| COUNTY DETAILS | |
| County Seat: | Bernalillo |
| Year Organized: | 1903 |
| Total Square Miles: | 3,714 |
| 2018 Population: | 145,179 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 39 |
| COUNTY STRUCTURE |
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| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon’s Rule |
| Legislative Body: | Board of County Commissioners |
| Size of Legislative Body: | 5 |
| DEMOGRAPHICS |
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| 2018 Population: | 145,179 |
| 25 to 64 Years of Age | 51.25% |
| 65 Years of Age and Older | 17.74% |
| ECONOMY, 2018 |
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| Gross Domestic Product (GDP): | $3.0 B |
| Labor Force | 64,633 |
| Unemployment Rate | 5.00% |
| COUNTY CONTACT |
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PO BOX 40 Phone: (505) 867-7500 |
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| https://www.sandovalcountynm.gov/ | |
County History
Sandoval County has a rich culture and was a thriving area centuries before Don Francisco de Coronado explored and camped near present-day Bernalillo in 1540. Prehistoric artifacts in many areas of the County date back thousands of years, with archaeological finds suggesting that Sandia Man lived and hunted in the area thousands of years ago.
The area consisting of modern-day Sandoval County was included in one of two partidos, or districts, created in the New Mexico territory. It became part of Santa Ana County, one of seven political subdivisions created in 1852. Sandoval County was first established as a separate entity on March 10, 1903, nine years before New Mexico’s statehood. The area that forms Los Alamos County was separated from Sandoval County in 1949.
The County Today
Sandoval County, the fastest-growing county in New Mexico, encompasses 3,714 square miles of diverse geography and has a population of approximately 151,000 people. It includes the incorporated municipalities of Bernalillo, Cuba, Corrales, Jemez Springs, Rio Rancho, San Ysidro, and the Town of Cochiti Lake as well as numerous unincorporated communities, and all or portions of 12 Indian Pueblos and Tribal Nations.