Elevation of Albuquerque
4,955ft
above sea level · 1,510 m
Albuquerque is a city in New Mexico with 556,588 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 4th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 35.08° N · 106.65° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 35° 5′ 4″ N · 106° 39′ 4″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 13S · 349,479 E · 3,883,660 N
- Zone 13 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Mountain Time
- UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 556,588 people
- 187 sq mi of land · 2,972 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from August 2018: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Albuquerque had 556,588 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.4% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 564,428. Its 187 sq mi of land work out to 2,972 people/sq mi; the state average is 18 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 528 places the Census counts in New Mexico (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 26% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Bernalillo County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.4 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Albuquerque sits at 4,955 ft (1,510 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Albuquerque is 4,097 ft above it.
The state capital, Santa Fe, is 58 mi away in a straight line and 2,042 ft higher than Albuquerque.
The highest point in New Mexico is Wheeler Peak, at 13,161 ft according to the USGS: 8,206 ft above Albuquerque, 123 mi away in a straight line.
- 4 Albuquerque 4,955 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Albuquerque.
What is the elevation of Albuquerque?
Albuquerque is 4,955 feet (1,510 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Albuquerque?
Latitude 35.08449 and longitude -106.65114, in decimal degrees (35° 5′ 4″ N · 106° 39′ 4″ W). In UTM, zone 13: 349,479 E and 3,883,660 N, on NAD83.
How does Albuquerque rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 4th highest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Albuquerque in?
Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
Which is higher, Albuquerque or Santa Fe?
Santa Fe. Albuquerque sits at 4,955 ft and Santa Fe at 6,997 ft: a difference of 2,042 ft, 58 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know