County outline
Where Clinton County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 95.9% of Clinton County’s measured area and water for 4.1%. Its combined area converts to 532 square kilometers or approximately 131,467 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 197.063 | 510.391 | 126,120.3 |
| Water | 8.354 | 21.637 | 5,346.6 |
| Total | 205.417 | 532.028 | 131,466.9 |
How Clinton County compares
By original Census land area, Clinton County ranks #104 of 120 in Kentucky and #3000 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.644 times the Kentucky county-equivalent median of 306 square miles. It accounts for 0.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kentucky ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Clinton County
The Census Bureau estimates that 9,139 people lived in Clinton County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,549 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #100 of 120 in Kentucky. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 9,252, the population has declined by 113 (−1.2%), compared with +2.2% for Kentucky as a whole.
With 197.1 square miles of land, that is 46 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Clinton County #1,626 nationally for density and #76 in Kentucky. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kentucky median is 59. Put another way, there are about 14 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 9,231 | 9,285 | 9,140 | 9,192 | 9,172 | 9,139 |
| Change | — | +54 | −145 | +52 | −20 | −33 |
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 Clinton County
1 incorporated place lies at least partly in Clinton County. Together they are home to 1,729 people (18.9%); the other 7,410 (81.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Albany city, with 1,729 residents in the county.
Metropolitan area
Clinton 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
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Clinton County; 1 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
38549426024260342717
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 Clinton County
Clinton County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 2 in Tennessee. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Wayne County (458 mi²) and the smallest is Pickett County (163 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Clinton County forms a block of 1,613 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Clinton | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 458 | 2.3× larger | Compare |
| Cumberland County | 305.1 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Russell County | 253.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Clay CountyTennessee | 236.5 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Pickett CountyTennessee | 163 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Clinton County compared with U.S. states?
Clinton County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 5.2 times as much. Kentucky’s county land could hold about 200 areas the size of Clinton County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 14 miles (22.6 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 Clinton County?
Clinton County has more land than 222 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 Clinton County at #3,013 nationally by total area, 13 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 4.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 2.9 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 Clinton County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2999 | Montgomery County, Kentucky | 197.4 | Compare |
| #3000 | Clinton County, Kentucky | 197.1 | This county |
| #3001 | Lanier County, Georgia | 196.5 | 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 36.727258, -85.136098. 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: 510,391,736 m²; AWATER: 21,636,751 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 Clinton County?
Clinton County, Kentucky has 197.1 square miles (510.4 km²) of land and 8.354 square miles of water, for a total area of 205.4 square miles. It ranks #3000 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Clinton County the largest county in Kentucky?
No. Clinton County ranks #104 of 120 in Kentucky by land area. The largest is Pike County, with 786.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Clinton County?
Clinton County shares a land border with Wayne County, Pickett County, Tennessee, Cumberland County, Russell County, and Clay County, Tennessee.
What is the population of Clinton County?
The Census Bureau estimates Clinton County had 9,139 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,549 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 46 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Clinton County?
The county seat of Clinton County is Albany.
Is Clinton County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Clinton County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Clinton County?
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Clinton County, and 1 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Clinton County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 5.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Clinton County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 126,120 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 131,467 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.