Bordering states

New Mexico vs Utah

Short answer

Utah has 3,503,613 residents, 64% more than New Mexico's 2,130,256. New Mexico is the larger by land, 1.47 times the size of Utah.
NM
2,130,256
UT
3,503,613

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

New Mexico

De Baca County: 0.7 per sq miRoosevelt County: 7.7 per sq miGuadalupe County: 1.4 per sq miLos Alamos County: 180.3 per sq miChaves County: 10.5 per sq miQuay County: 2.9 per sq miGrant County: 7.0 per sq miHarding County: 0.3 per sq miSan Miguel County: 5.6 per sq miCatron County: 0.5 per sq miSocorro County: 2.4 per sq miMcKinley County: 12.6 per sq miLuna County: 8.7 per sq miTorrance County: 4.8 per sq miCurry County: 33.6 per sq miHidalgo County: 1.2 per sq miRio Arriba County: 6.8 per sq miOtero County: 10.5 per sq miSierra County: 2.7 per sq miBernalillo County: 578.5 per sq miValencia County: 75.8 per sq miUnion County: 1.0 per sq miLincoln County: 4.1 per sq miEddy County: 14.7 per sq miDoña Ana County: 60.2 per sq miSan Juan County: 21.9 per sq miCibola County: 5.9 per sq miMora County: 2.1 per sq miColfax County: 3.3 per sq miLea County: 17.1 per sq miSanta Fe County: 82.6 per sq miTaos County: 15.7 per sq miSandoval County: 42.5 per sq mi

Utah

Iron County: 20.0 per sq miRich County: 2.7 per sq miSummit County: 23.0 per sq miSan Juan County: 1.9 per sq miDuchesne County: 6.4 per sq miUintah County: 8.5 per sq miGrand County: 2.7 per sq miBox Elder County: 11.1 per sq miCache County: 124.9 per sq miGarfield County: 1.0 per sq miSalt Lake County: 1,615.6 per sq miUtah County: 372.8 per sq miSanpete County: 19.3 per sq miWayne County: 1.1 per sq miPiute County: 2.0 per sq miEmery County: 2.3 per sq miJuab County: 3.9 per sq miSevier County: 11.8 per sq miWasatch County: 32.2 per sq miDaggett County: 1.4 per sq miKane County: 2.1 per sq miTooele County: 12.0 per sq miMorgan County: 21.5 per sq miWeber County: 451.9 per sq miDavis County: 1,165.4 per sq miWashington County: 85.7 per sq miBeaver County: 2.9 per sq miMillard County: 2.0 per sq miCarbon County: 13.9 per sq mi
People per sq mi
  1. < 2
  2. < 5
  3. < 12
  4. < 32
  5. ≥ 32
no data

Residents, 2024

  1. 01New Mexico2,130,256
  2. 02Utah3,503,613

Land, square miles

  1. 01New Mexico121,313
  2. 02Utah82,596

People per square mile

  1. 01New Mexico17.6
  2. 02Utah42.4

Median county household income

  1. 01New Mexico$51,111
  2. 02Utah$75,024

Side by side

MeasureNew MexicoUtah
Residents, 20242,130,2563,503,613
Rank by population36th30th
Land, sq mi121,31382,596
People per sq mi17.642.4
County-equivalents3329
Median county residents26,42820,803
Median county income$51,111$75,024
Most populous countyBernalillo CountySalt Lake County
Largest county by landCatron CountySan Juan County
CapitalSanta FeSalt Lake City
Daylight at capital, June 2114 h 35 min15 h 06 min
Census divisionMountainMountain
Census Vintage 2024 population, 2024 Gazetteer land area, SAIPE 2023 income. Daylight computed with SunCalc.

Population and density

Utah has 3,503,613 residents, 64% more than New Mexico's 2,130,256. New Mexico ranks 36th and Utah 30th of the 50 states and DC. Utah is the more crowded, with 42.4 people per square mile against 17.6, 2.4 times.

Land area

New Mexico has 121,313 square miles of land, 47% more than Utah's 82,596. The largest county-equivalent in New Mexico is Catron County at 6,924 square miles; in Utah it is San Juan County at 7,824.

Counties

New Mexico is divided into 33 county-equivalents and Utah into 29, so an average New Mexico county covers 3,676 square miles against 2,848. The typical county in New Mexico has 26,428 residents, against 20,803 in Utah. The most populous are Bernalillo County (671,747) and Salt Lake County (1,216,274).

1 county name appears on both sides of the border: San Juan. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in Utah has a household income of $75,024, 47% above New Mexico's $51,111. The highest county incomes are Los Alamos County ($146,208) in New Mexico and Summit County ($139,848) in Utah, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Santa Fe and Salt Lake City are 477 miles apart in a straight line; from Santa Fe the initial bearing is 319°, NW. On June 21, 2026, Santa Fe gets 14 h 35 min of daylight and Salt Lake City 15 h 06 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 44 min and 9 h 15 min. Month by month tables are on the Santa Fe and Salt Lake City daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the Census Mountain division of the West region. By county internal points, New Mexico spans 2 UTM zones and Utah 1.

Questions people ask

Which is bigger, New Mexico or Utah?

New Mexico, with 121,313 square miles of land against 82,596, 1.47 times as large.

Which has more people, New Mexico or Utah?

Utah has 3,503,613 residents, 64% more than New Mexico's 2,130,256.

How far is Santa Fe from Salt Lake City?

477 miles in a straight line, heading NW (319°) from Santa Fe.

Do New Mexico and Utah have counties with the same name?

Yes, 1: San Juan.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Bureau regions and divisions of the United States (last verified 2026-09-30)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.