County outline
Where Talbot County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 56.3% of Talbot County’s measured area and water for 43.7%. Its combined area converts to 1,234.9 square kilometers or approximately 305,157 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 268.556 | 695.557 | 171,875.8 |
| Water | 208.252 | 539.37 | 133,281.3 |
| Total | 476.808 | 1,234.927 | 305,157.1 |
How Talbot County compares
By original Census land area, Talbot County ranks #21 of 24 in Maryland and #2866 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.642 times the Maryland county-equivalent median of 418.5 square miles. It accounts for 2.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Maryland ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Talbot County
The Census Bureau estimates that 38,238 people lived in Talbot County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,254 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #19 of 24 in Maryland. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 37,523, the population has grown by 715 (+1.9%), compared with +1.4% for Maryland as a whole.
With 268.6 square miles of land, that is 142 people per square mile (55 per km²), placing Talbot County #800 nationally for density and #18 in Maryland. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Maryland median is 335. Put another way, there are about 4.5 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 37,488 | 37,719 | 37,901 | 38,019 | 38,295 | 38,238 |
| Change | — | +231 | +182 | +118 | +276 | −57 |
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 Talbot County
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Talbot County. Together they are home to 20,543 people (53.7%); the other 17,695 (46.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Easton town, with 17,293 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Trappe town grew fastest since then (+29%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton townCounty seat | 17,293 | +1% | 11.5 |
| Trappe town | 1,517 | +29% | 2.687 |
| St. Michaels town | 1,083 | +2.9% | 1.166 |
| Oxford town | 591 | −1.3% | 0.561 |
| Queen Anne townAlso in 1 other county | 59 | −3.3% | 0.138 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Talbot County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Talbot County is a central county of the Easton, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area. Talbot County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 268.6 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #526 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #349 by population. It belongs to the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Talbot County; 15 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
21601216122162421625216472165221653216542165721662216632166521671216732167621679
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 Talbot County
Talbot County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Talbot County. The largest neighbor is Dorchester County (540.8 mi²) and the smallest is Caroline County (319.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Talbot County forms a block of 1,500.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Talbot | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County | 540.8 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Queen Anne's County | 371.7 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Caroline County | 319.4 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
How big is Talbot County compared with U.S. states?
Talbot County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 3.8 times as much. Maryland’s county land could hold about 36 areas the size of Talbot County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 16.4 miles (26.4 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 Talbot County?
Talbot County has more land than 356 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 Talbot County at #2,254 nationally by total area, 612 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 43.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 42.5 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 Talbot County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2865 | Lafayette Parish, Louisiana | 268.8 | Compare |
| #2866 | Talbot County, Maryland | 268.6 | This county |
| #2867 | Stafford County, Virginia | 268.5 | 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 38.747066, -76.177374. 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: 695,556,060 m²; AWATER: 539,369,003 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 Talbot County?
Talbot County, Maryland has 268.6 square miles (695.6 km²) of land and 208.3 square miles of water, for a total area of 476.8 square miles. It ranks #2866 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Talbot County the largest county in Maryland?
No. Talbot County ranks #21 of 24 in Maryland by land area. The largest is Frederick County, with 660.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Talbot County?
Talbot County shares a land border with Caroline County, Queen Anne's County, and Dorchester County.
What is the population of Talbot County?
The Census Bureau estimates Talbot County had 38,238 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,254 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 142 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Talbot County?
The county seat of Talbot County is Easton.
What cities and towns are in Talbot County?
Talbot County has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Easton town, Trappe town, St. Michaels town, Oxford town, and Queen Anne town; 17,695 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Talbot County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Easton, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Talbot County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Talbot County, and 15 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Talbot County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 3.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Talbot County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 171,876 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 305,157 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.