernalillo, 87048 for Corrales, 87013 for Cuba,
87025 for Jemez Springs and 87053 for San Ysidro, among others.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New Mexico.