County outline
Where Antrim County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 79.1% of Antrim County’s measured area and water for 20.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,558.5 square kilometers or approximately 385,123 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 475.691 | 1,232.034 | 304,442.2 |
| Water | 126.064 | 326.504 | 80,681 |
| Total | 601.755 | 1,558.538 | 385,123.2 |
How Antrim County compares
By original Census land area, Antrim County ranks #76 of 83 in Michigan and #2166 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.838 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Antrim County
The Census Bureau estimates that 24,698 people lived in Antrim County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,678 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #59 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 23,422, the population has grown by 1,276 (+5.4%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 475.7 square miles of land, that is 52 people per square mile (20 per km²), placing Antrim County #1,510 nationally for density and #48 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 12 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 23,457 | 23,879 | 24,285 | 24,416 | 24,441 | 24,698 |
| Change | — | +422 | +406 | +131 | +25 | +257 |
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 Antrim County
Antrim County is divided into 15 municipalities and townships. In Michigan, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Mancelona township, with 4,559 residents (18.5% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 71.1 mi². Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Mancelona township grew fastest since then (+5.8%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mancelona township | 4,559 | +5.8% | 71.1 | 15% |
| Elk Rapids township | 2,647 | +5% | 7.08 | 1.5% |
| Milton township | 2,485 | +5.6% | 25.6 | 5.4% |
| Central Lake township | 2,276 | +5.5% | 27.5 | 5.8% |
| Kearney township | 1,866 | +4.8% | 34.2 | 7.2% |
| Forest Home township | 1,764 | +4.9% | 24.2 | 5.1% |
| Banks township | 1,666 | +5% | 45 | 9.5% |
| Torch Lake township | 1,270 | +5% | 15.1 | 3.2% |
| Custer township | 1,213 | +5.6% | 34.7 | 7.3% |
| Star township | 1,086 | +5.7% | 34.3 | 7.2% |
| Echo township | 1,009 | +6.2% | 34.9 | 7.3% |
| Helena township | 985 | +5% | 16.2 | 3.4% |
| Jordan township | 946 | +6.7% | 35.1 | 7.4% |
| Chestonia township | 542 | +5.7% | 35.3 | 7.4% |
| Warner township | 384 | +6.1% | 35.5 | 7.5% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Antrim County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Antrim 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
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Antrim County; 11 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
49611496124961549622496274962949648496594967649690497124971349720497274972949730
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 Antrim County
Antrim County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Kalkaska County (559.7 mi²) and the smallest is Charlevoix County (416.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Antrim County forms a block of 2,431.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 19.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Antrim | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska County | 559.7 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Otsego County | 515 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Grand Traverse County | 464.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Charlevoix County | 416.3 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Antrim County compared with U.S. states?
Antrim County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.2 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 119 areas the size of Antrim County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.8 miles (35.1 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 Antrim County?
Antrim County has more land than 1,056 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 Antrim County at #1,738 nationally by total area, 428 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 20.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 19.8 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 Antrim County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2165 | Robertson County, Tennessee | 476.3 | Compare |
| #2166 | Antrim County, Michigan | 475.7 | This county |
| #2167 | Dixon County, Nebraska | 475.6 | 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 45.004713, -85.163668. 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: 1,232,034,498 m²; AWATER: 326,504,962 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 Antrim County?
Antrim County, Michigan has 475.7 square miles (1,232 km²) of land and 126.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 601.8 square miles. It ranks #2166 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Antrim County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Antrim County ranks #76 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Antrim County?
Antrim County shares a land border with Charlevoix County, Kalkaska County, Otsego County, and Grand Traverse County.
What is the population of Antrim County?
The Census Bureau estimates Antrim County had 24,698 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,678 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 52 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Antrim County?
The county seat of Antrim County is Bellaire.
What cities and towns are in Antrim County?
Antrim County has 15 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Mancelona township, Elk Rapids township, Milton township, Central Lake township, and Kearney township.
Is Antrim County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Antrim County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Antrim County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Antrim County, and 11 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Antrim County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Antrim County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 304,442 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 385,123 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.