County outline
Where Garland County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 92.2% of Garland County’s measured area and water for 7.8%. Its combined area converts to 1,902.5 square kilometers or approximately 470,110 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 677.615 | 1,755.015 | 433,673.6 |
| Water | 56.932 | 147.453 | 36,436.5 |
| Total | 734.547 | 1,902.468 | 470,110.1 |
How Garland County compares
By original Census land area, Garland County ranks #31 of 75 in Arkansas and #1385 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.047 times the Arkansas county-equivalent median of 647.2 square miles. It accounts for 1.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Arkansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Garland County
The Census Bureau estimates that 99,695 people lived in Garland County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #629 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #8 of 75 in Arkansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 100,174, the population has declined by 479 (−0.5%), compared with +3.4% for Arkansas as a whole.
With 677.6 square miles of land, that is 147 people per square mile (57 per km²), placing Garland County #782 nationally for density and #8 in Arkansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Arkansas median is 28. Put another way, there are about 4.4 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 100,259 | 100,318 | 99,975 | 99,772 | 99,910 | 99,695 |
| Change | — | +59 | −343 | −203 | +138 | −215 |
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 Garland County
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Garland County. Together they are home to 40,037 people (40.2%); the other 59,658 (59.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Hot Springs city, with 37,979 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs cityCounty seat | 37,979 | +0.2% | 37.6 |
| Diamondhead city | 893 | −2.3% | 2.359 |
| Mountain Pine city | 586 | +0.9% | 1.661 |
| Fountain Lake town | 473 | −0.4% | 4.37 |
| Lonsdale town | 106 | +2.9% | 0.404 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Garland County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Garland County is a central county of the Hot Springs, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. Garland County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 677.6 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #326 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #369 by population. It belongs to the Hot Springs-Malvern, AR Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Garland County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
71901719097191371933719497195671964719687208772104
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 Garland County
Garland County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Yell County (930.4 mi²) and the smallest is Perry County (551.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Garland County forms a block of 4,278.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Garland | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yell County | 930.4 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Montgomery County | 780.5 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Saline County | 723.5 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Hot Spring County | 614.9 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Perry County | 551.3 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Garland County compared with U.S. states?
Garland County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.5 times as much. Arkansas’s county land could hold about 77 areas the size of Garland County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 26 miles (41.9 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 Garland County?
Garland County has more land than 1,837 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 Garland County at #1,312 nationally by total area, 73 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 7.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 6.6 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 Garland County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1384 | Wilkinson County, Mississippi | 678 | Compare |
| #1385 | Garland County, Arkansas | 677.6 | This county |
| #1386 | Hays County, Texas | 676.9 | 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 34.578852, -93.146932. 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: 1,755,013,652 m²; AWATER: 147,452,167 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 Garland County?
Garland County, Arkansas has 677.6 square miles (1,755 km²) of land and 56.9 square miles of water, for a total area of 734.5 square miles. It ranks #1385 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Garland County the largest county in Arkansas?
No. Garland County ranks #31 of 75 in Arkansas by land area. The largest is Union County, with 1,039.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Garland County?
Garland County shares a land border with Hot Spring County, Saline County, Montgomery County, Perry County, and Yell County.
What is the population of Garland County?
The Census Bureau estimates Garland County had 99,695 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #629 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 147 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Garland County?
The county seat of Garland County is Hot Springs.
What cities and towns are in Garland County?
Garland County has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Hot Springs city, Diamondhead city, Mountain Pine city, Fountain Lake town, and Lonsdale town; 59,658 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Garland County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Hot Springs, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Garland County?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Garland 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 Garland County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Garland County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 433,674 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 470,110 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.