Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Rio Arriba County population, land area and income

Rio Arriba County had 39,955 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 5,860.9 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 33 in New Mexico by population and 5th by land area. That works out to 6.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in New Mexico has 26,428 residents; Rio Arriba County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $51,703 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Rio Arriba County's population changed since 2020

Rio Arriba County lost 313 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.8%. That ranks 15th of 33 in New Mexico for growth. The median New Mexico county changed by -1.3%, and the state as a whole by +0.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Rio Arriba County recorded 1,715 births and 2,388 deaths, a natural change of -673. Net international migration added +472 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -206. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 673 people.

Where Rio Arriba County is

The Census internal point of Rio Arriba County is at 36.509700, -106.694000. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades New Mexico's 33 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Rio Arriba County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Rio Arriba County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Rio Arriba County, 7,071 people together, or 18% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rio Arriba County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Española with 7,071.

Counties bordering Rio Arriba County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Rio Arriba County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Santa Fe County, NM, with 157,765 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Santa Fe County

  157,765 people

  80 mi SSE

• Sandoval County

  157,757 people

  58 mi S

• San Juan County

  120,817 people

  91 mi W

• Taos County

  34,482 people

  59 mi E

• Los Alamos County

  19,675 people

  49 mi SSE

• CO

  Archuleta County, CO

  14,112 people

  52 mi NNW

• CO

  Conejos County, CO

  7,549 people

  56 mi NNE

• Mora County

  4,096 people

  105 mi ESE

Distance to Santa Fe and the nearest big city

Santa Fe is 71.0 miles SE of Rio Arriba County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Rio Rancho, NM (population 112,524), 84.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Española, NM (population 10,475), 49.3 miles away.

Rio Arriba County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rio Arriba County is 35039: state code 35 for New Mexico plus county code 039. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $51,703.