County outline
Where Emmet County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 53% of Emmet County’s measured area and water for 47%. Its combined area converts to 2,284.4 square kilometers or approximately 564,478 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 467.546 | 1,210.939 | 299,229.4 |
| Water | 414.451 | 1,073.423 | 265,248.6 |
| Total | 881.997 | 2,284.362 | 564,478.1 |
How Emmet County compares
By original Census land area, Emmet County ranks #77 of 83 in Michigan and #2202 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.823 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 Emmet County
The Census Bureau estimates that 33,775 people lived in Emmet County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,384 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #46 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 34,109, the population has declined by 334 (−1%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 467.5 square miles of land, that is 72 people per square mile (28 per km²), placing Emmet County #1,235 nationally for density and #38 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 8.9 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 34,112 | 34,301 | 34,195 | 34,028 | 33,947 | 33,775 |
| Change | — | +189 | −106 | −167 | −81 | −172 |
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 Emmet County
Emmet County is divided into 18 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 Bear Creek township, with 6,513 residents (19.3% of the county). The largest by land is Springvale township, at 44.7 mi², or 9.6% of the county’s land. The county seat, Petoskey city, has 5,772 residents.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek township | 6,513 | −0.5% | 39.6 | 8.5% |
| Petoskey cityCounty seat | 5,772 | −1.5% | 5.147 | 1.1% |
| Littlefield township | 3,192 | −0.5% | 21.7 | 4.6% |
| Resort township | 2,821 | −0.6% | 19.1 | 4.1% |
| Little Traverse township | 2,622 | −1.5% | 18 | 3.8% |
| Springvale township | 2,122 | −1.1% | 44.7 | 9.6% |
| West Traverse township | 1,740 | −1.4% | 13.4 | 2.9% |
| McKinley township | 1,285 | −0.6% | 35.1 | 7.5% |
| Maple River township | 1,279 | −0.9% | 35.3 | 7.6% |
| Harbor Springs city | 1,255 | −1.4% | 1.303 | 0.3% |
| Friendship township | 943 | −1.2% | 31.4 | 6.7% |
| Pleasantview township | 909 | −1.1% | 35.6 | 7.6% |
| Carp Lake township | 747 | −0.5% | 32.3 | 6.9% |
| Wawatam township | 697 | −1.3% | 15.7 | 3.4% |
| Bliss township | 566 | −0.4% | 43.7 | 9.3% |
Show the other 3 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmond township | 555 | −1.1% | 31 |
| Center township | 520 | −1% | 34.3 |
| Cross Village township | 237 | −1.3% | 10.1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Emmet County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Emmet County is a central county of the Petoskey, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Emmet County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 467.5 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #450 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #406 by population.
ZIP codes
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Emmet County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
4970149706497134971649718497224974049755497644976949770
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 Emmet County
Emmet County shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Cheboygan County (715.3 mi²) and the smallest is Charlevoix County (416.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Emmet County forms a block of 1,599.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 29.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Emmet | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheboygan County | 715.3 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Charlevoix County | 416.3 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Emmet County compared with U.S. states?
Emmet 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 121 areas the size of Emmet County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.6 miles (34.8 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 Emmet County?
Emmet County has more land than 1,020 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 Emmet County at #1,024 nationally by total area, 1,178 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 47%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 45.8 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 Emmet County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2201 | Hanover County, Virginia | 467.6 | Compare |
| #2202 | Emmet County, Michigan | 467.5 | This county |
| #2203 | Muhlenberg County, Kentucky | 467.3 | 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 45.590094, -84.986822. 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: 1,210,937,837 m²; AWATER: 1,073,422,145 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 Emmet County?
Emmet County, Michigan has 467.5 square miles (1,210.9 km²) of land and 414.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 882 square miles. It ranks #2202 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Emmet County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Emmet County ranks #77 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Emmet County?
Emmet County shares a land border with Cheboygan County and Charlevoix County.
What is the population of Emmet County?
The Census Bureau estimates Emmet County had 33,775 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,384 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 72 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Emmet County?
The county seat of Emmet County is Petoskey.
What cities and towns are in Emmet County?
Emmet County has 18 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Bear Creek township, Petoskey city, Littlefield township, Resort township, and Little Traverse township.
Is Emmet County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Petoskey, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Emmet County?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Emmet County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Emmet 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 Emmet County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 299,229 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 564,478 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.