# San Mateo Canton, Alajuela Province – Population & Districts

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-mateo/

Canton · Alajuela Province 

# San Mateo Canton

San Mateo Canton is a canton of Costa Rica in Alajuela Province. It had an estimated **7,208 people** in 2021 on 125 km² (about 58 per km²). It is divided into 4 districts. 36 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 54 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 7,208people (2021)
- 125km²
- 4districts
- 54mapped services

## How many people live in San Mateo Canton?

San Mateo Canton had an estimated **7,208 people** in 2021 — 0.7% of Alajuela Province, 81st of 83 cantons. There are 949 women for every 1,000 men (below the Alajuela Province figure of 973). Spread over 125 km², that is about **58 people per km²**, 58th of 83 cantons.

18.6% of people are children under 15 and 12.8% are 65 or older; the median age is about 36 years (it is 32 across Alajuela Province). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 46 children and older people.

0–4 ****437**

5–9 ****468**

10–14 ****439**

15–19 ****449**

20–24 ****526**

25–29 ****572**

30–34 ****604**

35–39 ****593**

40–44 ****526**

45–49 ****423**

50–54 ****424**

55–59 ****436**

60–64 ****391**

65–69 ****335**

70–74 ****223**

75+ ****362**

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Where is San Mateo Canton?

San Mateo Canton lies in [Alajuela Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/), [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). It borders 4 other cantons: [Atenas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/atenas/), [Esparza Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/puntarenas/esparza/), [Orotina Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/orotina/) and [San Ramón Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-ramon/). By area it is the 60th largest of 84 cantons in Costa Rica. It covers 1.3% of [Alajuela Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/). The centre of San Mateo Canton is about 49 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. It is about 36 km from Alajuela, the main town of Alajuela Province. The centre point is at 9.9605° N, 84.5319° W.

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri).

## Things to see in and around San Mateo Canton

OpenStreetMap lists 4 named sights in San Mateo Canton: 1 ruins; 1 monument; 1 cave; 1 museum.

- Ecomuseo Minas del Aguacate · museum
- Antigua Iglesia de San Juan de Dios · ruins
- Minas del Aguacate · cave
- San Caralampio · monument

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: San Mateo Canton

- Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica
- CurrencyColon (CRC)
- Country calling code+506
- LanguagesSpanish, English
- Plug typesType A, B · 120 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format5 digits (#####)

### Nearest airports

- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela)36 km
- Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose43 km

### Nearest railway station

Salinas (Caldera), about 18 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:17) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:46, sunset around 17:19).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Districts of San Mateo Canton

District People per km² Area km² Localities Services 

[San Mateo](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-mateo/san-mateo/) 3,058 47 65 14 35 

[Jesús María](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-mateo/jesus-maria/) 1,496 80 19 3 4 

[Labrador](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-mateo/labrador/) 1,467 69 21 7 7 

[Desmonte](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-mateo/desmonte/) 1,187 59 20 12 8 

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri); [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Villages and localities in San Mateo Canton

Open gazetteers list **36 villages, towns and localities** in San Mateo Canton. The largest with a recorded population: Desamparados (14,448). Settlements here lie between about 57 m and 1,003 m above sea level (median 281 m).

- Agua Agria
- Aguambrales
- Altamira
- Asentamiento IDA
- Barrio Corazón de Jesús
- Centeno
- Cuesta Colorada
- Desamparados
- Desmonte
- Dulce Nombre
- El Cenízaro
- El INVU
- El Realengo
- Estanquillos
- Garabito
- Higuito
- Jesús María
- La Libertad
- La Unión
- Labrador
- Libertad
- Machuca
- Maderal
- Parcelas Oricuajo
- Parcelas del IDA
- Patio de Agua
- Patio de Agua Norte
- Poza Redonda
- Quebrada Grande
- Quebrada Honda
- Quintas Machuquillas
- Ramadas
- San Juan 1
- San Juan de Dios
- San Mateo
- Zapote

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of San Mateo Canton

Named natural and historic features inside San Mateo Canton, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

27 rivers and streams.

- Quebrada Chavarría
- Quebrada Chumical
- Quebrada Dulce Nombre
- Quebrada Espavel
- Quebrada Fierro
- Quebrada Fresca
- Quebrada Garabito
- Quebrada Granados
- Quebrada Grande
- Quebrada Izarco
- Quebrada La Cruz
- Quebrada López
- Quebrada Ojochal
- Quebrada Pizarra
- Quebrada Ramadas
- Quebrada San Juan Uno
- Quebrada Vargas
- Quebrada Zapote
- Quebrada Zota
- Río Agua Agria
- Río Centeno
- Río Machuca
- Río Negro
- Río Quebrada Honda

…and 3 more.

### Hills and mountains

5 hills; 2 mountains.

- Cerro Mondongo · 949 m
- Cerro Pelón · 732 m
- Cerro Maderal · 482 m
- Cerro Tres · 352 m
- Cerro Mina · 273 m
- Cerro Muerto · 229 m
- Cerro Oricuajo · 96 m

### Getting around

1 bridge.

- Puente de las Damas

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in San Mateo Canton and the best time to visit

In San Mateo Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 25 °C) and the coolest is Dec (22 °C). About 1,793 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (301 mm) and the driest Feb (22 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **December to April**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 23 38 

Feb 24 22 

Mar 25 29 

Apr 25 76 

May 24 220 

Jun 24 209 

Jul 23 184 

Aug 23 198 

Sep 23 256 

Oct 23 301 

Nov 22 188 

Dec 22 70 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Hospitals, banks and other services in San Mateo Canton

Places mapped inside San Mateo Canton in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.

- ATMs2
- Hotels7
- Shopping malls1
- Schools15
- Colleges and universities3
- Restaurants23
- Police stations3

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Quick answers

- Where is San Mateo Canton?In Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
- What is the population of San Mateo Canton?7,208 (2021 estimate)
- What is the median age in San Mateo Canton?About 36 years (2021 estimate)
- What is the population density of San Mateo Canton?About 58 people per km²
- What borders San Mateo Canton?Atenas Canton, Esparza Canton, Orotina Canton and San Ramón Canton
- What is there to see in San Mateo Canton?Antigua Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, Ecomuseo Minas del Aguacate, Minas del Aguacate, San Caralampio
- What time zone is San Mateo Canton in?UTC−6
- What currency is used in San Mateo Canton?Colon (CRC)
- What language is spoken in San Mateo Canton?Spanish, English (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in San Mateo Canton?36 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of San Mateo Canton?Settlements lie between 57 m and 1,003 m
- What is the highest point in San Mateo Canton?Cerro Mondongo (949 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit San Mateo Canton?December to April
- How many ATMs are in San Mateo Canton?2 mapped
- What is the P-code of San Mateo Canton?CR204 (OCHA common operational dataset)