Elevation

Elevation of Rio Rancho

5,277ft

above sea level · 1,608 m

Rio Rancho is a city in New Mexico with 114,419 people, the 3rd most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 6th highest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

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Place facts

Coordinates: 35.23° N · 106.66° W; In degrees, minutes and seconds: 35° 14′ 0″ N · 106° 39′ 52″ W
UTM coordinates: 13S · 348,540 E · 3,900,193 N; Zone 13 · NAD83, the official US datum
County: Sandoval County; The city spans 2 counties; its reference point is in this one
State: New Mexico; NM · capital: Santa Fe
Time zone: Mountain Time; UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025): 114,419 people; 103 sq mi of land · 1,107 people/sq mi
Elevation model: USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid; Lidar from August 2018: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Rio Rancho had 114,419 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 9.9% more than in April 2020, when it had 104,073. Its 103 sq mi of land work out to 1,107 people/sq mi; the state average is 18 people/sq mi.

It’s the 3rd most populous of the 528 places the Census counts in New Mexico (cities, towns and CDPs), after Albuquerque (556,588), and holds 5.4% of the state’s population.

The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Sandoval County (114,415) and Bernalillo County (4). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Sandoval County.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Rio Rancho sits at 5,277 ft (1,608 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Rio Rancho is 4,415 ft above it.

The state capital, Santa Fe, is 52 mi away in a straight line and 1,720 ft higher than Rio Rancho.

The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Albuquerque, 10 mi away in a straight line and 322 ft lower.

Of the 4 cities in New Mexico with a page, Rio Rancho is the 2nd highest. The others are Santa Fe (6,997 ft), Albuquerque (4,955 ft), and Las Cruces (3,910 ft).

The highest point in New Mexico is Wheeler Peak, at 13,161 ft according to the USGS: 7,884 ft above Rio Rancho, 115 mi away in a straight line.

4 Thornton 5,347 ft
5 Boulder 5,319 ft
6 Rio Rancho 5,277 ft
7 Fort Collins 5,004 ft
8 Longmont 4,980 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Rio Rancho and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Rio Rancho with any other point on the map. Map of Sandoval County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Rio Rancho and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of New Mexico counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Rio Rancho.

What is the elevation of Rio Rancho?

Rio Rancho is 5,277 feet (1,608 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 Rio Rancho?

Latitude 35.23338 and longitude -106.66447, in decimal degrees (35° 14′ 0″ N · 106° 39′ 52″ W). In UTM, zone 13: 348,540 E and 3,900,193 N, on NAD83.

How does Rio Rancho rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 6th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Rio Rancho in?

Several: Sandoval County and Bernalillo County. Most of its people live in Sandoval County.

Which is higher, Rio Rancho or Santa Fe?

Santa Fe. Rio Rancho sits at 5,277 ft and Santa Fe at 6,997 ft: a difference of 1,720 ft, 52 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.
Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know