County outline
Where Winston County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97% of Winston County’s measured area and water for 3%. Its combined area converts to 1,636.5 square kilometers or approximately 404,396 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 613 | 1,587.663 | 392,320 |
| Water | 18.868 | 48.868 | 12,075.5 |
| Total | 631.868 | 1,636.531 | 404,395.5 |
How Winston County compares
By original Census land area, Winston County ranks #47 of 67 in Alabama and #1576 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.912 times the Alabama county-equivalent median of 672.1 square miles. It accounts for 1.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alabama ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Winston County
The Census Bureau estimates that 23,829 people lived in Winston County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,704 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #42 of 67 in Alabama. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 23,557, the population has grown by 272 (+1.2%), compared with +3.3% for Alabama as a whole.
With 613 square miles of land, that is 39 people per square mile (15 per km²), placing Winston County #1,774 nationally for density and #39 in Alabama. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alabama median is 49. Put another way, there are about 16 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 23,503 | 23,656 | 23,749 | 23,684 | 23,870 | 23,829 |
| Change | — | +153 | +93 | −65 | +186 | −41 |
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 Winston County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Winston County. Together they are home to 7,046 people (29.6%); the other 16,783 (70.4%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Haleyville city, with 4,249 residents in the county (the city extends into 1 other county). The county seat, Double Springs town, has 1,107 residents. By land, Lynn town is the largest at 10.7 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haleyville cityAlso in 1 other county | 4,249 | −1.2% | 8.389 |
| Double Springs townCounty seat | 1,107 | −0.7% | 5.166 |
| Addison town | 669 | +1.2% | 3.77 |
| Lynn town | 636 | +3.1% | 10.7 |
| Arley town | 341 | +2.1% | 3.896 |
| Natural Bridge town | 41 | 0% | 0.53 |
| Nauvoo townAlso in 1 other county | 3 | 0% | 0.989 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Winston County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Winston 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
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Winston County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
350533509835179355033554035541355533556535572355753557735578
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 Winston County
Winston County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Winston County. The largest neighbor is Walker County (791.1 mi²) and the smallest is Franklin County (634 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Winston County forms a block of 4,205.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Winston | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker County | 791.1 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Marion County | 742.3 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Cullman County | 734.7 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Lawrence County | 690.7 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Franklin County | 634 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Winston County compared with U.S. states?
Winston County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.7 times as much. Alabama’s county land could hold about 83 areas the size of Winston County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 24.8 miles (39.8 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 Winston County?
Winston County has more land than 1,646 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 Winston County at #1,637 nationally by total area, 61 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 3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.8 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 Winston County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1575 | Maury County, Tennessee | 613.1 | Compare |
| #1576 | Winston County, Alabama | 613 | This county |
| #1577 | Johnson County, Iowa | 613 | 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 34.154563, -87.365351. 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: 1,587,662,808 m²; AWATER: 48,868,520 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 Winston County?
Winston County, Alabama has 613 square miles (1,587.7 km²) of land and 18.9 square miles of water, for a total area of 631.9 square miles. It ranks #1576 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Winston County the largest county in Alabama?
No. Winston County ranks #47 of 67 in Alabama by land area. The largest is Baldwin County, with 1,589.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Winston County?
Winston County shares a land border with Walker County, Cullman County, Lawrence County, Marion County, and Franklin County.
What is the population of Winston County?
The Census Bureau estimates Winston County had 23,829 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,704 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 39 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Winston County?
The county seat of Winston County is Double Springs.
What cities and towns are in Winston County?
Winston County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Haleyville city, Double Springs town, Addison town, Lynn town, and Arley town; 16,783 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Winston County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Winston County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Winston County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Winston 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 Winston County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.7 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Winston County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 392,320 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 404,396 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.