Localities of Mexico
Localities are the basic level of Administrative [divisions of Mexico|administrative divisions] of Mexico that correspond to distinct settlements. In the Mexican administrative hierarchy, localities are under the municipalities and Boroughs of [Mexico City|boroughs]. As of December 2024, there are in total 296,814 localities under the 2,478 municipalities in Mexico.
Administration
The Constitution of Mexico has defined Mexico a federal republic of 32 federative entities, it also outlines that the federative entities to be divided into municipalities and boroughs. The divisions of municipalities and boroughs are regulated solely by constitutions and laws of the respective federative entities.Among the states, settlement classification schemes vary. Common types of localities include:
- City — for more populous places,
- Town — for middle populous places, and
- Village — for less populous places.
Mexico City further divides its boroughs into neighborhoods.
The federal government has established the National Institute of Statistics and Geography to maintain the statistics and encoding of the administrative divisions across the country. The INEGI uses the term localities to collectively refer to these types of division. The INEGI's definition of localities is: "All places with one or more dwellings, who may be inhabited or not, and can be classed as urban or rural."
Statistics
According to INEGI's data, there are in total 296,814 localities under the 2,478 municipalities in Mexico as of December 2024.City
Cities are usually the most populous localities within the state. Each city elects its own city mayor. Note that the term city mayor should not be confused with municipal president, leader of a municipality, the city's upper-level division.Some larger cities are consolidated with its own municipality and form a single level of governance. Some of these cities are further divided into boroughs or neighborhoods in locality level.