County outline
Where Marshall County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 90.8% of Marshall County’s measured area and water for 9.2%. Its combined area converts to 1,614 square kilometers or approximately 398,835 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 566.013 | 1,465.967 | 362,248.3 |
| Water | 57.167 | 148.062 | 36,586.9 |
| Total | 623.18 | 1,614.029 | 398,835.2 |
How Marshall County compares
By original Census land area, Marshall County ranks #61 of 67 in Alabama and #1808 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.842 times the Alabama county-equivalent median of 672.1 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alabama ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Marshall County
The Census Bureau estimates that 103,537 people lived in Marshall County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #612 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #14 of 67 in Alabama. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 97,605, the population has grown by 5,932 (+6.1%), compared with +3.3% for Alabama as a whole.
With 566 square miles of land, that is 183 people per square mile (71 per km²), placing Marshall County #674 nationally for density and #12 in Alabama. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alabama median is 49. Put another way, there are about 3.5 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 97,696 | 98,262 | 99,681 | 101,307 | 102,860 | 103,537 |
| Change | — | +566 | +1,419 | +1,626 | +1,553 | +677 |
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 Marshall County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Marshall County. Together they are home to 53,934 people (52.1%); the other 49,603 (47.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Albertville city, with 23,710 residents in the county. The county seat, Guntersville city, has 9,394 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Guntersville city grew fastest since then (+9.8%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albertville city | 23,710 | +5.9% | 27 |
| Boaz cityAlso in 1 other county | 9,502 | +5.6% | 14.6 |
| Guntersville cityCounty seat | 9,394 | +9.8% | 25.6 |
| Arab cityAlso in 1 other county | 9,039 | +7.4% | 13.3 |
| Grant town | 1,078 | +3.6% | 1.853 |
| Douglas town | 796 | +5% | 3.405 |
| Cherokee Ridge town | 335 | +3.1% | 0.885 |
| Union Grove town | 76 | +5.6% | 0.556 |
| Sardis City townAlso in 1 other county | 4 | 0% | 7.864 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Marshall County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Marshall County is a central county of the Albertville, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Marshall County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 566 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #383 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #30 by population. It belongs to the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL-TN Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
18 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Marshall County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
350163508735175357473575435755357603576935776359503595135952359563595735962359753597635980
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 Marshall County
Marshall County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Jackson County (1,078 mi²) and the smallest is Etowah County (535.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Marshall County forms a block of 5,717.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 9.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Marshall | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 1,078 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
| Madison County | 801.7 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| DeKalb County | 777.1 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Cullman County | 734.7 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Blount County | 644.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Morgan County | 579.7 | about the same | Compare |
| Etowah County | 535.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Marshall County compared with U.S. states?
Marshall County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.8 times as much. Alabama’s county land could hold about 89 areas the size of Marshall County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.8 miles (38.3 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 Marshall County?
Marshall County has more land than 1,414 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 Marshall County at #1,658 nationally by total area, 150 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 9.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 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 Marshall County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1807 | Osceola County, Michigan | 566.3 | Compare |
| #1808 | Marshall County, Alabama | 566 | This county |
| #1809 | Sherman County, Nebraska | 565.9 | 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 34.309564, -86.321668. 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: 1,465,966,697 m²; AWATER: 148,062,584 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 Marshall County?
Marshall County, Alabama has 566 square miles (1,466 km²) of land and 57.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 623.2 square miles. It ranks #1808 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Marshall County the largest county in Alabama?
No. Marshall County ranks #61 of 67 in Alabama by land area. The largest is Baldwin County, with 1,589.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Marshall County?
Marshall County shares a land border with Jackson County, DeKalb County, Madison County, Morgan County, Blount County, Etowah County, and Cullman County.
What is the population of Marshall County?
The Census Bureau estimates Marshall County had 103,537 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #612 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 183 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Marshall County?
The county seat of Marshall County is Guntersville.
What cities and towns are in Marshall County?
Marshall County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Albertville city, Boaz city, Guntersville city, Arab city, and Grant town; 49,603 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Marshall County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Albertville, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Marshall County?
18 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Marshall County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Marshall County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Marshall County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 362,248 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 398,835 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.