County outline
Where Franklin County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.1% of Franklin County’s measured area and water for 1.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,674.5 square kilometers or approximately 413,775 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 633.959 | 1,641.946 | 405,733.8 |
| Water | 12.564 | 32.541 | 8,041 |
| Total | 646.523 | 1,674.487 | 413,774.7 |
How Franklin County compares
By original Census land area, Franklin County ranks #41 of 67 in Alabama and #1507 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.943 times the Alabama county-equivalent median of 672.1 square miles. It accounts for 1.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alabama ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Franklin County
The Census Bureau estimates that 32,449 people lived in Franklin County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,425 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #37 of 67 in Alabama. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 32,118, the population has grown by 331 (+1%), compared with +3.3% for Alabama as a whole.
With 634 square miles of land, that is 51 people per square mile (20 per km²), placing Franklin County #1,522 nationally for density and #31 in Alabama. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alabama median is 49. Put another way, there are about 13 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 32,088 | 32,002 | 31,983 | 32,001 | 32,189 | 32,449 |
| Change | — | −86 | −19 | +18 | +188 | +260 |
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 Franklin County
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Franklin County. Together they are home to 15,712 people (48.4%); the other 16,737 (51.6%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Russellville city, with 10,904 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Russellville city grew fastest since then (+0.4%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russellville cityCounty seat | 10,904 | +0.4% | 13.5 |
| Red Bay city | 3,196 | −1.3% | 9.752 |
| Phil Campbell town | 1,004 | +1.5% | 4.31 |
| Vina town | 339 | +3% | 4.801 |
| Hodges town | 269 | +2.3% | 4.127 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Franklin County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Franklin County is a central county of the Russellville, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 634 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #335 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #423 by population. It belongs to the Florence-Muscle Shoals-Russellville, AL Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Franklin County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
35564355653557135581355823558535593356533565435674
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 Franklin County
Franklin County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents, including 2 in Mississippi. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Marion County (742.3 mi²) and the smallest is Tishomingo County (424.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Franklin County forms a block of 4,230 mi² of land, of which it holds 15%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Franklin | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County | 742.3 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Lawrence County | 690.7 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Winston County | 613 | about the same | Compare |
| Colbert County | 593 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Itawamba CountyMississippi | 532.8 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Tishomingo CountyMississippi | 424.3 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Franklin County compared with U.S. states?
Franklin County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Alabama’s county land could hold about 80 areas the size of Franklin County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.2 miles (40.5 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 Franklin County?
Franklin County has more land than 1,715 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 Franklin County at #1,588 nationally by total area, 81 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 1.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.8 percentage points higher. 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 Franklin County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1506 | Foster County, North Dakota | 634.1 | Compare |
| #1507 | Franklin County, Alabama | 634 | This county |
| #1508 | Jackson County, Arkansas | 633.6 | 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 34.441989, -87.842814. 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: 1,641,945,964 m²; AWATER: 32,539,348 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 Franklin County?
Franklin County, Alabama has 634 square miles (1,641.9 km²) of land and 12.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 646.5 square miles. It ranks #1507 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Franklin County the largest county in Alabama?
No. Franklin County ranks #41 of 67 in Alabama by land area. The largest is Baldwin County, with 1,589.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Franklin County?
Franklin County shares a land border with Colbert County, Marion County, Lawrence County, Itawamba County, Mississippi, Tishomingo County, Mississippi, and Winston County.
What is the population of Franklin County?
The Census Bureau estimates Franklin County had 32,449 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,425 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 51 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Franklin County?
The county seat of Franklin County is Russellville.
What cities and towns are in Franklin County?
Franklin County has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Russellville city, Red Bay city, Phil Campbell town, Vina town, and Hodges town; 16,737 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Franklin County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Russellville, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Franklin County?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Franklin County, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Franklin County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Franklin County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 405,734 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 413,775 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.