County outline
Where Gogebic County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 74.6% of Gogebic County’s measured area and water for 25.4%. Its combined area converts to 3,824.7 square kilometers or approximately 945,097 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,102.136 | 2,854.519 | 705,367 |
| Water | 374.578 | 970.153 | 239,729.9 |
| Total | 1,476.714 | 3,824.672 | 945,097 |
How Gogebic County compares
By original Census land area, Gogebic County ranks #7 of 83 in Michigan and #576 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.941 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 1.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Gogebic County
The Census Bureau estimates that 14,285 people lived in Gogebic County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,208 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #69 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 14,379, the population has declined by 94 (−0.7%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 1,102.1 square miles of land, that is 13 people per square mile (5 per km²), placing Gogebic County #2,541 nationally for density and #75 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 49 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 14,349 | 14,382 | 14,404 | 14,271 | 14,253 | 14,285 |
| Change | — | +33 | +22 | −133 | −18 | +32 |
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 Gogebic County
Gogebic County is divided into 9 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 Ironwood city, with 4,950 residents (34.7% of the county). The largest by land is Marenisco township, at 311.1 mi², or 28.2% of the county’s land. The county seat, Bessemer city, has 1,787 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Watersmeet township grew fastest since then (+1.9%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ironwood city | 4,950 | −1.8% | 6.578 | 0.6% |
| Ironwood charter township | 2,205 | −0.2% | 175.1 | 15.9% |
| Bessemer cityCounty seat | 1,787 | −1.2% | 5.499 | 0.5% |
| Wakefield city | 1,689 | −1% | 7.872 | 0.7% |
| Watersmeet township | 1,481 | +1.9% | 254.9 | 23.1% |
| Bessemer townshipCounty seat | 1,124 | −0.8% | 113.8 | 10.3% |
| Marenisco township | 462 | +1.8% | 311.1 | 28.2% |
| Wakefield township | 304 | −0.7% | 180.1 | 16.3% |
| Erwin township | 283 | +5.6% | 47.3 | 4.3% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Gogebic County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Gogebic 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
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Gogebic County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
49911499384994749959499684996954540
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 Gogebic County
Gogebic County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 2 in Wisconsin. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Ontonagon County (1,311 mi²) and the smallest is Iron County (758.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Gogebic County forms a block of 5,195.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 21.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Gogebic | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontonagon County | 1,311 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Iron County | 1,166.1 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Vilas CountyWisconsin | 857.7 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Iron CountyWisconsin | 758.2 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Gogebic County compared with U.S. states?
Gogebic County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.8 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Michigan’s county land could hold about 51 areas the size of Gogebic County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 33.2 miles (53.4 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 Gogebic County?
Gogebic County has more land than 2,646 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 Gogebic County at #459 nationally by total area, 117 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 25.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 24.2 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 Gogebic County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #575 | Tillamook County, Oregon | 1,103.2 | Compare |
| #576 | Gogebic County, Michigan | 1,102.1 | This county |
| #577 | Volusia County, Florida | 1,101.3 | 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 46.488054, -89.788314. 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: 2,854,517,933 m²; AWATER: 970,153,355 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 Gogebic County?
Gogebic County, Michigan has 1,102.1 square miles (2,854.5 km²) of land and 374.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,476.7 square miles. It ranks #576 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Gogebic County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Gogebic County ranks #7 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Gogebic County?
Gogebic County shares a land border with Ontonagon County, Vilas County, Wisconsin, Iron County, Wisconsin, and Iron County.
What is the population of Gogebic County?
The Census Bureau estimates Gogebic County had 14,285 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,208 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 13 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Gogebic County?
The county seat of Gogebic County is Bessemer.
What cities and towns are in Gogebic County?
Gogebic County has 9 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Ironwood city, Ironwood charter township, Bessemer city, Wakefield city, and Watersmeet township.
Is Gogebic County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Gogebic County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Gogebic County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Gogebic 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 Gogebic County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Gogebic County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 705,367 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 945,097 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.