[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 square miles (23 km2).

It is bordered by the unincorporated West Whittier-Los Nietos to the north, Pico Rivera to the northwest, Downey to the west, Norwalk to the southwest, Cerritos to the south, La Mirada and the unincorporated South Whittier to the east, and Whittier to the northeast.

Corporal José Manuel Nieto, then 65 year old, petitioned Pedro Fages as the Governor for a little land.

This became known as the "Rancho La Zanja", to which he moved with his wife Teresa and his son, Juan José.

[10] Later, in 1886, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway purchased land from Fulton to run the train line from Los Angeles to San Diego, changing the town since now there was rail transportation.

Within a year the Santa Fe Springs oil field was considered one of the richest pools in petroleum history.

Prospective investors were bused into the field, served a free lunch in circus tents, and told stories about the fortunes made in oil.

In the 1920s the field produced as much as 345,000 barrels daily, exceeding production at Signal Hill and Huntington Beach.

Production slowed as the decade went on, and by 1928 the Wilshire Oil Company was drilling in deep sand levels.

Production levels dropped each year from then on, but by 1938 the field had yielded a total of more than 440,000,000 barrels of oil.

[25] According to Data USA, the racial makeup of Santa Fe Springs was 79% Hispanic (13,534), 10% white (1,752), 6% Asian (1,080), and 2.4% Black (424).

According to the 2010 United States Census, Santa Fe Springs had a median household income of $54,081, with 9.1% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

The economy of Santa Fe Springs is largely made up of light industry, unlike its neighboring cities.

Santa Fe Springs is home to Egge Machine Company,[41] supplier of Cadillac engine parts for custom cars and hot rods.

It is also home to U.S. Aerospace, a publicly traded aerospace and defense contractor for the United States Department of Defense and the United States Air Force, Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company, L-3 Communications Holdings, the Middle River Aircraft Systems subsidiary of General Electric Company, and other aircraft manufacturers, aerospace companies, and defense contractors.

The museum traces five generations of the Hathaway family and is a reflection of the economic transition of the region.

[43][44] Santa Fe Springs was, in the past, home to two regional malls and one open-air shopping center anchored by department stores.

It is also home to the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet, known as a flea market and music venue.