County outline
Where Choctaw County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.2% of Choctaw County’s measured area and water for 0.8%. Its combined area converts to 2,385 square kilometers or approximately 589,350 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 913.479 | 2,365.9 | 584,626.6 |
| Water | 7.38 | 19.114 | 4,723.2 |
| Total | 920.859 | 2,385.014 | 589,349.8 |
How Choctaw County compares
By original Census land area, Choctaw County ranks #13 of 67 in Alabama and #813 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.359 times the Alabama county-equivalent median of 672.1 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alabama ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Choctaw County
The Census Bureau estimates that 11,904 people lived in Choctaw County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,356 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #59 of 67 in Alabama. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 12,667, the population has declined by 763 (−6%), compared with +3.3% for Alabama as a whole.
With 913.5 square miles of land, that is 13 people per square mile (5 per km²), placing Choctaw County #2,535 nationally for density and #62 in Alabama. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alabama median is 49. Put another way, there are about 49 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 12,623 | 12,543 | 12,419 | 12,264 | 12,090 | 11,904 |
| Change | — | −80 | −124 | −155 | −174 | −186 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Choctaw County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Choctaw County. Together they are home to 3,660 people (30.7%); the other 8,244 (69.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Butler town, with 1,698 residents in the county. By land, Gilbertown town is the largest at 10.5 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler townCounty seat | 1,698 | −9% | 6.751 |
| Gilbertown town | 685 | −6.5% | 10.5 |
| Lisman town | 400 | −5.9% | 2.586 |
| Silas town | 349 | −6.4% | 5.207 |
| Pennington town | 322 | −3% | 5.216 |
| Toxey town | 138 | −6.1% | 0.684 |
| Needham town | 68 | −9.3% | 0.572 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Choctaw County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Choctaw County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Choctaw County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
3655836904369083691036912369133691536916369193692136922
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Choctaw County
Choctaw County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 3 in Mississippi. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Clarke County (1,238.4 mi²) and the smallest is Clarke County (691.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Choctaw County forms a block of 7,318.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Choctaw | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County | 1,238.4 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Washington County | 1,080.3 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Marengo County | 976.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Sumter County | 903.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Wayne CountyMississippi | 810.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Lauderdale CountyMississippi | 703.7 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Clarke CountyMississippi | 691.6 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Choctaw County compared with U.S. states?
Choctaw County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.1 times as much. Alabama’s county land could hold about 55 areas the size of Choctaw County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 30.2 miles (48.6 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Choctaw County?
Choctaw County has more land than 2,409 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Choctaw County at #899 nationally by total area, 86 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.4 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Choctaw County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #812 | Rusk County, Wisconsin | 913.5 | Compare |
| #813 | Choctaw County, Alabama | 913.5 | This county |
| #814 | Randall County, Texas | 912.7 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 31.981017, -88.242990. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,365,900,071 m²; AWATER: 19,114,318 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Choctaw County?
Choctaw County, Alabama has 913.5 square miles (2,365.9 km²) of land and 7.38 square miles of water, for a total area of 920.9 square miles. It ranks #813 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Choctaw County the largest county in Alabama?
No. Choctaw County ranks #13 of 67 in Alabama by land area. The largest is Baldwin County, with 1,589.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Choctaw County?
Choctaw County shares a land border with Sumter County, Marengo County, Clarke County, Mississippi, Clarke County, Washington County, Wayne County, Mississippi, and Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
What is the population of Choctaw County?
The Census Bureau estimates Choctaw County had 11,904 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,356 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 13 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Choctaw County?
The county seat of Choctaw County is Butler.
What cities and towns are in Choctaw County?
Choctaw County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Butler town, Gilbertown town, Lisman town, Silas town, and Pennington town; 8,244 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Choctaw County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Choctaw County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Choctaw County?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Choctaw County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Choctaw County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Choctaw County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 584,627 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 589,350 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.