County outline
Where Morgan County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.3% of Morgan County’s measured area and water for 0.7%. Its combined area converts to 994 square kilometers or approximately 245,624 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 381.104 | 987.055 | 243,906.6 |
| Water | 2.684 | 6.952 | 1,717.8 |
| Total | 383.788 | 994.006 | 245,624.3 |
How Morgan County compares
By original Census land area, Morgan County ranks #37 of 120 in Kentucky and #2597 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.246 times the Kentucky county-equivalent median of 306 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kentucky ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Morgan County
The Census Bureau estimates that 14,415 people lived in Morgan County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,196 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #77 of 120 in Kentucky. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 13,725, the population has grown by 690 (+5%), compared with +2.2% for Kentucky as a whole.
With 381.1 square miles of land, that is 38 people per square mile (15 per km²), placing Morgan County #1,800 nationally for density and #92 in Kentucky. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kentucky median is 59. Put another way, there are about 17 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 13,733 | 13,692 | 14,166 | 14,372 | 14,233 | 14,415 |
| Change | — | −41 | +474 | +206 | −139 | +182 |
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 Morgan County
1 incorporated place lies at least partly in Morgan County. Together they are home to 3,339 people (23.2%); the other 11,076 (76.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is West Liberty city, with 3,339 residents in the county.
Metropolitan area
Morgan 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
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Morgan County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
4038741219413324135241408414214142541472
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 Morgan County
Morgan County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than 6 of them. The largest neighbor is Lawrence County (415.6 mi²) and the smallest is Menifee County (203.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Morgan County forms a block of 2,307 mi² of land, of which it holds 16.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Morgan | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County | 415.6 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Magoffin County | 308.4 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Rowan County | 279.9 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Johnson County | 262 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Elliott County | 234.3 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Wolfe County | 222.2 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Menifee County | 203.5 | 1.9× smaller | Compare |
How big is Morgan County compared with U.S. states?
Morgan County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.7 times as much. Kentucky’s county land could hold about 104 areas the size of Morgan County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 19.5 miles (31.4 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 Morgan County?
Morgan County has more land than 625 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 Morgan County at #2,650 nationally by total area, 53 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 0.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.5 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 Morgan County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2596 | Calhoun County, South Carolina | 381.1 | Compare |
| #2597 | Morgan County, Kentucky | 381.1 | This county |
| #2598 | Marion County, Texas | 380.9 | 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 37.922940, -83.258944. 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: 987,053,727 m²; AWATER: 6,950,467 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 Morgan County?
Morgan County, Kentucky has 381.1 square miles (987.1 km²) of land and 2.684 square miles of water, for a total area of 383.8 square miles. It ranks #2597 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Morgan County the largest county in Kentucky?
No. Morgan County ranks #37 of 120 in Kentucky by land area. The largest is Pike County, with 786.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Morgan County?
Morgan County shares a land border with Magoffin County, Elliott County, Wolfe County, Menifee County, Rowan County, Johnson County, and Lawrence County.
What is the population of Morgan County?
The Census Bureau estimates Morgan County had 14,415 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,196 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 38 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Morgan County?
The county seat of Morgan County is West Liberty.
Is Morgan County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Morgan County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Morgan County?
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Morgan 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 Morgan County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.7 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Morgan County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 243,907 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 245,624 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.