County outline
Where Kalamazoo County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 96.8% of Kalamazoo County’s measured area and water for 3.2%. Its combined area converts to 1,503 square kilometers or approximately 371,393 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 561.959 | 1,455.467 | 359,653.8 |
| Water | 18.342 | 47.506 | 11,738.9 |
| Total | 580.301 | 1,502.973 | 371,392.6 |
How Kalamazoo County compares
By original Census land area, Kalamazoo County ranks #53 of 83 in Michigan and #1839 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.99 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Kalamazoo County
The Census Bureau estimates that 263,795 people lived in Kalamazoo County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #283 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #9 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 261,669, the population has grown by 2,126 (+0.8%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 562 square miles of land, that is 469 people per square mile (181 per km²), placing Kalamazoo County #356 nationally for density and #9 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 1.4 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 261,780 | 260,596 | 261,121 | 262,460 | 263,122 | 263,795 |
| Change | — | −1,184 | +525 | +1,339 | +662 | +673 |
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 Kalamazoo County
Kalamazoo County is divided into 19 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 Kalamazoo city, with 72,683 residents (27.6% of the county). The largest by land is Cooper charter township, at 36.3 mi², or 6.5% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Texas charter township grew fastest since then (+6.6%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo cityCounty seat | 72,683 | −1.2% | 24.6 | 4.4% |
| Portage city | 49,862 | +2% | 32.2 | 5.7% |
| Oshtemo charter township | 23,971 | +0.9% | 35.7 | 6.4% |
| Kalamazoo charter townshipCounty seat | 22,523 | −1.2% | 11.7 | 2.1% |
| Texas charter township | 18,864 | +6.6% | 34.7 | 6.2% |
| Comstock charter township | 15,512 | +1.9% | 33.3 | 5.9% |
| Cooper charter township | 10,446 | +0.3% | 36.3 | 6.5% |
| Schoolcraft township | 9,316 | +1.4% | 34.3 | 6.1% |
| Richland township | 9,116 | +4.8% | 34.4 | 6.1% |
| Pavilion township | 6,333 | −1.2% | 35 | 6.2% |
| Ross township | 4,891 | +0.8% | 33.4 | 5.9% |
| Brady township | 4,485 | +0.9% | 34.8 | 6.2% |
| Alamo township | 3,826 | +0.5% | 36.2 | 6.4% |
| Prairie Ronde township | 2,402 | +1.4% | 35.9 | 6.4% |
| Climax township | 2,381 | +0.9% | 36.1 | 6.4% |
Show the other 4 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galesburg city | 2,071 | +0.7% | 1.417 |
| Charleston township | 1,895 | −0.5% | 34.8 |
| Parchment city | 1,887 | −2% | 0.922 |
| Wakeshma township | 1,331 | −0.9% | 36.1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Kalamazoo County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Kalamazoo County is a central county of the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Kalamazoo County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 562 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #347 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #193 by population. It belongs to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Portage, MI Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
25 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Kalamazoo County; 18 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
49001490024900449006490074900849009490124901549024490344904849052490534906049065490714907249074490784908049083490874908849097
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 Kalamazoo County
Kalamazoo County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Allegan County (825.4 mi²) and the smallest is St. Joseph County (500.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Kalamazoo County forms a block of 3,755.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 15%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Kalamazoo | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegan County | 825.4 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Calhoun County | 706.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Van Buren County | 607.8 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Barry County | 553.1 | about the same | Compare |
| St. Joseph County | 500.6 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Kalamazoo County compared with U.S. states?
Kalamazoo County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.8 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 101 areas the size of Kalamazoo County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.7 miles (38.2 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 Kalamazoo County?
Kalamazoo County has more land than 1,383 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 Kalamazoo County at #1,828 nationally by total area, 11 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 3.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 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 Kalamazoo County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1838 | Dakota County, Minnesota | 562.6 | Compare |
| #1839 | Kalamazoo County, Michigan | 562 | This county |
| #1840 | Henry County, Alabama | 561.9 | 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 42.246145, -85.533415. 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: 1,455,466,288 m²; AWATER: 47,506,808 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 Kalamazoo County?
Kalamazoo County, Michigan has 562 square miles (1,455.5 km²) of land and 18.3 square miles of water, for a total area of 580.3 square miles. It ranks #1839 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Kalamazoo County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Kalamazoo County ranks #53 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Kalamazoo County?
Kalamazoo County shares a land border with Van Buren County, Calhoun County, St. Joseph County, Barry County, and Allegan County.
What is the population of Kalamazoo County?
The Census Bureau estimates Kalamazoo County had 263,795 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #283 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 469 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Kalamazoo County?
The county seat of Kalamazoo County is Kalamazoo.
What cities and towns are in Kalamazoo County?
Kalamazoo County has 19 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Kalamazoo city, Portage city, Oshtemo charter township, Kalamazoo charter township, and Texas charter township.
Is Kalamazoo County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Kalamazoo County?
25 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Kalamazoo County, and 18 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Kalamazoo County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Kalamazoo County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 359,654 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 371,393 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.