70% of the population lives in rural areas and most are small farmers growing maize, beans for their own consumption, and wheat.

The municipality is subdivided in the town of Momostenango, 14 villages and 169 smaller communities called caseríos or parajes.

Momostenango borders to the North with the municipalities of Malacatancito (Huehuetenango), San Bartolo and Santa Lucía La Reforma, to its South with San Francisco El Alto and the municipality of Totonicapán, to the East with Santa María Chiquimula, and to the West with San Carlos Sija (Quezaltenango).

The municipality's territory of 305 km2 has a mountainous topography with elevations ranging from 1800 m in the North-East, to 3300 m (Cerro Tená) to the West.

The mountains on its western border are a watershed for the Salinas and Samalá river basins.