County outline
Where Mobile County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 74.8% of Mobile County’s measured area and water for 25.2%. Its combined area converts to 4,258.1 square kilometers or approximately 1,052,193 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,229.382 | 3,184.085 | 786,804.5 |
| Water | 414.67 | 1,073.99 | 265,388.8 |
| Total | 1,644.052 | 4,258.075 | 1,052,193.3 |
How Mobile County compares
By original Census land area, Mobile County ranks #4 of 67 in Alabama and #498 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.829 times the Alabama county-equivalent median of 672.1 square miles. It accounts for 2.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alabama ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Mobile County
The Census Bureau estimates that 411,658 people lived in Mobile County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #187 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #3 of 67 in Alabama. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 414,812, the population has declined by 3,154 (−0.8%), compared with +3.3% for Alabama as a whole.
With 1,229.4 square miles of land, that is 335 people per square mile (129 per km²), placing Mobile County #465 nationally for density and #3 in Alabama. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alabama median is 49. Put another way, there are about 1.9 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 414,414 | 413,299 | 411,378 | 411,693 | 412,193 | 411,658 |
| Change | — | −1,115 | −1,921 | +315 | +500 | −535 |
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 Mobile County
11 incorporated places lie at least partly in Mobile County. Together they are home to 266,819 people (64.8%); the other 144,839 (35.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Mobile city, with 200,824 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Semmes city grew fastest since then (+21%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile cityCounty seat | 200,824 | −2.9% | 150.8 |
| Prichard city | 18,825 | −2.7% | 25.4 |
| Saraland city | 16,652 | +1.9% | 34.6 |
| Satsuma city | 6,851 | +1.3% | 7.374 |
| Semmes city | 6,259 | +21% | 15.9 |
| Chickasaw city | 6,166 | −4.7% | 4.202 |
| Citronelle city | 3,897 | −1.1% | 25.9 |
| Bayou La Batre city | 2,068 | −4% | 7.502 |
| Creola town | 1,963 | +1.4% | 15.7 |
| Dauphin Island town | 1,929 | +8.7% | 6.257 |
| Mount Vernon town | 1,385 | +2.4% | 5.481 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Mobile County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Mobile County is a central county of the Mobile, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mobile County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 1,229.4 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #255 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #137 by population. It belongs to the Mobile-Daphne-Fairhope, AL Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
39 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Mobile County; 38 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
365053650936512365133652136522365233652536528365413654436560365683657136572365753658236587366023660336604366053660636607366083660936610366113661236613366153661736618366193665236663366883669336695
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 Mobile County
Mobile County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 3 in Mississippi. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Baldwin County (1,589.9 mi²) and the smallest is George County (478.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Mobile County forms a block of 5,813.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 21.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Mobile | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin County | 1,589.9 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Washington County | 1,080.3 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Jackson CountyMississippi | 722.8 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Greene CountyMississippi | 712.7 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| George CountyMississippi | 478.7 | 2.6× smaller | Compare |
How big is Mobile County compared with U.S. states?
Mobile County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.2 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.6 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Alabama’s county land could hold about 41 areas the size of Mobile County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 35.1 miles (56.4 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 Mobile County?
Mobile County has more land than 2,724 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 Mobile County at #409 nationally by total area, 89 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 25.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 24.1 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 Mobile County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #497 | Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana | 1,229.9 | Compare |
| #498 | Mobile County, Alabama | 1,229.4 | This county |
| #499 | Lycoming County, Pennsylvania | 1,228.9 | 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 30.684572, -88.196568. 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: 3,184,085,277 m²; AWATER: 1,073,990,063 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 Mobile County?
Mobile County, Alabama has 1,229.4 square miles (3,184.1 km²) of land and 414.7 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,644.1 square miles. It ranks #498 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Mobile County the largest county in Alabama?
No. Mobile County ranks #4 of 67 in Alabama by land area. The largest is Baldwin County, with 1,589.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Mobile County?
Mobile County shares a land border with Baldwin County, Washington County, Jackson County, Mississippi, George County, Mississippi, and Greene County, Mississippi.
What is the population of Mobile County?
The Census Bureau estimates Mobile County had 411,658 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #187 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 335 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Mobile County?
The county seat of Mobile County is Mobile.
What cities and towns are in Mobile County?
Mobile County has 11 incorporated places. The most populous five are Mobile city, Prichard city, Saraland city, Satsuma city, and Semmes city; 144,839 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Mobile County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Mobile, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Mobile County?
39 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Mobile County, and 38 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Mobile County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Mobile County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 786,804 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,052,193 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.