County outline
Where El Dorado County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 95.6% of El Dorado County’s measured area and water for 4.4%. Its combined area converts to 4,626.7 square kilometers or approximately 1,143,271 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,707.842 | 4,423.29 | 1,093,018.9 |
| Water | 78.519 | 203.363 | 50,252.2 |
| Total | 1,786.361 | 4,626.654 | 1,143,271 |
How El Dorado County compares
By original Census land area, El Dorado County ranks #27 of 58 in California and #351 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.112 times the California county-equivalent median of 1,535.7 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete California ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of El Dorado County
The Census Bureau estimates that 192,323 people lived in El Dorado County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #370 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #29 of 58 in California. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 191,189, the population has grown by 1,134 (+0.6%), compared with −0.5% for California as a whole.
With 1,707.8 square miles of land, that is 113 people per square mile (43 per km²), placing El Dorado County #917 nationally for density and #29 in California. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the California median is 112. Put another way, there are about 5.7 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 191,237 | 193,631 | 192,914 | 192,090 | 192,371 | 192,323 |
| Change | — | +2,394 | −717 | −824 | +281 | −48 |
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 El Dorado County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in El Dorado County. Together they are home to 31,800 people (16.5%); the other 160,523 (83.5%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is South Lake Tahoe city, with 21,115 residents in the county. The county seat, Placerville city, has 10,685 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Lake Tahoe city | 21,115 | −1.1% | 10.1 |
| Placerville cityCounty seat | 10,685 | −0.5% | 5.84 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside El Dorado County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
El Dorado County is a central county of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 4 county equivalents have 2,477,274 residents on 5,093.6 square miles of land; El Dorado County accounts for 33.5% of the land and 7.8% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #50 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #27 by population. It belongs to the Sacramento-Roseville, CA Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County | 1,618,460 | 965.4 |
| Placer County | 442,081 | 1,407.4 |
| Yolo County | 224,410 | 1,013 |
| El Dorado County | 192,323 | 1,707.8 |
ZIP codes
25 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in El Dorado County; 23 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
95613956149561995623956299563095633956349563595636956519566495667956729568295684957099572095721957269573595762961429615096155
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 El Dorado County
El Dorado County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 1 in Nevada. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Placer County (1,407.4 mi²) and the smallest is Amador County (594.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, El Dorado County forms a block of 6,124.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 27.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. El Dorado | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placer County | 1,407.4 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Sacramento County | 965.4 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Alpine County | 738.3 | 2.3× smaller | Compare |
| Douglas CountyNevada | 710.5 | 2.4× smaller | Compare |
| Amador County | 594.6 | 2.9× smaller | Compare |
How big is El Dorado County compared with U.S. states?
El Dorado County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.7 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.1 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). California’s county land could hold about 91 areas the size of El Dorado County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 41.3 miles (66.5 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 El Dorado County?
El Dorado County has more land than 2,871 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 El Dorado County at #374 nationally by total area, 23 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 4.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 3.2 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 El Dorado County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #350 | Grafton County, New Hampshire | 1,708.6 | Compare |
| #351 | El Dorado County, California | 1,707.8 | This county |
| #352 | Harris County, Texas | 1,707.3 | 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 38.785612, -120.534225. 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: 4,423,289,544 m²; AWATER: 203,362,529 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 El Dorado County?
El Dorado County, California has 1,707.8 square miles (4,423.3 km²) of land and 78.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,786.4 square miles. It ranks #351 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is El Dorado County the largest county in California?
No. El Dorado County ranks #27 of 58 in California by land area. The largest is San Bernardino County, with 20,068.4 square miles of land.
What counties border El Dorado County?
El Dorado County shares a land border with Placer County, Amador County, Alpine County, Sacramento County, and Douglas County, Nevada.
What is the population of El Dorado County?
The Census Bureau estimates El Dorado County had 192,323 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #370 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 113 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of El Dorado County?
The county seat of El Dorado County is Placerville.
What cities and towns are in El Dorado County?
El Dorado County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are South Lake Tahoe city and Placerville city; 160,523 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is El Dorado County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 4 county equivalents and 2,477,274 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in El Dorado County?
25 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in El Dorado County, and 23 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does El Dorado 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 El Dorado County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,093,019 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,143,271 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.