County outline
Where Livingston County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 96.6% of Livingston County’s measured area and water for 3.4%. Its combined area converts to 1,516.2 square kilometers or approximately 374,660 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 565.29 | 1,464.094 | 361,785.6 |
| Water | 20.116 | 52.1 | 12,874.2 |
| Total | 585.406 | 1,516.195 | 374,659.8 |
How Livingston County compares
By original Census land area, Livingston County ranks #47 of 83 in Michigan and #1815 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.996 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 Livingston County
The Census Bureau estimates that 197,315 people lived in Livingston County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #364 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #10 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 193,858, the population has grown by 3,457 (+1.8%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 565.3 square miles of land, that is 349 people per square mile (135 per km²), placing Livingston County #454 nationally for density and #11 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 1.8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 193,974 | 195,367 | 196,097 | 196,731 | 196,886 | 197,315 |
| Change | — | +1,393 | +730 | +634 | +155 | +429 |
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 Livingston County
Livingston 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 Hamburg township, with 20,901 residents (10.6% of the county). The largest by land is Cohoctah township, at 37.9 mi², or 6.7% of the county’s land. The county seat, Howell city, has 9,896 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Howell township grew fastest since then (+9.1%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburg township | 20,901 | −1.7% | 32.2 | 5.7% |
| Genoa township | 20,576 | −0.5% | 33.8 | 6% |
| Green Oak township | 19,901 | +1.8% | 34.2 | 6.1% |
| Brighton township | 19,489 | +1.8% | 33 | 5.8% |
| Hartland township | 16,108 | +5.6% | 35.9 | 6.3% |
| Oceola township | 14,888 | +1.8% | 36.1 | 6.4% |
| Tyrone township | 12,270 | +2.3% | 35.5 | 6.3% |
| Marion township | 12,051 | +7.2% | 34.9 | 6.2% |
| Howell cityCounty seat | 9,896 | −1.7% | 4.991 | 0.9% |
| Handy township | 8,887 | +3.2% | 34.4 | 6.1% |
| Howell townshipCounty seat | 8,606 | +9.1% | 31.8 | 5.6% |
| Brighton city | 7,904 | +6.1% | 3.514 | 0.6% |
| Putnam township | 7,797 | −1% | 34.1 | 6% |
| Deerfield township | 4,102 | −1.5% | 36.2 | 6.4% |
| Iosco township | 3,876 | +0.1% | 35.2 | 6.2% |
Show the other 4 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conway township | 3,594 | −0.3% | 37.7 |
| Unadilla township | 3,284 | −1.7% | 33.8 |
| Cohoctah township | 3,185 | −1.9% | 37.9 |
| Fenton city | 0 | — | 0.088 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Livingston County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Livingston County is an outlying county of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI metropolitan division. Its 6 county equivalents have 4,390,913 residents on 3,892.9 square miles of land; Livingston County accounts for 14.5% of the land and 4.5% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #75 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #14 by population. It belongs to the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 1,769,038 | 611.8 |
| Oakland County | 1,288,337 | 867.4 |
| Macomb County | 886,221 | 479.4 |
| Livingston County | 197,315 | 565.3 |
| St. Clair County | 160,486 | 721.5 |
| Lapeer County | 89,516 | 647.5 |
ZIP codes
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Livingston County; 12 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
481144811648137481394814348169481784818948353483804841848430484424845148816488364884348855488724889249285
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 Livingston County
Livingston County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Oakland County (867.4 mi²) and the smallest is Shiawassee County (531.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Livingston County forms a block of 4,564.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Livingston | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland County | 867.4 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Washtenaw County | 706 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Jackson County | 701.9 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Genesee County | 636.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Ingham County | 556.1 | about the same | Compare |
| Shiawassee County | 531.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Livingston County compared with U.S. states?
Livingston 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 100 areas the size of Livingston County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.8 miles (38.3 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 Livingston County?
Livingston County has more land than 1,407 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 Livingston County at #1,801 nationally by total area, 14 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 3.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 2.3 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 Livingston County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1814 | Rutherford County, North Carolina | 565.4 | Compare |
| #1815 | Livingston County, Michigan | 565.3 | This county |
| #1816 | Wexford County, Michigan | 564.9 | 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 42.602532, -83.911718. 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: 1,464,094,034 m²; AWATER: 52,100,273 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 Livingston County?
Livingston County, Michigan has 565.3 square miles (1,464.1 km²) of land and 20.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 585.4 square miles. It ranks #1815 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Livingston County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Livingston County ranks #47 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Livingston County?
Livingston County shares a land border with Ingham County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County, Shiawassee County, Genesee County, and Jackson County.
What is the population of Livingston County?
The Census Bureau estimates Livingston County had 197,315 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #364 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 349 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Livingston County?
The county seat of Livingston County is Howell.
What cities and towns are in Livingston County?
Livingston County has 19 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Hamburg township, Genoa township, Green Oak township, Brighton township, and Hartland township.
Is Livingston County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 6 county equivalents and 4,390,913 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Livingston County?
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Livingston County, and 12 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Livingston 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 Livingston County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 361,786 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 374,660 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.