Mexico's 31 States and Single Federal District

Aerial view of a busy town in Mexico surrounded by mountains and trees.


Mexico, officially called the United Mexican States, is a federal republic located in North America. It is south of the United States and north of Guatemala and Belize. It is also bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It has a total area of 758,450 square miles (1,964,375 sq km), which makes it the fifth-largest country by area in the Americas and the 14th largest in the world. Mexico has a population of 124,574,7957 (July 2017 estimate). Its capital and largest city is Mexico City. It's the 10th-largest country in the world by population, and Mexico City, when you take the entire metro area's population into account, is fifth in the list of the most populous of the world. It's in the top 25 when you use just the city proper.

How Is Mexico Broken Up?

Mexico is divided into 32 federal entities, of which 31 are states and one is a federal district. The following is a list of Mexico's states and federal district arranged by area. The population (as of 2015) and capital of each have also been included for reference.

Federal District

Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico or formerly, Mexico, D.F.)

Area: 573 square miles (1,485 sq km)

Population: 8.9 million (21.581 million in the greater metropolitan area)

This is a separate city from the 31 states, similar to Washington, D.C. in the United States.


Area: 95,543 square miles (247,455 sq km)

Population: 3,569,000

Capital: Chihuahua


Area: 69,306 square miles (179,503 sq km)

Population: 2,874,000

Capital: Hermosillo

Coahuila de Zaragoza

Area: 58,519 square miles (151,503 sq km)

Population: 2,300,000

Capital: Saltillo


Area: 47,665 square miles (123,451 sq km)

Population: 1,760,000

Capital: Victoria de Durango


Area: 36,214 square miles (93,793 sq km)

Population: 3,976,000

Capital: Oaxaca de Juárez


Area: 30,956 square miles (80,175 sq km)

Population: 3,454,000

Capital: Ciudad Victoria


Area: 30,347 square miles (78,599 sq km)

Population: 7,881,000

Capital: Guadalajara


Area: 29,166 square miles (75,539 sq km)

Population: 1,582,000

Capital: Zacatecas

Baja California Sur

Area: 28,541 square miles (73,922 sq km)

Population: 718,000

Capital: La Paz


Area: 28,297 square miles (73,289 sq km)

Population: 5,229,000

Capital: Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave

Area: 27,730 square miles (71,820 sq km)

Population: 8,128,000

Capital: Xalapa-Enriquez

Baja California

Area: 27,585 square miles (71,446 sq km)

Population: 3,349,000

Capital: Mexicali

Nuevo León

Area: 24,795 square miles (64,220 sq km)

Population: 5,132,000

Capital: Monterrey


Area: 24,564 square miles (63,621 sq km)

Population: 3,542,000

Capital: Chilpancingo de los Bravo

San Luis Potosí

Area: 23,545 square miles (60,983 sq km)

Population: 2,724

Capital: San Luis Potosí


Area: 22,642 square miles (58,643 sq km)

Population: 4,599,000

Capital: Morelia


Area: 22,365 square miles (57,924 sq km)

Population: 902,000

Capital: San Francisco de Campeche


Area: 22,153 square miles (57,377 sq km)

Population: 2,977,000

Capital: Culiacan Rosales

Quintana Roo

Area: 16,356 square miles (42,361 sq km)

Population: 1,506,000

Capital: Chetumal


Area: 15,294 square miles (39,612 sq km)

Population: 2,102,000

Capital: Mérida


Area: 13,239 square miles (34,290 sq km)

Population: 6,183,000

Capital: Puebla de Zaragoza


Area: 11,818 square miles (30,608 sq km)

Population: 5,865,000

Capital: Guanajuato


Area: 10,739 square miles (27,815 sq km)

Population: 1,189,000

Capital: Tepic


Area: 9551 square miles (24,738 sq km)

Population: 2,401,000

Capital: Villahermosa


Area: 8,632 square miles (22,357 sq km)

Population: 16,225,000

Capital: Toluca de Lerdo


Area: 8,049 square miles (20,846 sq km)

Population: 2,863,000

Capital: Pachuca de Soto


Area: 4,511 square miles (11,684 sq km)

Population: 2,044,000

Capital: Santiago de Querétaro


Area: 2,172 square miles (5,625 sq km)

Population: 715,000

Capital: Colima


Area: 2,169 square miles (5,618 sq km)

Population: 1,316,000

Capital: Aguascalientes


Area: 1,889 square miles (4,893 sq km)

Population: 1,912,000

Capital: Cuernavaca


Area: 1,541 square miles (3,991 sq km)

Population: 1,274,000

Capital: Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl


"North America:: Mexico." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, July 24, 2019.