County outline
Where Mackinac County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 48.6% of Mackinac County’s measured area and water for 51.4%. Its combined area converts to 5,440.4 square kilometers or approximately 1,344,355 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,021.879 | 2,646.654 | 654,002.6 |
| Water | 1,078.675 | 2,793.755 | 690,352 |
| Total | 2,100.554 | 5,440.41 | 1,344,354.6 |
How Mackinac County compares
By original Census land area, Mackinac County ranks #9 of 83 in Michigan and #650 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.8 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Mackinac County
The Census Bureau estimates that 11,236 people lived in Mackinac County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,404 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #74 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 10,834, the population has grown by 402 (+3.7%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 1,021.9 square miles of land, that is 11 people per square mile (4.2 per km²), placing Mackinac County #2,612 nationally for density and #76 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 58 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 10,821 | 10,919 | 10,981 | 10,922 | 11,103 | 11,236 |
| Change | — | +98 | +62 | −59 | +181 | +133 |
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 Mackinac County
Mackinac County is divided into 13 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 St. Ignace city, with 2,351 residents (20.9% of the county). The largest by land is Newton township, at 148.6 mi², or 14.5% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Moran township grew fastest since then (+3.7%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Ignace cityCounty seat | 2,351 | +2.7% | 2.638 | 0.3% |
| Clark township | 1,996 | +3.5% | 79 | 7.7% |
| Garfield township | 1,187 | +2.1% | 134.5 | 13.2% |
| Moran township | 1,072 | +3.7% | 127.6 | 12.5% |
| St. Ignace townshipCounty seat | 1,007 | +3.4% | 97.3 | 9.5% |
| Portage township | 987 | +9.2% | 55.4 | 5.4% |
| Marquette township | 624 | +1.8% | 97.2 | 9.5% |
| Mackinac Island city | 617 | +6% | 4.353 | 0.4% |
| Brevort township | 519 | +3.4% | 92.5 | 9.1% |
| Newton township | 451 | +3.9% | 148.6 | 14.5% |
| Hudson township | 198 | +3.7% | 68.8 | 6.7% |
| Hendricks township | 122 | +4.3% | 79 | 7.7% |
| Bois Blanc township | 105 | +4% | 35.1 | 3.4% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Mackinac County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Mackinac 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
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Mackinac County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
497194974549757497604976249774497754978049781497934982049827498364983849853
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 Mackinac County
Mackinac County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Chippewa County (1,558.5 mi²) and the smallest is Luce County (899.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Mackinac County forms a block of 4,651.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 22%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Mackinac | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa County | 1,558.5 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Schoolcraft County | 1,171.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Luce County | 899.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Mackinac County compared with U.S. states?
Mackinac 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 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 55 areas the size of Mackinac County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 32 miles (51.4 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 Mackinac County?
Mackinac County has more land than 2,572 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 Mackinac County at #302 nationally by total area, 348 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 51.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 50.2 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 Mackinac County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #649 | Hillsborough County, Florida | 1,022.2 | Compare |
| #650 | Mackinac County, Michigan | 1,021.9 | This county |
| #651 | Calaveras County, California | 1,020 | 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 46.167704, -85.303740. 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: 2,646,654,806 m²; AWATER: 2,793,754,473 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 Mackinac County?
Mackinac County, Michigan has 1,021.9 square miles (2,646.7 km²) of land and 1,078.7 square miles of water, for a total area of 2,100.6 square miles. It ranks #650 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Mackinac County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Mackinac County ranks #9 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Mackinac County?
Mackinac County shares a land border with Chippewa County, Luce County, and Schoolcraft County.
What is the population of Mackinac County?
The Census Bureau estimates Mackinac County had 11,236 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,404 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 11 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Mackinac County?
The county seat of Mackinac County is St. Ignace.
What cities and towns are in Mackinac County?
Mackinac County has 13 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are St. Ignace city, Clark township, Garfield township, Moran township, and St. Ignace township.
Is Mackinac County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Mackinac County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Mackinac County?
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Mackinac 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 Mackinac County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Mackinac County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 654,003 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,344,355 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.