Santa Fe County, New Mexico

Santa Fe County is a county in New Mexico, United States, centred about 58 miles northeast of
Albuquerque. It had a population of 154,823 at the 2020 census, an estimated 156,100 by 2024, and
covers 1,909 square miles (4,940 km2) of land centred near 35°31′N 105°59′W.

Santa Fe is the county seat, and it is New Mexico’s capital — the oldest state
capital in the country, founded in 1610; its main postal code is 87501. The county holds one full
city, a slice of a second city, one town, and roughly 45 smaller census-designated places and
pueblos, and it runs on Mountain Time. Its FIPS code is 35049.

Towns & Villages in Santa Fe County

Santa Fe County has three incorporated municipalities and roughly 45 unincorporated
communities, census-designated places (CDPs) and Indian pueblos. The table below lists the
incorporated places first, then the 14 largest CDPs and pueblos with a documented 2020 population
above 200 — dozens more exist as small rural settlements with no separately tabulated count.

Several pairs are easy to confuse. Tesuque CDP is a mixed-ethnicity commuter community just north
of Santa Fe; Tesuque Pueblo, one mile away, is a separate sovereign nation and one of the Eight
Northern Pueblos — they share a ZIP but are governed independently. The same applies to
Pojoaque and Pojoaque Pueblo, and to the settlement of Nambe and Nambe Pueblo: in each case the
CDP is a mixed-population area near, but distinct from, the pueblo’s own tribal
government. No 2020 population count specific to Pojoaque Pueblo or Nambe Pueblo as separate
CDPs was available, so those cells are left blank rather than estimated. Los Cerrillos and Madrid
sit three miles apart on the Turquoise Trail and share ZIP 87010, but are distinct places with
separate histories. Española’s population figure above is citywide; most of the city,
including its downtown, sits across the line in Rio Arriba County. Chimayo is split the same way
— most of its area and population lie in Rio Arriba, with only its southern edge in Santa Fe
County. Edgewood’s figure is also townwide; annexations have extended its limits into
Bernalillo and Torrance counties.

ZIP Codes

• 87501–87509, 87540, 87592, 87594 — Santa Fe (the low 87501–87509 block covers
  the city and San Ildefonso Pueblo)
• 87507 — Agua Fria
• 87506 — Pojoaque (also serves Nambe)
• 87522 — Chimayo
• 87574 — Tesuque (also serves Tesuque Pueblo)
• 87535 — Glorieta
• 87540 — Galisteo and Lamy (share a post office)
• 87010 — Los Cerrillos and Madrid (share a post office)
• 87015 — Edgewood
• 87532 — Española (Santa Fe County side)

Eldorado at Santa Fe and Las Campanas have no separately assigned ZIP of their own —
both are served by Santa Fe post offices, so no distinct code is listed for them above.

Geography

The county spans the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the north and east — Santa Fe Baldy,
its highest point, rises to 12,621 feet — down through the Santa Fe River valley to the high
desert grassland of the Galisteo Basin in the south. Water covers only 1.5 square miles, 0.08% of
the total. The Rio Grande forms part of the county’s western edge, and the Santa Fe River,
a tributary, runs through the county seat.

Santa Fe County borders Rio Arriba
County to the north, Mora County to
the northeast, San Miguel County to
the east, Torrance County to the
south, Bernalillo County to the
southwest, Sandoval County to the
west, and Los Alamos County to the
northwest.

Demographics

Santa Fe County had a population of 154,823 at the 2020 census, the third most populous county
in New Mexico, and an estimated 156,100 by 2024. Santa Fe city (87,505) and the CDP of Eldorado at
Santa Fe (6,005) are its two largest communities. Median household income was $79,071 in 2024,
well above the New Mexico state figure of $64,059. Density works out to roughly 81 people per
square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

The New Mexico state government is the county’s largest employer — Santa Fe is New Mexico’s
capital, and thousands work in state offices downtown. Health care and social assistance is the
biggest private sector (9,996 workers), followed closely by professional, scientific and technical
services (9,458 workers, and the highest-paying sector at a median $96,511), then retail trade
(7,087 workers). Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and Santa Fe Community College are
major employers in the city; many residents of the county’s northern communities commute to
Los Alamos National Laboratory just across the Los Alamos County line. Tourism and the arts anchor
Santa Fe’s economy, from the Santa Fe Opera to the galleries of Canyon Road, and the same
pattern repeats in miniature at Madrid, a former coal town on the Turquoise Trail now built around
artist studios. The county’s biggest annual event is Santa Fe Indian Market, held every
August, one of the largest juried Native American art markets in the world.

History

Santa Fe was founded in 1610 by Spanish colonial governor Pedro de Peralta, making it the
oldest state capital in the United States, more than two centuries before the county itself was
organized in 1852 as one of New Mexico Territory’s original counties. The name is Spanish
for “Holy Faith.” In 1680 the Pueblo Revolt drove Spanish colonists out of the region
entirely; Spain did not reoccupy Santa Fe until 1692, under Diego de Vargas. The Santa Fe Trail,
opened in 1821, made the city the western terminus of a major trade route between Missouri and
Mexican New Mexico until the railroad arrived in 1880. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
bypassed the city itself, running its main line through Lamy instead and connecting Santa Fe by a
short spur — a routing decision that still shapes rail access to the county today.

Getting There

Interstate 25 crosses the county through Santa Fe and Glorieta; Interstate 40 clips its
southern edge near Edgewood. US 84/285 runs north out of Santa Fe toward Española and Taos.

• Albuquerque — 58 miles southwest
• Los Alamos — 35 miles northwest
• Las Vegas, New Mexico — 65 miles northeast
• Taos — 70 miles north

Santa Fe Regional Airport offers limited commercial service; most travelers use Albuquerque
International Sunport. The New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter train connects Santa Fe to
Albuquerque, and Amtrak’s Southwest Chief stops once daily in each direction at Lamy
Station.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Santa Fe County?
It is in north-central New Mexico, United States, about 58 miles northeast of Albuquerque.

What is Santa Fe County’s population?
It had a population of 154,823 at the 2020 census, estimated at 156,100 by 2024 — the
third most populous county in New Mexico.

How big is Santa Fe County?
It covers 1,909 square miles (4,940 km2) of land plus 1.5 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Santa Fe County?
Santa Fe, which is also New Mexico’s capital and the oldest state capital in the country,
founded in 1610.

How many towns and villages are in Santa Fe County?
Three places are incorporated — Santa Fe, Española (partial) and Edgewood (partial)
— alongside roughly 45 unincorporated communities, census-designated places and pueblos.

What ZIP codes are in Santa Fe County?
Santa Fe itself uses 87501–87509 plus 87592 and 87594; outlying communities use their own
codes, including 87507 (Agua Fria), 87522 (Chimayo), 87574 (Tesuque) and 87015 (Edgewood).

Which Indian pueblos are located in Santa Fe County?
Tesuque Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, Nambe Pueblo and San Ildefonso Pueblo all lie within the county;
each is a separate sovereign nation with its own government.

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