County outline
Where Wilkinson County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Wilkinson County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 1,170.5 square kilometers or approximately 289,248 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 449.223 | 1,163.482 | 287,502.7 |
| Water | 2.727 | 7.063 | 1,745.3 |
| Total | 451.95 | 1,170.545 | 289,248 |
How Wilkinson County compares
By original Census land area, Wilkinson County ranks #39 of 159 in Georgia and #2273 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.311 times the Georgia county-equivalent median of 342.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Georgia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Wilkinson County
The Census Bureau estimates that 8,650 people lived in Wilkinson County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,596 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #135 of 159 in Georgia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 8,873, the population has declined by 223 (−2.5%), compared with +5.5% for Georgia as a whole.
With 449.2 square miles of land, that is 19 people per square mile (7.4 per km²), placing Wilkinson County #2,351 nationally for density and #146 in Georgia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Georgia median is 69. Put another way, there are about 33 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 8,832 | 8,796 | 8,704 | 8,762 | 8,696 | 8,650 |
| Change | — | −36 | −92 | +58 | −66 | −46 |
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 Wilkinson County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Wilkinson County. Together they are home to 4,337 people (50.1%); the other 4,313 (49.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Gordon city, with 1,720 residents in the county. The county seat, Irwinton city, has 537 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon city | 1,720 | −3.4% | 5.39 |
| Ivey city | 1,009 | −2.6% | 2.591 |
| McIntyre town | 553 | −3.8% | 5.192 |
| Irwinton cityCounty seat | 537 | +1.5% | 3.145 |
| Toomsboro city | 376 | −1.6% | 1.862 |
| Allentown cityAlso in 3 other counties | 121 | −4% | 4.845 |
| Danville townAlso in 1 other county | 21 | −4.5% | 0.789 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Wilkinson County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Wilkinson 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
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Wilkinson County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
310033101731031310423104431054310613106531090
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 Wilkinson County
Wilkinson County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Laurens County (807.3 mi²) and the smallest is Baldwin County (258.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Wilkinson County forms a block of 3,250 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Wilkinson | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens County | 807.3 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Washington County | 678.5 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Jones County | 393.9 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Twiggs County | 359.3 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Johnson County | 303 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Baldwin County | 258.7 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Wilkinson County compared with U.S. states?
Wilkinson County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.3 times as much. Georgia’s county land could hold about 128 areas the size of Wilkinson County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.2 miles (34.1 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 Wilkinson County?
Wilkinson County has more land than 949 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 Wilkinson County at #2,338 nationally by total area, 65 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 0.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.6 percentage points lower. 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 Wilkinson County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2272 | Accomack County, Virginia | 449.3 | Compare |
| #2273 | Wilkinson County, Georgia | 449.2 | This county |
| #2274 | Lawrence County, Indiana | 449.1 | 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 32.804266, -83.175512. 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: 1,163,481,398 m²; AWATER: 7,063,256 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 Wilkinson County?
Wilkinson County, Georgia has 449.2 square miles (1,163.5 km²) of land and 2.727 square miles of water, for a total area of 452 square miles. It ranks #2273 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Wilkinson County the largest county in Georgia?
No. Wilkinson County ranks #39 of 159 in Georgia by land area. The largest is Ware County, with 899.4 square miles of land.
What counties border Wilkinson County?
Wilkinson County shares a land border with Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Laurens County, Washington County, Jones County, and Johnson County.
What is the population of Wilkinson County?
The Census Bureau estimates Wilkinson County had 8,650 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,596 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 19 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Wilkinson County?
The county seat of Wilkinson County is Irwinton.
What cities and towns are in Wilkinson County?
Wilkinson County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Gordon city, Ivey city, McIntyre town, Irwinton city, and Toomsboro city; 4,313 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Wilkinson County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Wilkinson County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Wilkinson County?
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Wilkinson County, and 6 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Wilkinson County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.3 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Wilkinson County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 287,503 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 289,248 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.