Mexico Administrative Divisions
What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Mexico?
Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:
1. States and Mexico City: Mexico is divided into 31 states and 1 federal entity, Mexico City.
2. Municipalities: Each state and Mexico City is subdivided into municipalities, which are the smallest official administrative units.
List of Mexico's administrative divisions with their counts and names
These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.
| iso | country | admin level 1 | admin level 2 | admin level 3 | admin level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MX | Mexico | Aguascalientes (Estado libre) | 11 Municipalities | 9 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Baja California (Estado libre) | 7 Municipalities | 7 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Baja California Sur (Estado libre) | 5 Municipalities | 12 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Campeche (Estado libre) | 13 Municipalities | 12 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Chiapas (Estado libre) | 124 Municipalities | 25 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Chihuahua (Estado libre) | 67 Municipalities | 14 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Coahuila de Zaragoza (Estado libre) | 38 Municipalities | 24 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Colima (Estado libre) | 10 Municipalities | 5 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Durango (Estado libre) | 39 Municipalities | 12 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Guanajuato (Estado libre) | 46 Municipalities | 39 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Guerrero (Estado libre) | 85 Municipalities | 38 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Hidalgo (Estado libre) | 84 Municipalities | 15 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Jalisco (Estado libre) | 125 Municipalities | 57 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Mexico City (Federal Entity) | 16 Boroughs | 16 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Mexico (Estado libre) | 125 Municipalities | 35 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Michoacan de Ocampo (Estado libre) | 113 Municipalities | 27 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Morelos (Estado libre) | 36 Municipalities | 11 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Nayarit (Estado libre) | 20 Municipalities | 18 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Nuevo Leon (Estado libre) | 51 Municipalities | 19 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Oaxaca (Estado libre) | 570 Municipalities | 58 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Puebla (Estado libre) | 217 Municipalities | 17 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Queretaro (Estado libre) | 18 Municipalities | 3 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Quintana Roo (Estado libre) | 11 Municipalities | 8 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | San Luis Potosi (Estado libre) | 59 Municipalities | 21 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Sinaloa (Estado libre) | 20 Municipalities | 23 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Sonora (Estado libre) | 72 Municipalities | 14 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Tabasco (Estado libre) | 17 Municipalities | 12 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Tamaulipas (Estado libre) | 43 Municipalities | 21 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Tlaxcala (Estado libre) | 60 Municipalities | 6 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (Estado libre) | 212 Municipalities | 69 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Yucatan (Estado libre) | 106 Municipalities | 7 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| MX | Mexico | Zacatecas (Estado libre) | 58 Municipalities | 19 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?
The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.
How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?
Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Mexico is divided into 1 federal entity (Entidad Federativa) and 31 estados libres (Estados), which form the top-level administrative units. These are further divided into 16 boroughs (Delegaciones) and 2,455 municipalities (Municipios). Major federal entity include Aguascalientes, Baja California, and Baja California Sur.
Mexico has 2 administrative levels. Level 1: 1 federal entity (Entidad Federativa) and 31 estados libres (Estados). Level 2: 16 boroughs (Delegaciones) and 2,455 municipalities (Municipios).
Mexico operates on a two-level administrative system, starting with 32 federal entities (31 states and Mexico City) at the top level, followed by municipalities as the smallest official administrative units. Cities exist within municipalities but are not administrative units themselves.
In Mexico, federal entity and estados libres both sit at administrative level 1 but serve different functions. Federal entity (entidad federativa) — there is 1 — is typically a larger city or urban area that governs itself independently. Estados libres (estados) — there are 31 — group multiple smaller municipalities under a shared administration.
Mexican administrative divisions have specific local names at each level. In Spanish, federal entity are called Entidad Federativa; estados libres are called Estados; boroughs are called Delegaciones; municipalities are called Municipios. These local-language terms appear in official documents, legal records, and government databases, so matching them correctly is important for data integration and compliance.
Administrative boundaries in Mexico change as governments reorganize regions, merge municipalities, or create new administrative units to reflect population shifts and political decisions. Changes most commonly affect the boroughs level, where Mexico currently has 2,471 units. Businesses that rely on Mexican administrative data should use a regularly updated reference dataset to avoid mismatches in geocoding, tax jurisdiction mapping, and compliance reporting.