County outline
Where Dixie County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 67.6% of Dixie County’s measured area and water for 32.4%. Its combined area converts to 2,702.4 square kilometers or approximately 667,772 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 705.035 | 1,826.032 | 451,222.4 |
| Water | 338.359 | 876.346 | 216,549.8 |
| Total | 1,043.394 | 2,702.378 | 667,772.2 |
How Dixie County compares
By original Census land area, Dixie County ranks #33 of 67 in Florida and #1313 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.012 times the Florida county-equivalent median of 696.5 square miles. It accounts for 1.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Florida ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Dixie County
The Census Bureau estimates that 18,038 people lived in Dixie County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,996 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #58 of 67 in Florida. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 16,757, the population has grown by 1,281 (+7.6%), compared with +8.9% for Florida as a whole.
With 705 square miles of land, that is 26 people per square mile (9.9 per km²), placing Dixie County #2,129 nationally for density and #61 in Florida. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Florida median is 209. Put another way, there are about 25 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 16,697 | 16,947 | 17,134 | 17,510 | 17,870 | 18,038 |
| Change | — | +250 | +187 | +376 | +360 | +168 |
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 Dixie County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Dixie County. Together they are home to 2,014 people (11.2%); the other 16,024 (88.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Cross City town, with 1,849 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross City townCounty seat | 1,849 | +9% | 1.846 |
| Horseshoe Beach town | 165 | 0% | 0.482 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Dixie County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Dixie 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
6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Dixie County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
320083235932628326483268032692
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 Dixie County
Dixie County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Levy County (1,118.3 mi²) and the smallest is Gilchrist County (349.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Dixie County forms a block of 3,759.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 18.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Dixie | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levy County | 1,118.3 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Taylor County | 1,043.3 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Lafayette County | 543.3 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Gilchrist County | 349.7 | 2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Dixie County compared with U.S. states?
Dixie 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. Florida’s county land could hold about 76 areas the size of Dixie County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 26.6 miles (42.7 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 Dixie County?
Dixie County has more land than 1,909 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 Dixie County at #728 nationally by total area, 585 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 32.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 31.3 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 Dixie County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1312 | Montcalm County, Michigan | 705.3 | Compare |
| #1313 | Dixie County, Florida | 705 | This county |
| #1314 | Murray County, Minnesota | 704.7 | 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 29.552675, -83.236232. 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: 1,826,030,977 m²; AWATER: 876,346,181 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 Dixie County?
Dixie County, Florida has 705 square miles (1,826 km²) of land and 338.4 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,043.4 square miles. It ranks #1313 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Dixie County the largest county in Florida?
No. Dixie County ranks #33 of 67 in Florida by land area. The largest is Collier County, with 1,997 square miles of land.
What counties border Dixie County?
Dixie County shares a land border with Levy County, Lafayette County, Gilchrist County, and Taylor County.
What is the population of Dixie County?
The Census Bureau estimates Dixie County had 18,038 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,996 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 26 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Dixie County?
The county seat of Dixie County is Cross City.
What cities and towns are in Dixie County?
Dixie County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Cross City town and Horseshoe Beach town; 16,024 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Dixie County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Dixie County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Dixie County?
6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Dixie County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Dixie 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 Dixie County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 451,222 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 667,772 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.